Lectio Divina: Sacred Reading of Scripture
Lectio Divina is a simply prayerful approach to reading Scripture. Listen to favorite Bible passages, learn how to begin the practice of Lectio, find out what others have to say about Lectio. Playlists are linked.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is simply a prayerful approach to reading Scripture. This approach has been used for generations (since the twelfth century). Typically, a short passage from the Psalms, Gospels, or another part of Scripture is read four times. We begin with silence and then we are first encouraged to listen to the passage being read in order to get a sense of the meaning of the passage. Then as the passage is read again, we prayerfully listen, noticing what the Holy Spirit is drawing our attention to. After the third reading, we seek to respond (in prayer, in worship, in song) to what we have received. The final reading is intended to settle the truth into our hearts, where we might then commune with Jesus, enjoying the gift of being in his presence.
Please feel free to “press pause” if you need more time after each reading. You can read along in your Bible, or simply close your eyes and hear the Word read to you. If you would like to learn more about Lectio Divina, you can download this handout, or if you would like some suggestions for passages to use for Lectio Divina, you can download this handout.
Also note that you can adjust the volume of your computer/tablet, and there is a second volume control in the lower left of the YouTube window. It may take a minute for the video to begin.
Luann Budd leads a sacred reading of John 14.
Luann Budd gives a brief introduction (incorporating Martin Luther’s experience), then leads in a sacred reading of Romans 1:13-17, giving 1 minute of silence between each reading of Scripture for prayer. This lectio would be a nice conclusion to a time of confession.
Watch Now - Lectio
If you would like to spend 40 minutes immersed in God’s love, we’ve combined worship music videos, scripture readings and Lectio in Romans 1. See the NEWIM playlist: “Scripture and Worship: Filled with God’s Love.”
Watch Now - Lectio with music videos and scripture readings
Luann Budd gives a brief introduction, then leads in four readings of Romans 8:31-35. After each reading there is 1-minute for silence prayer and reflection.
Luann Budd gives a brief introduction, then leads in four readings of Ephesians 3:14-21. After each reading there is 1 minute of silence.
Luann Budd give a brief introduction to Lectio Divina, then reads Psalm 23 four times, pausing for 30 seconds of silence after each reading.
Luann Budd gives a brief introduction, then leads in four readings of Psalm 32. After each reading there is 1 minute of silence for prayer and reflection.
Luann Budd gives a brief introduction, then leads in four readings of Psalm 103. After each reading there is 1 minute of silence for prayer and reflection.
Additional Resources
Sharon Garlough Brown, author of the Sensible Shoes Series and retreat director, offers free audio readings for lectio divina every day at AbidingWay.life.
The Abiding Way team also offers a Good Friday service of Liturgical Prayer and Scripture.
Lectio365 App - from the 24/7 prayer team - download the app from the AppStore on your smart phone. Learn more about the app. (In September 2020, 100,000 daily uses.)
What Others Teach about Lectio Divina
From David Benner:
"Although it is often treated as a technique, lectio divina is not really a procedure or even a method—at least not a single method. It is more an approach and an expectation. It arises out of a desire to not simply hear the words of Scriptures but also encounter the Word behind the words. At other times and in other ways of engaging with Scriptures we may seek insights, eternal truths and precepts for living. But in lectio divina what we seek is not information or motivation but communion and union. We seek nothing less than God. We attend to the Word as a way of opening ourselves to God and listen for God's living word to us. Lectio divina treats Scriptures not as a text to be studied or a set of truths to be grasped, but as the living Word—always alive and active, always fresh and new." (Opening to God, Intervarsity Press, pg. 48)
"As usually practiced, lectio divina involves reading and listening to a short passage of Scripture several times with ample opportunity for contemplative stillness between and within each reading. In the classical form of the method associated with Benedictine spirituality, the passage would be read four times with a slightly different focus for each reading…There is nothing magical about this wording, nor is there anything fixed in the way the passage should be listened to in multiple readings. However, what I just offered draws on a framework for prayer that was first outlined by the twelfth-century Carthusian monk Guigo II. He identified four states of monastic prayer and labeled them as lectio, meditation, oratio and contemplatio. He taught that prayer is a journey from the biblical text (lectio) to inquire (meditatio) to response (oratio) and finally to the gift of God's presence (contemplatio). (Opening to God, Intervarsity Press, pg. 50-51)
"Rather than thinking of these four components as stages, I would suggest that you think of them as movements of the dance of prayer. This dance does not have to follow a preset order. Allow the Spirit to lead this dance, and allow it to unfold spontaneously. Sometimes it will include only one or two of the movements, and sometimes all of them. Don't worry, therefore, about the sequence of what happens once you step onto the dance floor, and don't try to control the process. Just open your heart to God and allow the Spirit to lead this dance of love in the way that is God's gift to you for the present moment." (Opening to God, Intervarsity Press, pg. 56)
"Whatever you read, the important thing is to read it slowly and contemplative, several times. Remember, this is not reading for content. It is contemplative listening with openness of mind and heart, the senses and the imagination. Don't attempt to cover some set amount of biblical text—making this, for example, part of a project for reading through the whole Bible. Rather, just take a small morsel of Scripture and expect God to give you a word or phrase from it that will nourish your soul and meet your present spiritual needs." (Opening to God, Intervarsity Press, pg. 60)
From Michael Casey:
"If our normal reading has become no more than a rapid scanning of the page with a view to extracting its "essential" content, we will probably need to be re-educated if we are to improve our skills of sacred reading. Lectio divina is like reading poetry: we need to slow down, to savor what we read, and to allow the text to trigger memories and associations that reside below the threshold of awareness. We are so accustomed to reading quickly and "objectively" that we easily slip back into that habit, even when we are reading purely for "subjective" profit. This means that we may have to make a stand to protect the specific character of holy reading." (Sacred Reading—The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina, Liguori/Triumph Press, pg. 83.)