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Note: In lectio divina (literally "sacred reading"), "the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer," according to The Catechism of the Catholic Church (see no. 1177).
Selected Readings on Lectio Divina from the Catholic masters:
- From The Rule of St. Benedict (4th century)
- From William of St. Thierry (d. 1148)
- From Guigo II (d. 1193)
- From The Nine Ways of Prayer of St. Dominic (1260-1288)
- From The Cloud of Unknowing (13th century)
Accepting the Embrace of God: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina
A good practical introduction. By Father Luke Dysinger, O.S.B.
Praying with Scripture
A short "how-to," includes texts for beginners to pray with. See also:
- What is Lectio Divina?
- Lectio Divina: A Way to Deepen our Prayer Life and Spirituality
- The Five "P's" of Praying with Scripture
The Lectio Divina Texts
A nice gathering of reflections by Father Richard McCambly, O.S.C.O., a Trappist Monk. Contains many practical meditations on Scripture based on the writings of St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. - Introduction, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
- On Psalm 139
- Old Testament versus New Testament Terms
- References to "Christ" in the Epistles of Paul
- New Testament References to the Word 'Angel'
- Notes on the Song of Songs
- References to "Out of the Land of Egypt"
- References to "Like" in the New Testament
- Notes on the Psalms: Part One, Part Two
Gospel Meditations for Lectio Divina
- The Parables of Jesus
- Miracles of Jesus
- Parallel Passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke (NIV Translation - Catholics should compare with RSV and NAB)
- Lectio Divina with the Sunday Mass Readings
Letter on Lectio Divina
Written in 1993 by Father Bernardo Olivera, O.C.S.O, Abbot General of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, or Trappists.
Lectio Divina as School of Prayer among the Fathers of the Desert
By Abbot Armand Veilleux, O.C.S.O. A scholarly piece, with lots of quotations, like this from St. John Cassian: "Brought to life by this food (that of the Scriptures) on which he does not cease to nourish himself, [the monk] penetrates to the point of all the sentiments expressed in the psalms, which he recites henceforth not at all as having been composed by the prophet, but as if he himself were the author, and as a personal prayer...This is, in fact, what the divine Scriptures reveal to us most clearly, and it is their heart and in some way their marrow that are shown to us, when our experience not only allows us to know, but makes us anticipate this very knowledge, and the sense of the words is made known to us, not by some explanation, but by the proof that we ourselves have made of them."
