Note: I grew up knowing that sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”) is one of the core principles of the Reformation. And it’s only in the last couple decades that I’ve become aware of two things connected with this two word soundbite. First, that so many people misunderstand what the Lutheran Reformers were getting at here. Second, that so many Roman Catholics actually teach the same thing the Lutherans do with regard to the Bible.

As an example of the second, the Camaldolese see lectio divina as the central core and heart of the spiritual disciplines. That’s because lectio is how and where the Bible soaks into our very being. We must listen before we can serve.

Quote:
“Our monastic vocation is to serve and worship God through a contemplative life that reveals the trinitarian love of God. For this reason lectio divina is not a technique of interpretation or meditation of the Scriptures, but the very heart of monastic spirituality. Our own asceticism must be built on God’s Word. The monastery is a school of the Lord’s service because it is where we learn to hear our Lord Jesus Christ. Silence, ongoing conversion and solitude are meant for listening. They are conditions of possibility for our spiritual growth.”

Source: Barban, Alessandro. “Lectio Divina and Monastic Theology in Camaldolese Life” in Belisle, Peter-Damian, editor. The Privilege of Love: Camaldolese Benedictine Spirituality. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2002, pg. 54.