Steps
The Method of Lectio Divina Lectio Divina is the most traditional way of cultivating friendship with Christ. It is a way of listening to the texts of scripture as if we were in conversation with Christ and He was suggesting the topics of conversation. It is listening with the “ear” of the heart. The daily encounter with Christ and reflection on His Word leads beyond mere acquaintanceship to an attitude of friendship, trust and love. Lectio Divina leads us to communion or as Gregory the Great (6th c.), summarizing the Christian contemplative tradition says, “resting in God.”
Video: James Martin, S.J. on Lectio Divina
The four steps are simply known as read, reflect, respond, and rest.
First Reading: Allow yourself to settle into the words. Read the text out loud, if you can, very slowly and clearly. Pause for a breath or two.
Second Reading: Notice any word or phrase that stands out to you.
Third Reading: Reflect on this word or phrase until it engages your body, heart, and awareness of the physical and unseen world around you.
Fourth Reading: Respond with a prayer or expression of what you have experienced, inhaling love and connection, exhaling out worry and tension.
Rest in God.