Sacred reading or Lectio Divina is an ancient practice and a simple one that helps us become more rooted in God’s Word for us, God’s instruction as the great Teacher of our life and the encouragement God wants to give us both in wisdom and in practice.

 

• Sit where you find you can be at ease and quiet, pray if you wish. Use this practice as a preparation as centering prayer or meditation.

 

• Open the Scriptures as you wish, either following a particular book or chapter in the Scriptures, or randomly finding a passage that is helpful. Some of us like to begin sacred reading by praying a Psalm or two or resting with a verse or two from the Psalms that open us to the Living Word of God. All of this might be done too by calling upon the Holy Spirit in some fashion through some prayer or openness of heart.

 

    “Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit            
    and renew the face of the earth.”

• When you open the Scriptures it is helpful to turn slowly to reading, possibly using your lips, speaking it quietly to your own heart, might help you as you sit alone or if you are doing “divine reading” with another person.  

 

• Listen to the text as it speaks to your heart, not so much through thought, but through the movement of what is present to you here, what is presented by the Spirit as you read this text.  

 

• Allow your heart to respond to what your heart hears by intentionally listening in the stillness of this time. Sometimes a word or image is given to us in this reading that we wish to treasure through this time into the rest of the day.  

 

• Read the passage only as far as you wish to go, a line or two, a paragraph. Listening this way may even invite you only to hear one word, that word itself might be the one that opens you to the mystery of God’s active and loving presence with you now. We are reading not for thoughts, but, again, for thoughtfulness.  All of this helps us to be aware of God’s presence in the Word and in the world. The Word of God is God’s love poured out for us and “alive and active in our hearing,” teaching our hearts so that our daily life might be filled with this awareness, the action of God which teach us how to act with and for others. We are opening ourselves, as disciples, to the One who has gathered us and speaks to us now. The One who is our “Teacher.” This is the One who came “to serve, not be served” and teaches us to do the same.  

• In this practice some of us like to light a candle or use some quiet music. Often sitting by a favorite window in a comfortable, but sturdy chair and making a practice of what place and space lends to the regularity of this practice. It is important to do this with some regularity, but also some ease of how it fits into our time, so what is to bring some lightness to our hearts does not become a new burden in itself.  

 

• Creating a bit of a habit of place and space and comfortability helps us to relax our body and be more mindful of what it is we are opening to in centering prayer and in sacred reading.