Lectio Divina, an ancient format for meditation.

The ancient Benedictine format for meditation, the Lectio Divina, or "Divine Reading," is very helpful for thoroughly understanding a particular scripture passage.

As Fr. Price teaches it in conjuction with the four styles of meditation, it becomes an excellent means of understanding a scriptural passage from the four principal human perspectives: idealist, rationalist, artist, and guardian.

The traditional Lectio Divina consists of four steps: Lectio, an intense reading of the passage several times; Meditatio, conceptually thinking about the issues in the reading, (using one of the four styles of meditation - see link to the right on "Styles of Meditation"); Oratio, praying on the issues arising in the meditation; and Contemplatio, sitting quietly and listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying.

One way to present this material is to give an overview in a one-hour lecture as part of a larger series on spiritual formation, say, in a lenten series on the subject. The best way to present the Lectio Divina is in a one-day workshop in which the four classic styles of meditation are detailed, the framework of Lectio Divina given, and then time is given in 4 segments to meditate on the same passage of scripture in each of the four ways we meditate

Updated September 15, 2002