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Spiritual GPS
By Sister Julie | December 19, 2007
Great article from Zenit. I love the image of lectio divina as “spiritual GPS” … what has been your experience with reading Scripture? How does Scripture help you pray and navigate life?
“Lectio Divina” Seen as a Compass and Spiritual GPS
Site on Meditation of Scripture Aims to Attract YouthBy Miriam Díez i Bosch
ROME, DEC. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org) - A “spiritual GPS” and a “compass for life” are two images that have been used to illustrate the importance of reading the Bible, says a Catholic consultor for the United Biblical Societies.
Ricardo Grozna said this to ZENIT when commenting on the Web site www.lectionautas.com, which offers guides for “lectio divina,” or the meditative reading of Scripture, and aims especially to attract youth. It already has 50,000 users.
“To define ‘lectio divina’ as a GPS [Global Positioning System] is to see in it a satellite that tells us where we are, like a compass, which indicates to us the path to follow,” Grozna said. He commented that Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, “has referred to ‘lectio divina’ as a GPS, and the Pope has defined the Bible as a ‘compass for life.’”
Sacred Scripture “is a book that interprets my life; the Bible ends up being like a mirror that helps me, and teaches me to seek a path,” Grozna added. “For years, Pope John Paul II and then Benedict XVI insisted a great deal that ‘lectio divina,’ which was a method of monastic prayer of the monks, could reach all Christians.”
Novel evangelization
The program of “lectio divina” on the Internet consists in offering users texts and MP3 files. Users are chiefly youth who download the audio files on their mobile phones. Grozna explained that the aim of the program is to train young people who can lead other youth in reading the Bible.
“The Church is taking all the programs promoting biblical reading as a priority,” explained Grozna, pointing especially to his experience in Latin America. “Catholics have delayed a little in rediscovering the Bible, but the Bible has always been present in the Church. […] I don’t read the Bible, it is the Bible that reads me.”
Grozna said the site’s success is shown by hundreds of e-mail messages from youth telling “how they are changing their lives by following the prayerful reading.”
The method is also ecumenical, he added: “‘Lectio divina’ has been a point for moving forward in dialogue with other Christian brothers.” And it also serves as a social apostolate, “In some countries, the parish youth are using the method of ‘lectio divina’ to reach ostracized youth; those who are in very poor neighborhoods, those who have been victims of drugs, violence, gangs.”
Hugo Flores, manager of the site, was in Rome to present the program. He told ZENIT the program has been well received by theologians and biblical scholars. “They have taken ‘lectio divina’ as a point to help them evangelize and carry the word of the Lord to more groups. Cardinals, bishops, priests … they are fascinated with this novelty, this new form of evangelizing through the Internet.”
Topics: compelling quotations, prayer |
December 19th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I think it’s great that this man has developed a site on lectio divina to appeal to the youth. It is a prayer practice that enriches the lives of many. As a Benedictine Oblate, we learn about lectio. Many of us practice it regularly. I know a Protestant minister who does lectio to come up with topics for her sermons. Also, we do a short abbreviated lectio every week with our RCIA candidates and catechumens. It’s an excellent tool for formation.
deerose
Personally, my favorite form of prayer is wordless, contemplative prayer. I practice centering prayer every day for a half of hour. I also like siting in the Presence of God. As far as lectio is concerned, there are a number of different types. I prefer to do lectio with nature, especially when I’m on a silent retreat in beautiful surroundings such as the beach or mountains.
December 21st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Julie, thanks for the lovely and thoughtful phone message. Blessings to you this Christmas. It is truly a pleasure working with you! -joe
December 22nd, 2007 at 6:16 am
I hope this bears fruit.
My practice is to spend a period of time after the OT and NT Lessons when saying Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer privately in silent reflection. As I follow the Lectionary, these readings all tie into each other, and over the year, guide me through the whole Bible while exploring the main themes. I try to pick out perhaps one or two verses, or the single main thought, and meditate on that (to try and do this on a whole chapter, every word, would be impossible). Even 5 minutes of silent reflection bears much fruit. It tends to illuminate and bring to mind many connections and reveals common threads between readings that would other wise go unnoticed if one were to simply plunge dutifully on in his Office.
More lengthy and focused Lectio would be good to experience. For some reason the preacher in me, if I spend more than 5 - 10 minutes on a passage, begins writing mental sermons and composing lecture notes….
then I’m looking for pen and paper
December 22nd, 2007 at 6:18 am
or the computer.
December 22nd, 2007 at 6:25 am
I might add that this post-reading silence was the practice at the monastery where I spent a week on Retreat. Quite a meaningful experience for a church full of people to spend five minutes in silence pondering the scriptures just read…
December 24th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
interesting….
December 25th, 2007 at 8:18 am
I am hopping around the blogosphere to say “Merry Christmas” to my friends. May this first day of Christmas be blessed with peace and serenity and inner joy!
Merry Christmas!
PS-BTW, my preference would be for vanilla pizzelle but I think I’ve only had anise pizzelle.