Lectio Divina Online Instructions
Lectio divina is a traditional method for listening to scripture or another reading with the ear of the heart. Here are instructions for several possible approaches to our online version.
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Basic Instructions
Slowly read through one of the passages provided, either silently or aloud. Listen to the passage with the ear of the heart. Don’t get distracted during the lectio divina by intellectual types of questions about the passage. Just listen to what the passage is saying to you, right now. You may find that it is helpful to meditate or sit in silence for a few minutes before and after looking at the passage and that it will speak to you in a different way out of the silence. It is best to read the passage at least twice, and often four times or more. You may find that each time you read the passage that you enter into it more deeply, not necessarily having thoughts about it, but allowing it to touch you or act upon you in a more mysterious way.
When you are ready, you are welcome to make a response based on what came up for you during the lectio divina or read others’ responses in the Lectio Divina Online area.
Traditional Instructions
Here is a slightly more formal method for practicing lectio divina. Read the passage four times, leaving a few minutes of silence in between each reading.
• The first time you read the passage, notice if any phrase, sentence or word stands out and gently begin to repeat it to yourself.• The second time you read it, notice if any thoughts and reflections about the passage arise.
• The third time you read the passage, notice if any prayers arise.
• The fourth time you read the passage, sit in silence afterwards, resting in God’s presence.
• When you are ready, you are welcome to make a response based on what came up for you during the lectio divina or read others’ responses in the Lectio Divina Online area.
Different Types of Lectio Divina
I have attended groups that have used the following approaches:
• Using the traditional method, the facilitator reads the passage four times. The first time the group sits in silence, the second time the group is invited to offer reflections, the third time the group offers prayers, and the fourth time the group sits in silence again.
• In an alternate method, the passage is read four times, with silence between each reading. After the fourth reading, the members of the group are invited to repeat a word or phrase from the passage that resonated for them. This method is good for large groups when there is not much time for everyone to speak or for groups who are having difficulty not entering into a more intellectual discussion. It can be surprisingly powerful to hear the words in the passage that resonated for others.
• In another alternate method, the passage is read a few times, and the group is invited to offer reflections. Then, after everyone has had a chance to speak, members may speak again if they choose. This method can work well for small groups and groups that are able to stay with their own experience of the passage rather than entering into an intellectual discussion.
Other Thoughts on Lectio Divina
• The practice of lectio divina can be especially powerful after a period of centering prayer or a long period of silence.
• It can be helpful to have a piece of paper handy to jot down your thoughts and prayers while reading the passage.
• If you are doing lectio divina in a group, it is often best to pick a very short passage that is easy to read aloud several times with periods of silence in between. You might find at the beginning that it is uncomfortable to leave a few minutes of silence, but that as the group becomes more accustomed to the practice, the silences become longer.
• Different people may be attracted to different types of passages. You could choose a scripture passage at random, take a passage from the weekly lectionary, work your way slowly through the Sermon on the Mount or another part of the bible, or alternate between scriptural and non-scriptural passages.
• While it's best to avoid intellectual types of discussions during lectio divina and instead focus on your personal experience of the passage, it can be helpful when doing lectio divina in a group to have a time after the lectio divina during which members of the group can raise more intellectual questions or talk about problems they may have had with the passage that they were not comfortable raising during the lectio divina time.
• When practicing alone, you may find yourself led intuitively to practice lectio divina in a very particular and personal way that helps you to integrate the practice into your prayer life.
Please contact me if you have any problems using Lectio Divina Online or if you would like to receive the weekly lectio divina passage in an email.
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