Lectio divina, or divine reading, is the ancient Christian practice of communicating with God through the reading and study of Scripture. The Lectio Divina Bible Studies build on this time-honored tradition, inviting readers to listen to God as they read his word. The approach is built around eight steps, lectio, meditation, oratio, contemplation, silencio, incarnation, epitome, and praeparatio--all designed to help the reader slow down, read Scripture, meditate upon it, and prayerfully respond to God's Word.
Each Lectio Divina Study is designed around these elements:--a brief overview of the sessionSilence--a time of quieting oneself before reading the WordPreparation--focusing the mind on the central theme of the textReading--carefully reading a passage of ScriptureMeditation--exploring the meaning of the Bible passageContemplation--yielding oneself to God's willPrayer--expressing praise, thanksgiving, confession, or agreement to GodIncarnation--resolving to act on the message of Scripture |