Welcome to Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina is about listening to a reading,
Allowing yourself to be caught by a word or phrase,
Meditating on it,
Praying on it,
And then simply sitting in contemplation of it with the expectation of spiritual insight.
It was once an ancient Jewish tradition of praying with scripture,
Later taken up and used extensively in the early Christian church before being moved into a four-step process in the 11th century,
And this was formularised by a Carthusian prior and thereafter became a firm monastic tradition.
The process encourages us to approach biblical text as a living word,
The Latin words are reading,
Lectio,
Meditatio,
Meditation,
Oratio,
Speaking or praying,
And the fourth step,
Contemplatio,
Simply opening the mind and heart for any insight or word that may arise.
The process of this contemplation will move through the four steps,
Reading,
Meditating,
Praying,
And then contemplation,
And after each step there will be a short pause.
In this pause,
You may like to press pause on your device so that you can maintain your own timing within the process and then return to the recording when you're ready.
At the start of each step,
I'll remind you of the step we're at.
Today,
I'll be reading the passage taken from Isaiah 41,
10-13.
I'll be reading it twice at the beginning,
In step one.
And during this time,
It's for you to simply allow yourself to be caught by a word or phrase of that reading,
Prompted,
As it were,
To look deeper.
Before I start,
I just want to mention a word about the right hand,
Which is mentioned in the text.
Throughout the Bible,
The right hand is seen as a place of honour and status.
In ancient times,
Historically,
Only those close enough to be completely trusted sat at the right hand,
Later moving into the safety of being right next to the sword arm,
But unable to be drawn and thrust with it.
Additionally,
An open right hand was historically used as a sign of protection and defence against all forms of evil.
So now,
Let's settle in and begin by relaxing the body,
Making sure that you are comfortable and supported in your position.
Having said that,
It may be that you would like to wander around the garden or sit on a bench or lay on some grass.
While we go through this process,
Wherever you feel most comfortable,
Whatever you feel like doing is fine.
So,
Taking a few deep breaths and as you breathe out,
Allowing any worries or concerns to drift out and melt away with that out breath.
Step one.
Step one.
Allowing yourself to listen to the reading,
Allowing any particular word,
Words or phrase that attracts you,
To catch you.
So do not fear,
For I am with you.
Do not be dismayed,
For I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,
For I am the Lord,
Your God,
Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,
Do not fear,
I will help you.
So do not fear,
For I am with you.
Do not be dismayed,
For I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,
For I am the Lord,
Your God,
Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,
Do not fear,
I will help you.
Step two.
It's time to meditate on the word or words that have caught you,
Allowing the chatter of your mind to slow down as you repeat the words to yourself,
Again and again.
Step three.
Time to pray about this,
Perhaps asking for a clearer understanding of what these words may mean to you and your life.
Step four.
And now it's time to move into a state of openness and waiting,
Waiting with an open heart and an open mind,
Ready to receive insights,
Encouragements,
Knowledge and wisdom,
Just sitting in and with the presence of God that surrounds you.
And as we come to a close,
Remembering that God's timing is not our timing,
And maybe the fruits of this contemplation may take a while to arrive in your head,
In your life,
In your being,
If it hasn't done so already.
Thank you for sharing this process with me today.
