Why Lectio Divina?

Even though it's not yet Lent, it is approaching. In one week, we'll be observing Ash Wednesday. As a young person I never knew or even understood why my neighbors would go out and get ashes imparted to them, then wear them all day. It wasn't a part of my Baptist upbringing. Neither was Lent a part of my upbringing. We never gave up sweets, caffeine or anything. In fact, the only people who did so were my Catholic friends and giving up sweets for 40 days wasn't that big of a deal. 

This year, however, I want to do something meaningful in my life. I want to add something that I hope will carry over into the year. That is why I chose Lectio Divina. Now some of my friends have inquired as to what Lectio Divina actually is and what the history of it is. In my first post on this blog, I did a bit of an introduction, but I didn't go into the why I have chosen this particular discipline or Means of Grace. Even today when I mentioned that Lectio Divina was a Means of Grace, someone asked what a means of grace actually is.

With that question, let me answer very broadly. The means of grace are all the ways by which we as Christians grow stronger in our faith and grow in the grace of Christ. It serves to provide us the spiritual/mental house cleaning we need because it personalizes the scripture and we are giving an opportunity to listen for God's voice; it gives us the opportunity to take our compartmental lives and place God at the center of all we do.

Now I know the burning questions for my friends are "Is it a Catholic practice?" and "Can Christians practice Lectio Divina?" A quick internet search will give you all the answers you need to know about Lectio Divina--including answers that tell you it's a dangerous practice. Yet I fail to see where reading, meditating and praying God's word is dangerous. I feel as if because the first question that is asked about Lectio Divina is about it being a Catholic practice makes Protestants shudder because most Protestants refuse to read and learn about the traditions of the Catholic church, much less their actual Catechism.

If we look at where Lectio Divina is today, we will see that St. Augustine of Hippo's phrase Ever Ancient, Ever New describes the renewed interest in praying with Scripture that has re-emerged in today’s Church. Around the country, parish Bible study groups, small Christian communities, and other faith sharers have rediscovered a simple, insightful way to hear and experience the Word of God with one another through an ancient prayer form, lectio divina. St. John Paul II said in Novo Millennio Ineunte, 39 

It is especially necessary that listening to the word of God should become a life-giving encounter, in the ancient and ever valid tradition of lectio divina, which draws from the biblical text the living words which questions, directs, and shapes our lives. 

Lectio divina is a form of meditation rooted in liturgical celebration that dates back to early monastic communities. It was a method practiced by monks in their daily encounter with Scripture, both as they prepared for the Eucharist and as they prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. Its use continued in the Middle Ages in religious orders, such as the Benedictines and Carmelites, that not only practiced lectio divina daily but passed this treasure from the past on to the next generations. The practice of lectio divina is resurfacing today as a wonderful way to meditate on God’s Word. The practice of Lectio Divina as a way of praying the Scriptures has been a fruitful source of growing in relationship with Christ for many centuries and in our own day is being rediscovered by many individuals and groups. The Word of God is alive and active and will transform each of us if we open ourselves to receive what God wants to give us.

During Lent, I have decided to do the 1% challenge. I am challenging myself using Lectio Divina to find out what God is saying to me. I will be using scriptures that are no more than 10 verses long to find out what exactly God is saying to me.

I'll be journaling those thought here in the format of:
Daily Reading, Version of the Bible

After that I will be writing my reflections, how I responded to what I felt God was impressing upon me and finally we'll be resting in what God has revealed to me. The resting part isn't going to be easy, because I feel like this Lent will be a time of pruning...and pruning is painful; but it's also a good time because a gardener prunes for one reason usually and that is to grow his/her plants and make them reach their full potential.

I look forward to what God has in store for me over the next 40 days starting on the 26th of February--even though I have started early to see if I could get in the swing of things. 

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