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lectio’s depths

"Lectio is a practice in which you slow down, creating space in which you can gently learn to seek, and discern, God’s presence hidden in the sacred text and in the subtle stirrings of your heart and mind.

“By opening up to the divine presence through the written word, you simultaneously open yourself up to the deeply relational nature of the Christian contemplative life, which is indeed the heart of the mystical path.”

McColman, Carl. The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism: an Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality. Minneapolis: Broadleaf Books, 2023, pp. 256-257.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

praying the 10 Commandments

[The 10 Commandments] "are intended to help the heart come to itself and grow zealous in prayer. Take care, however, not to undertake all of this or so much that one becomes weary in spirit. Likewise, a good prayer should not be lengthy or drawn out, but frequent and ardent. It is enough to consider one section or half a section which kindles a fire in the heart. This the Spirit will grant us and continually instruct us in when, by God’s word, our hearts have been cleared and freed of outside thoughts and concerns.

“Nothing can be said here about the part of faith and Holy Scriptures [in prayer] because there would be no end to what could be said. With practice one can take the Ten Commandments on one day, a psalm or chapter of Holy Scripture the next day, and use them as flint and steel to kindle a flame in the heart.”

Luther, Martin. “A Simple Way to Pray” (1535) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 209)

Comment: Prayers shouldn’t be wordy, wearisome affairs. Make them short. Let them set your heart on fire. And (although he doesn’t use the Latin phrase) use lectio divina. Why don’t more Lutheran pastors know this and teach this? Because they haven’t read it and been taught it, I suppose. When I was in seminary, other concerns were at the forefront.

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everyone a theologian!

“This is the work of theology: to comprehend the mystery of the Christian faith. And every Christian is called to be a theologian, that is, to endeavor to penetrate God’s mystery. For this reason, without theology we cannot do lectio divina well.”

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, p. 49.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

meditate like ants and bees

"In the Christian monastic tradition, meditatio is not primarily a technique for emptying the soul. Meditation is an exercise in attentiveness, purification, and concentration, but its primary goal is the fullness or maturation of God’s Word within us. According to the most ancient tradition, meditation is biblical. And in lectio divina, three important ‘moments’ constitute meditatio: the ant’s work, the bee’s work, and discernment.

"The ant’s work is to harvest the food. Our food is God’s Word. … One who is more familiar with Scripture will have the advantage of recalling a greater number of texts.

"We must not only harvest our food, but also work with it like a bee. … In other words, the monk’s work is to meditate, i.e., to reveal the hidden sense of Scripture, to produce the honey of evangelical wisdom. Monastic tradition calls this second step of meditation ruminatio. …

“God’s Word entering our lives begins a work of discernment, of purification, of krisis–transformation and conversion. Whereas with lectio we read Scripture, during meditatio God’s Word ‘reads’ us. This can prove a painful process.”

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, pp. 56-57.

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Bonhoeffer on spiritual disciplines

“Bonhoeffer expressed his personal piety in his reading of Scripture, daily meditation and prayer. These practices influenced his perception and response to external ‘social and political realities.’ Throughout his life, Bonhoeffer used the Moravians’ daily Bible texts called Losungen (“watch words”) for his daily devotions. Each day included verses from both the Old and New Testaments. These texts had a great influence on his life and greatly influenced his decision to return to Germany in 1939. In addition to meditative reading of Scripture, Bonhoeffer’s most powerful discipline was prayer.”

Cannon, Mae Elise. Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2013, p. 44.

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formative reading

Note:
What Sager calls “formative reading” is what we would call lectio divina. It isn’t our regular mode of reading (see the first paragraph below). It is slower; receptive rather than acquisitive; meditative rather than argumentative. It seems that so, so many of our reading experiences are, instead, either merely for entertainment or mostly to ferret out where the other guy is wrong so that we can triumphantly correct him. That’s not lectio. Even when we say that we are reading to learn, aren’t we usually in a disputatio mode? What could we learn if we were truly open to the text before us?

Quote:
“Formative reading is the kind of reading that nourishes the life of the spirit. Contrast that with other more typical approaches to reading. Often our approach is informational as we look for ideas and facts to enlighten the mind. Or our approach may be recreational as we just relax and enjoy the story line. At times our approach may be literary as we appreciate or analyze the text for its intrinsic quality and attributes. Or again, our approach may be exegetical when we try to understand the ancient text in its “there and then” meaning.

“Formative reading is slowed down and reflective. It is inspirational rather than informational, and more qualitative than quantitative.

“Formative reading calls for an attitude of receptivity, the grace of appreciation, and participatory engagement.

“The chief requirement of formative reading is to move from a mainly argumentative, rationalistic fault-finding mentality to an appreciative, meditative, confirming mood. We are called to move past challenging or rebuffing the text to a savoring of its timeless values. We are called to listen with inner ears of faith to what God may be saying or doing.

“Formative reading calls for a posture of docility and humility as we accept the gift of enlightenment coming from beyond our control. We expect not only to be touched by what is read, but transformed by it.” (p. 101)

Source: Sager, Allan H. Gospel Centered Spirituality: An Introduction to our Spiritual Journey. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1990.

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being not doing

Note: This Camaldolese abbot really shows Scripture at the center and core of the Christian spiritual life. All the spiritual disciplines, practices, and exercises spring from and revolve around the Word of God. Scripture itself is the source and norm. Lectio isn’t merely another spiritual practice, way to pray, thing to do. He calls it “a way of being.”

Quote:
“Lectio divina is a ‘spiritual exercise,’ a way of living, thinking and praying that involves one’s whole being and spiritual progress in human life. Spiritual ‘exercise’ in the monastic tradition is not a spiritual ‘retreat,’ but the spiritual orientation that transforms my being every day. In this light, monastic life is an ongoing spiritual exercise. Lectio divina, then, is a way of being that deeply changes how one lives. It is the traditional center of monastic life.”

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, page 47.

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centrality of lectio divina

Note: At least in monasticism – and we could make the case that it is also so among all Christians – lectio divina is a core principle, the sine qua non of the spiritual life.

Quote:
“Lectio divina is the center of monastic life because it is how we seek the Father through, with, and in his Word by the Holy Spirit. It is that daily exercise of prayer that opens our hearts to receive God’s Word in loving movement of the Holy Spirit. Lectio is fundamentally an exercise of receptivity–a practice of silence, concentration and prayer that allows us to remain in Christ’s love. For this reason, lectio divina is the one thing necessary in monastic life. It gives significance to our search for God.”

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, page 49.

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Scripture alone is the heart of the spiritual life

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.

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how the Camaldolese practice lectio

Note: How and why do we do lectio? And what comes of it? The Camaldolese practice it this way: slowly and with silence. It leads to conversion of life and thought, not confirmation of them.

Quote:
“So, the first exercise of lectio is the proclamation of the gospel. We read the text at least three or four times, with attentiveness and concentration, accompanied by lengthy, deep pauses of silence. God’s Word is a gift that does not come to confirm my thoughts or life, but to convert them.” (p. 55)

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.