Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” “spiritual reading”, or “holy reading”
and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote
communion with God and provide special spiritual insights. The principles of lectio divina were expressed around the
year 220 and later practiced by Catholic monks, especially the monastic rules
of Sts. Pachomius, Augustine, Basil, and Benedict.
The practice of lectio divina
is currently very popular among Catholics and Gnostics, and is gaining
acceptance as an integral part of the devotional practices of the Emerging
Church. Pope Benedict XVI said in a 2005 speech, “I would like in particular to
recall and recommend the ancient tradition of lectio divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied
by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears
God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of
heart”. Lectio is also said to be
adaptable for people of other faiths in reading their scripture—whether that be
the Bhagavad Gita, the Torah, or the Koran. Non-Christians may simply make
suitable modifications of the method to accommodate secular traditions.
Further, the four principles of lectio
divina can also be adapted to the four Jungian psychological principles of
sensing, thinking, intuiting, and feeling.
The actual practice of lectio
divina begins with a time of relaxation, making oneself comfortable and
clearing the mind of mundane thoughts and cares. Some lectio practitioners find it helpful to concentrate by beginning
with deep, cleansing breaths and repeating a chosen phrase or word several
times to help free the mind. Then they follow four steps:
Lectio - Reading
the Bible passage gently and slowly several times. The passage itself is not as
important as the savoring of each portion of the reading, constantly listening
for the “still, small voice” of a word or phrase that somehow speaks to the
practitioner.
Meditatio -
Reflecting on the text of the passage and thinking about how it applies to
one's own life. This is considered to be a very personal reading of the
Scripture and very personal application.
Oratio –
Responding to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an
intellectual exercise, but is thought to be more of the beginning of a
conversation with God.
Contemplatio - Listening to God. This is a freeing of oneself from one's own
thoughts, both mundane and holy, and hearing God talk to us. Opening the mind,
heart, and soul to the influence of God.
Naturally, the connection between Bible reading and prayer is one to be
encouraged; they should always go together. However, the dangers inherent in
this kind of practice, and its astonishing similarity to transcendental
meditation and other dangerous rituals, should be carefully considered. It has
the potential to become a pursuit of mystical experience where the goal is to
free the mind and empower oneself. The Christian should use the Scriptures to
pursue the knowledge of God, wisdom, and holiness through the objective meaning
of the text with the aim of transforming the mind according to truth. God said
His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), not for lack of
mystical, personal encounters with Him.
Those who take a supernatural approach to the text tend to disconnect it
from its context and natural meaning and use it in a subjective,
individualistic, experiential way for which it was never intended. Here is
where lectio and Gnosticism share a similarity. Christian Gnosticism is the
belief that one must have a “gnosis” (from Greek gnosko, “to know”) or
mystical, inner knowledge obtained only after one has been properly initiated.
Only a few can possess this mystical knowledge. Naturally, the idea of having
special knowledge is very appealing and makes the “knower” feel important and
unique in that he/she has a special experience with God that no one else has.
The “knower” believes that the masses are not in possession of spiritual
knowledge and only the truly “enlightened” can experience God. Thus, the
reintroduction of contemplative, or centering, prayer—a meditative practice
that focuses on having a mystical experience with God—into the Church.
Contemplative prayer is similar to the meditative exercises used in Eastern religions
and New Age cults and has no basis whatsoever in the Bible, although the
contemplative pray-ers do use the Bible as a starting point.
Further, the dangers inherent in opening our minds and listening for
voices should be obvious. The contemplative pray-ers are so eager to hear
something—anything—that they can lose the objectivity needed to discern between
God’s voice, their own thoughts, and the infiltration of demons into their
minds. Satan and his minions are always eager for inroads into the minds of the
unsuspecting, and to open our minds in such ways is to invite disaster. We must
never forget that Satan is ever on the prowl, seeking to devour our souls (1
Peter 5:8) and can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14),
whispering his deception into our open and willing minds.
Finally, the attack on the sufficiency of Scripture is a clear
distinctive of lectio divina. Where
the Bible claims to be all we need to live the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:16),
lectio’s adherents deny that. Those
who practice “conversational” prayers, seeking a special revelation from God,
are asking Him to bypass what He has already revealed to mankind, as though He
would now renege on all His promises concerning His eternal Word. Psalm 19:7-14
contains the definitive statement about the sufficiency of Scripture. It is “perfect,
reviving the soul”; it is “right, rejoicing the heart”; it is “pure,
enlightening the eyes”; it is “true” and “righteous altogether”; and it is “more
desirable than gold”. If God meant all that He said in this psalm, there is no
need for additional revelation, and to ask Him for one is to deny what He has
already revealed.
The Old and New Testaments are words from God to be studied, meditated
upon, prayed over, and memorized for the knowledge and objective meaning they
contain and the authority from God they carry, and not for the mystical
experience or feeling of personal power and inner peace they may stimulate.
Sound knowledge comes first; then the lasting kind of experience and peace comes
as a byproduct of knowing and communing with God rightly. As long as a person
takes this view of the Bible and prayer, he/she is engaging in the same kind of
meditation and prayer that Bible-believing followers of Christ have always
commended.
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