Lectio Divina:
‘a new spiritual season with the Bible’ among Roman Catholics

UNITED STATES — “Roman Catholics are experiencing a new spiritual season with the Bible.” This, according to the American Bible Society (ABS), is the trend that is resulting from the Catholic Church’s promotion of an approach to reading the Scriptures that has long been used in monastic communities and is now being recommended as a method of reflection and prayer for all believers. ABS Latino Ministries has placed itself at the forefront of providing materials and training to assist Spanish-speaking parishes in implementing this approach.

The origins of Lectio Divina (‘spiritual reading’) as a practice of reading and praying through the Bible, both individually and as a community, can be traced back to around 300 AD. In around 1173, a Carthusian monk, Guigo II, set out in writing the steps that characterise the Lectio Divina approach: lectio, meditatio, oratio and contemplatio (see box).

The steps of Lectio Divina The traditional steps of Lectio Divina as set out by Guigo II (see main story) are still found in all the methods currently being used. There are some variations in these methods, but their ultimate aim is the same: an encounter with God.      The steps set out below are those described in the ABS manual Encounter With the Bible. “In practising Lectio Divina,” the manual emphasises, “one should not become overwhelmed by details of the steps or methodology. The important thing is seeking the Lord and recognising his living presence in his Word.”     Reading: What does the text say?     Meditation: What is the Lord saying to us through the text?     Contemplation: What does this make me want to say to the Lord?     Prayer: What do I say to the Lord?     Action: What is going to change in me?

Revealed

Encounter With the Bible, a manual produced by ABS to guide parishes in implementing Lectio Divina, explains what happened in subsequent generations. The Church’s approach to Scripture, it says, was revealed through the liturgy, mainly in preaching. God’s Word was heard, so Catholics became familiar with Bible passages, but the written text was not placed in their hands.

A time of renewal and transformation in the Church’s attitude towards the Scriptures began officially with the Second Vatican Council in 1965. In the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), the Council recommended that “easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all faithful Christians”.

Research

Research undertaken by the United Bible Societies in France, Spain and Italy over a three-year period from 2001 reveals, however, that although the Bible is widely available, God’s Word is still not very well known among practising Catholics.

Prof Luca Diotallevi of the University of Rome, who led the research, discovered that the most highly regarded form of contact with Scripture in the Catholic view is still that which is mediated by the Church; individual reading of the Bible remains a secondary activity.

Lectio Divina around the world The program of work that has already started in Latin America with regard to promoting Lectio Divina may well provide a model which could be followed in other parts of the world. In the Republic of Ireland, for example, the National Bible Society of Ireland has for some time supplied publications to people who run Lectio Divina groups.      “The Bible Society has never published materials specifically for Lectio Divina,” says General Secretary Judith Wilkinson, “but we provide Scriptures and support courses planned by others.”      She goes on to explain that there is “a real hunger for Lectio Divina in many parishes but a real lack of leaders. Having visited a couple of groups doing Lectio Divina we are convinced that the ongoing training of leaders is essential. We are looking at if and how the Bible Society can provide some means of networking between groups for mutual support and also help with the training of leaders.”

The Church, then, is still working to encourage a personal and direct approach to and relationship with God’s Word. In doing so, it has looked at a number of methods designed to facilitate the reading of the text and its application to people’s lives.

“The Church wants a methodology that produces a faithful reading of the text – respecting the text and not manipulating it – and that is sincere and authentic,” continues Encounter With the Bible. “As such, it exhorts and invites the faithful to use the methodology of Lectio Divina.”

Motivation

As parishes consider how to put Lectio Divina into practice, ABS Latino Ministries is offering both training and support materials. The initial training takes the form of a motivation seminar designed to encourage key leaders in local parishes to adopt Lectio Divina for both personal and group Bible reading and prayer. This is followed by a ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop to teach Lectio Divina promoters basic Bible knowledge and how to teach the method. Then, over the following year, the promoters implement Lectio Divina in their own parishes. The training is due to be reinforced with a Lectio Divina Bible in Spanish, made up of the course materials used in the workshops and the Bible in the contemporary Dios Habla Hoy version.

Respite

One of the most exciting results so far of the Church’s promotion of Lectio Divina has been the way in which this approach is encouraging young people to read the Bible. They welcome the fact that Lectio Divina offers a temporary respite from the noise and activity of their daily life, and lets them approach the Bible without any pressure to understand theological terms, read many chapters or answer difficult questions. The United Bible Societies is allocating US $500,000 from its Opportunity 21 Final Phase program to work among Catholic young people in Latin America, and this will almost certainly include a significant initiative to further encourage the use of Lectio Divina among young people through the development of materials and workshops for youth leaders.

Profound impact

“The Lectio Divina movement is making a profound impact on the personal and community level of the Church,” says an ABS promotional DVD. “Let us help every Catholic believer to read and pray along with the Bible. Let us take flight and spread our wings on the Lectio Divina training programs in Latino parishes, so that every Catholic believer may confront the challenges of life with the hope found in the Scriptures.” (WR 405/7 - 09/10.06)