Lectio Divina: Step One / Lectio or Reading

The Four Steps or Movements in Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina (Divine or Sacred Reading) is one of the best ways to let God speak to you as you read the Bible or any other good book having to do with spiritual formation.


Getting Ready:  The first thing to do is decide what you want to read.  I find that a short letter by St. Paul (for example, Philippians) is a good place to start.  But you can begin anywhere with any good book.  The second thing to do is find a quiet place, free from distraction (as much as possible).  I like to sit in the chair I will later use for Centering Prayer.
Sit quietly with your Bible or book, close your eyes, and place yourself in the loving presence of God.  One way of doing this is slowly to repeat the name of Jesus in your heart or quietly out loud, or use the “Jesus prayer”(“Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”). Take on a passive stance, and allow yourself to be taken by Him. After all He loves you more than you could ever imagine, and He desires to reveal Himself to you.
Step One: Lectio or "Reading":  Open your Bible to a passage.  Read the passage attentively, reverently, slowly and quietly speaking the text so you can hear it with your ears. Whatever you do, don’t rush through it. Praying takes time, patience and perseverance.  Depending on what happens you might read the passage several times or linger on one particular phrase or even one word.


The art of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts," as both St. Benedict and Martin Luther recommend.  When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah.  We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts.  This gentle listening is an "atunement" to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe.       The reading or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible.  Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately.  In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day.

And once we had that word or phrase (usually something short, something that we can carry around in our mind and heart for a while), we take it into the day as the small voice of God speaking quietly as we go about our day's activities.  That's step one: lectio/reading.