Guiding lectio divina it would be most helpful for you to. Pay attention to each individual word and what it means and what the whole sentence or phrase means. This form of spirituality is distinctly catholic, but similar methods are found in other theistic religions. Lectio divina, literally meaning divine reading, is an ancient practice of praying the scriptures. It originated with the desert fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. Calm your anxieties and thoughts, and acknowledge gods presence. Lectio divina and so, he who is the primal fountain of life, full in himself and filled with himself, gushed forth in the secret places of the heavens about him, to fill them all with his favors. So, today lets consider bible journaling as lectio divina.
Discover how to use lectio and visio divina in catechesis and during sacramental preparation. In lectio divina, the chosen spiritual text is read four times in total, giving an opportunity to think deeply about it and respond thoughtfully. Lectio divina is a slow, quiet, and thoughtful encounter with scripture. The practice of group lectio divina communities of calling. This pdf booklet features instructions, an index of scriptures with spiritual formation themes, and over seventy onepage meditations that can be printed out and. It is our hope that by using these simple steps each day as you study sacred scripture in lectio. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of christ. Bible study methods lectio divina lectio divina journaling worksheet download pdf bible versions and commentary bible versions and commentaries haydocks catholic bible commentary, 1859 edition. The practice naturally flows from one part to the next.
We created this site to help christians bridge sunday to sunday to have resources for everyday discipleship at home. Lectio is a holistic way of prayer, which disposes, opens, and informs us for the gift of contemplation god waits to give, by leading us to a meeting place with him in our deepest center, his life giving dwelling place. There is one worksheet for every sunday gospel as well as dozens others for various topics. This simple lectio divina guide outlines how these practices ignite the imaginations of disciples and candidates. It is a way of praying the scriptures that leads us deeper into gods word.
Lectio divina guide igniting the imagination of kids and. Praying leader preparation the word liturgy office. Lectio divina is an ancient practice of enhancing ones prayer life through the power of god s word. Lectio divina benedictines of mary, queen of apostles. The words lectio divina are latin for sacred reading, which is nothing more than reading and then praying over gods word in the scriptures. The term itself means divine reading of the sacred scriptures. Reading and responding to the biblical passage three times provides time and space for. Catechism of the catholic church catechism of the catholic church usccb catechism of the catholic church vatican concordances and lexicons. Lectio divina, or divine reading is a traditional way of listening and talking with god through scripture. This particular resource utilizes the practice of lectio divina in conjunction with the prayers of the rosary.
Lectio divina divine reading praying the scriptures with the mind of christ. The holy spirit prompts thoughts about what you read, and helps you talk to god about these thoughts. Listen carefully as the scripture passage is read aloud. Lectio divina does not treat scripture as text to be studied, but as the living word. Lectio divina lesson planning the religion teacher. Lectio divina guide free printable more like grace. During lectio divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the bible with the ear of the heart, as if he or she is in conversation with god, and god is suggesting the topics for discussion.
If you have very young children, skip down to the next section for some ideas about how to prepare them to do lectio divina. It dates back to the early centuries of the christian church and was established as a monastic practice by benedict in the 6th century. For those who want to give this spiritual practice a try, im excited to share this free printable lectio divina guide today. Lectio divina is an ancient spiritual practice for listening to a scripture passage with the ear of the heart. Lectio divina is an ancient prayer method that is most literally known as divine reading. Lectio divina prayerful reading of scripture slowly, tenderly, patiently, open yourself to the encounter with god who loves you. It is a traditional benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer intended to promote communion with god and to increase the knowledge of gods word. Lectio divina divine reading is a spiritually powerful way of reading the bible that has been practiced by christians for almost 2,000 years. In the space below, write a sentence that summarizes what this passage means to you. Its foundation traces back to origen in the third century. Bible journaling as lectio divina the littlest way.
A lectio prayer service for the family as with any new practice or habit, expect to try lectio a few times before your kids get comfortable with it. In medieval times, saint benedict of nursia instituted a more formal practice in his religious order, setting lectio divina as a regular part of the monastic. In my post, bible journaling in the new year i found this definition of lectio divina to share, lectio divina is simply the classical monastic practice of the prayerful reading of the bible it does not treat scripture as texts to. Lectio divina is an ancient practice of enhancing ones prayer life through the power of gods. The optional step that is not included on the worksheet is creative scripture journaling. Step by step praying in color for intercessory prayer.
Meditating with the word of god we begin by calling on the holy spirit, asking for his assistance. Lectio divina lectio divina lectio divina, which means divine reading, is an ancient form of praying with scripture that is still practiced by many today. Dont let the latin scare you away from learning to do it yourself or from sharing it with your students. The button will immediately open the file as a pdf. Lectio divina is something like that, but the decoder who helps make gods word for us clear is the holy spirit. And having endowed the remotest heights and recesses, he burst upon our earth, saving men and beasts, multiplying his mercies everywhere. In todays world, people have busy schedules, overwhelming financial expectations, family obligations and feelings of stress and anxiety. Christian culture thats inspirational, informative and fun twitter. Copy this and give it to participants or write it on newsprint and post. Lectio divina is a method of prayer that uses sacred scripture to facilitate ones relationship with god. It is an essential practice for all catholics to learn and certainly not something we should avoid teaching young people to. Lectio divina is an ancient spiritual practice that allows us to experience the presence of god through reading and listening, prayer and meditation. The four basic movements or steps in lectio divina are.
Step 6 take your word or phrase and bring it before the lord in this final phase of the exercise. Lectio divina is a weekly framework for a faithful and respectful reading of the bible, coordinated with the catholic lectionary calendar. The basic lectio divina steps the religion teacher. In lectio divina, we read and reread a scripture passage slowly and prayerfully as a means of furthering our intimacy with jesus and hearing his voice. Lectio divina latin, divine reading is an ancient practice of praying with sacred scripture. It has been around almost as long as the church herself. The process is a slow, reflective praying of the scriptures which enables the word of god, to unify us with godto be a fruitful source for growing our relationship with him. Lectio divina lectio divina, latin for sacred reading, is an ancient practice of quiet prayer and reflection, reading scripture and listening to the voice of god, dating back to about 300ad. Lectio divina is an ancient catholic prayer method for reading and praying with the bible. For you and your ministry is an online lectio divina resource with short video lessons from soul shepherding to revitalize your personal devotions in the bible and your small group. Com step 4 step 5 reread the passage for a third time, continuing to hold on to your phrase or word as you read.
The desert fathers were some of the first monks, christians who moved into the. Lectio divina, pronounced lektseaho diveenah, is a latin term meaning divine reading and is a catholic meditative form of prayer. Get ready to dive into the details of lectio divina for kids and adults. Lectio divina and centering prayer lectio divina and centering prayer are two distinct prayer forms. Lectio divina is a reading, reflecting, responding and resting in the word of god that helps one grow in relationship with god. Bill and kristi gaultiere, cofounders of soul shepherding, explain the lectio divina process to you, show you how to meditate on scripture. In this way, god speaks directly to our most personal concerns. Genesis, ten commandments, lectio divina, confirmation, the catholic mass, catholic. The first to use the expression lectio divina was origen circa 185254, who affirmed that to read the bible profitably it is necessary to do so with attention, constancy and prayer.
Click here to download the lectio divina worksheets. It is meant to facilitate an encounter with god through an engaged reading of the scriptures. Return to that quiet spot youve been savoring throughout our shared practice these last two weeks heres mine and decide how youd like to move through the four stages of lectio divina. Unlike other types of writings school textbooks, poetry, legal codes, mystery novels, and so on, the sacred scriptures are inspired by god. Guiding lectio divina it would be most helpful for you to read this outline thoroughly before leading your group reflection. Listen to the voice of one who loves you, listen through the word, cling to it, cherish it, become a home for it, follow it as you would a sacred pathway, let it. Its a simple onepage sheet, with instructionsquestions for each step of the lectio process. There are 4 sections to lectio which we will follow. Lectio divina is a contemplative way of reading the bible. The opportunity to be still and encounter gods word often feels unattainable. When we practice lectio divina, we can imagine were actually involved in the events of scripture for example, hearing gods words to the israelites in the desert.
Download lectio divina worksheets spiritually hungry. Lectio divina sacred reading a way to meditate on scripture. Lectio divina lectio divina means divine reading in latin. Here are some examples of biblical passages that can be used in lectio divina. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. Choose a text of the scriptures that you wish to pray. Centering prayer is a method of prayer in which we consent to rest in gods presence. It dates back to the early centuries of the christian church and was established as a monastic practice.
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