What is Lectio Divina?
Lectio Divina refers to an ancient way of reading and/or praying the Scriptures by members of the Roman Catholic Church. The term “lectio divina” has Latin roots and means “divine reading”. Lectio Divina is a form of deep and spiritual prayer with Scripture reading as the main component. And as with most prayers, the purpose of doing this praying ritual is to have a closer relationship with God through His own words.

The practice of Lectio Divina is attributed to the time of St. Benedict and Pope Gregory I. This spiritual activity became a common practice in Christian monasteries back in the 6th century. This prayer practice involves four parts namely “lectio”, “meditatio”, “oratio”, and “contemplatio”. “Lectio” corresponds to the reading aspect of the practice and in this part the Scriptures are read slowly for several times. This part does not merely involve passive reading though as people may take notes on which part of the reading gives more meaning to their individual lives. The second part is “Meditatio” or the meditation aspect of this ancient prayer practice. In this part, visualizing and thinking on what one has read is the main goal. A person is supposed to go deeper in his thoughts and his emotions at this part of the prayer to also have a deeper view of the Scriptures. The third part is called “Oratio” or the oratorical part of the prayer. This takes the form of a conversation with God much like the typical prayer practiced by many people. The last part is “Contemplatio” or the contemplation part which finalizes the prayer practice by allowing God’s presence to be felt and surrendering every concern to Him.

Lectio Divina is commonly performed privately as it requires intense focus and commitment in subjecting oneself to have a deeper relationship with God through the Scriptures. A typical practice of this prayer may take about an hour or so but others could take longer times as needed. It is also common practice that Lectio Divina is performed daily with a pre-determined time and place. Most people who practice this ancient prayer choose the part of the Holy Scriptures for reading before the actual prayer itself.