Lectio Divina

PRAYER-God is the focus of prayer

-Conversation with God

-Requests

-Language is important

-An act of being filled and appealing for others to

be filled

Meditation➤Focus is ideally nowhere

➤Not a conversation even with oneselfeven with oneself

➤Releasing thought and attachment to thought is most important

➤An act of emptying and of simply being

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Homework Check in

➤ How is it going?

➤ We have covered 3 methods:

➤ Centering Prayer

➤ Christian Meditation (using maranatha)➤ Christian Meditation (using maranatha)

➤ Basic Meditation

What is resonating with you in this class?

What are your blocks?

What are your questions

Meditating on ScriptureMeditating on ScriptureMeditating on ScriptureMeditating on Scripture

➤ Chewing on Scripture

➤ Allowing God’s words and

ideas to enter more deeply into our hearts and minds.

➤ Different from intellectual Bible Study where one focuses more on the focuses more on the context, history, language.

➤ Roots in the early Church as desert mothers and fathers employed this practice.

LectioLectioLectioLectio DivinaDivinaDivinaDivina

➤ Means Divine Reading

4 Steps:

1. Lectio: Reading

2. Meditatio: Meditation

3. Oratio: Praying

4. Contemplatio: Quiet 4. Contemplatio: Quiet resting

Step 1: ReadingStep 1: ReadingStep 1: ReadingStep 1: Reading

Read Psalm 23 slowly.

-You might read it inaudibly, moving your lips.

-Read through the passage several times until you come to a word or phrase that attracts your attention.attracts your attention.

-What word or phrase stuck with you, and why?

Step 2: MeditationStep 2: MeditationStep 2: MeditationStep 2: Meditation

-Meditate on the word or phrase for a couple of minutes.

-You might mutter the word/phrase to yourself.

-Muttering the words of Scripture allows the words to Scripture allows the words to live in our hearts.

-No need to analyze.

Step 3: PrayerStep 3: PrayerStep 3: PrayerStep 3: Prayer

Now that meditation has filled your heart with god’s

word you can:

-Wait in silence before God.

-Offer a prayer of thanks to God for this word.

-Ask God to help you live out -Ask God to help you live out what you’ve just heard.

Step 4: ContemplateStep 4: ContemplateStep 4: ContemplateStep 4: Contemplate

-Sit in silence for a couple of minutes.

-Rest in God, waiting for any insight or direction God might choose to reveal.

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Live the Experience of Scripture

“Just as you do not analyze the words of someone you

love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation.” Dietrich

Bonhoeffer

“Be still and know that I am God.

-Psalm 46:10

There’s an app for that

1. Pray as you Go:Lectio Divina app and websitehttps://www.pray-as-you-go.org/home/

2.Ceaseless:For those that keep a prayer list. You can add notes, and it will prompt you to pray for that person. Or, you can pray through your contact list.