lectio divina +

Pre-modern Christians reflected theologically according to a pattern of Lectio Divina or sacred reading that united prayer and thought in soulful thinking. For those engaged in Lectio Divina, theological reflection was a form of devotion to God; for them, loving God and thinking of God were not separate activities.

In what follows, Joyce Bellous and I summarize the historical pattern for Lectio Divina and elaborate a second strategy for doing theological reflection, the Expanded Lectio Divina, which introduces sapientia into the other four movements of the traditional method. Introducing sapientia enables twenty-first century believers to address the adverse effects of modern prejudices on the role of reason. As mentioned, pre-modern monks understood the role of reason in a way that modernity eclipsed.

By proposing a second way to carry out theological reflection based on Lectio Divina, we do not presume to improve the practice, if that could be done, but want to emphasize an aspect of devotional theological reflection that needs to be spelled out for our times. Sometimes the Expanded version will be helpful; sometimes the traditional one will most useful. In this section, we outline our version of the traditional four-fold process known as Lectio Divina. It includes Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio and Contemplatio

The goal of this monastic approach to prayer and study was to help the believer experience, and not just intellectually understand, God as the object of scripture. This manner of study includes four steps: Lectio (using senses to perceive; sensing) – meaning active reading, in which the words were spoken aloud so that they would engage the body, the lips and ears, not just the mind; Meditatio (using cognition to ruminate; remembering) – during which the words were repeated and ruminated upon with the goal of fixing them in one‘s memory in the hope that one‘s thoughts and will would be shaped by them; Oratio (using emotion to respond; feeling) – a response to God in which one shares with God not just thoughts, but one‘s emotions regarding the text; and Contemplatio (using intuition to internalize; appropriating) – the attempt to quiet oneself and commune with God, to allow God and the work of the previous three steps to speak to one‘s heart

In our expanded version, we insert sapientia following meditatio. Sapientia (using reason to re-think; recognizing) -- read the passage again and refocus on words, phrases, events, metaphors that stood out to you, some of which you memorized. In your earlier readings, you attended to meanings you already had for these words. You selected what mattered by considering what you already knew or have experienced. That is, you thought of the past and how it influences your present interpretation of the passage. It was important to write down these insights in the first two parts of the practice in order to have a written record of what you emphasized in these readings.

At this point, focus on the story you are telling yourself about the way you read this scripture. By telling yourself and God the story that underlies why you read the passage the way you do, you become more aware of what currently moves your thought and emotion.

To reason is to question, call to account or hold argument (dialogue) in order to influence conduct or opinion. To reason is to think in a connected, sensible or logical manner in order to form conclusions.

...for a more in depth examination of healthy and unhealthy reason you might want to pick up our book Conversations that Change Us.

Comments

[John]

The trouble is is that we now "live" in a "culture" in which even the possibility of an authentic Divine Life has long since disappeared.

Put in another way every last fraction of our "culture" is patterned by the presumptions of reductionist scientism. We live in in a rigidly constructed perceptual strait-jacket---Webers Iron Cage or Newtons Shackles.

This reference describes the origins of this power and control seeking perceptual stait-jacket.

http://www.adidabiennale.org/curation/index.htm

Plus a related reference on the reductionist assumptions shared by both scientism and exoteric religiosity

http://www.dabase.org/broken.htm

And an essay which describes the dreadful politics & "culture" created in the image of both these power seeking reductionisms.

http://ispeace723.org/liberationfromego2.html

[Jake Bouma]

Dan,

I didn't find an email or contact form anywhere on your blog, but I'm extremely interested in your book "Conversations that Change Us".

I'm a youth director in Des Moines, IA, and am about to embark on writing a curriculum and book(/apologia) tentatively called "Everyday Theologians" about cultivating young theologians.

I'd love to chat with you about it. Please email me at jakebouma[at]gmail[dot]com. Cheers!