Into the Deep with Lectio Divina
Women Touched by Grace, a spiritual renewal program hosted by the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center in Beech Grove, Ind., is an effort by Catholic women religious to reach out to Protestant women clergy, sharing their own rhythm of prayer and the monastic traditions that guide their lives.
One of the most powerful of those traditions is lectio divina , an ancient spiritual practice usually involving a slow, contemplative reading of Scripture. But as the Rev. Betty Lynn Schwab learned, it can also be used to reflect deeply on one's own personal experience.
Sister Mary Margaret Funk, OSB, a Sister of St. Benedict at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, which operates the retreat center, is a recognized authority on lectio divina. The author of three books on spiritual practices— Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life , Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life, and Humility Matters for Practicing the Spiritual Life -- she is director of the School of Lectio Divina at the Bendict Inn. She was also the primary presenter at a 10-day Women Touched by Grace session in 2004 on “The Practices of the Spiritual Life.”
According to Sister Mary Margaret, all revelation comes from three possible texts: scripture, the book of nature and our own experience. Even in scripture, the revelatory events come from one or both of the other two sources.
Basically, lectio divina involves examining a text—whether scripture, nature or experience-- at ever deepening levels, reading it first for its literal meaning, then ruminating on it, plumbing it for hidden or symbolic meanings. Going deeper still, the reader then enters into conversation with God, examining the text to determine what actions it asks one to do or undo and to assess what impediments or afflictions must be set aside in order to respond. Finally, in the fourth and deepest stage, the reader enters into contemplation, resting in the presence of God.
“You take a text and you take it all the way down, staying with it, staying with it, staying with it, until all the energy has been entirely used up,” says Sister Mary Margaret.
As an example of how one might use lectio divina to reflect on personal experiences, she cited her recent journeys to Ireland . Over the past few years, she has spent 14 weeks in Ireland , working with an abbey there.
At a literal level, Sister Mary Margaret says, she reflects on the experiences that have occurred on her visits. Then, she asks, what have those experiences meant symbolically? What is the deeper truth that is being revealed in, for example, the beauty of Ireland and the problems the abbey might be experiencing?
Going deeper still, in the third stage, she asks what she is being called to do in Ireland and in the abbey. What inner work does she need to do, what “afflictions” or impediments does she need to remove from within herself to carry out that work? Finally, at the deepest level, what is the meaning of the Celtic spirituality she is encountering in Ireland and what is it prompting within her own spiritual life?
The Women Touched by Grace program uses an adapted version of lectio divina for the women pastors to reflect together on their own experiences in ministry. Further underscoring the program's ecumenical nature, Schwab's small group was actually taught to use the lectio techniques by the Rev. Mary Cartwright, pastor of Greenwood United Methodist Church in Greenwood , Ind.
“What we invited them to do, since they were coming together as people from different areas with vastly different experiences, was to tell their stories and then listen to each other and to God in their lives,” she says. “Rather than using scripture, your life is the text.”
Each pastor was asked to talk about a personal experience, whether from ministry or elsewhere in their life. Then, the small group sits in silence, reflecting together on the story. Then, the entire group reflects together on what they hear God saying in the particular pastor's story. Finally, as a community, they explore together where God is calling the pastor.
“It's a way for a group of pastors to connect with each other and their lives and ministry,” says Cartwright. “It's not just about your personal relationship with God, but about using this community to reflect on your ministry and your life in the church.”
Rather than a one-time event, the process is used in the small groups at each of the Women Touched by Grace gatherings.
For an overview of lectio divina , read “Accepting the Embrace of God: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina” by Father Luke Dysinger, OSB, online at either of these Web sites: http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html or http://www.rc.net/saginaw/srsclare/lectio.html
For information on the School of Lectio Divina at the Benedict Inn , visit http://www.benedictinn.org/school_of_lectio.htm
