Advent 2023—Lectio Divina part 5

This Advent I am going to look at the practice of Lectio Divina, mostly because it is my favourite form of prayer and meditation. Lectio Divina means “Divine Reading” in Latin. It is a systematic way of reading the Bible dating back to the early centuries of the Christian church.

Lectio Divina has four parts:

1. Reading: Read the passage slowly and carefully.
2. Meditation: Think deeply about the text.
3. Prayer: Have a loving conversation with God.
4. Contemplation: Rest in God’s presence.

I took a huge gamble writing this. I was talking about this thing called Lectio Divina, and I was thinking, what if God didn’t say anything to me? It would have been awkward. How could I suggest a way that God can talk to you when He hasn’t said anything to me? Thankfully, I got something in the end. But it was never a sure thing.

Now, let’s talk about you. So, you’re all settled to do your Lectio Divina and you’ve asked God to speak to you, but nothing seems to be happening. Well, guess what? It’s highly unlikely that you’ve done anything wrong. In fact, chances are, you haven’t done anything wrong at all. So, don’t sweat it! Sometimes, things just don’t happen the way we expect them to, and that’s okay. Keep trying and stay positive!

I think the main reason is that Lectio Divina has its limits. It’s not a flawless thing. Lectio Divina is like a tool to help you connect with God’s will. But here’s the thing, God doesn’t always go along with what you want. When you ask God to speak to you, it’s totally up to God to decide whether to respond or not. And you know what? It’s totally OK if you don’t get any profound insights when you meditate on God’s word. Sometimes, it just happens that way. Don’t stress about it.

Instead of throwing in the towel, why not give it another shot? Take another look at the passage, but this time try to picture it in your mind. Here’s an example from the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. You can check it out here.

Imagine the scene as a menber of the story:

Imagine you’re Zacchaeus, perched up on a tree, when suddenly Jesus comes over and starts talking to you. How does that make you feel?

Or you’re just standing there in the middle of the crowd. That awful guy up in the tree who’s scamming everyone with his shady tax business starts making a racket as Jesus comes near. You really wish he’d shut up. But then Jesus actually starts talking to him. How would that make you feel?

---

If you’re doing Lectio Divina in a group and someone drops some wisdom that really hits you, you’d better believe that’s God’s message just for you. God can speak through others too. So pay attention, listen up, and let those divine words sink deep into your soul. God works in mysterious ways.

So, you’ve done all your reading, imagined the reading, and heard others talking about what God said to them, but you feel like you got nothing? Don’t worry, it’s all good. Spending time with God is always life-changing. Now, let’s move on to the last part of Lectio Divina. Just take a break and relax.