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Lectio Divina
Some days I simply don't want to practice lectio divina, but I know lectio divina brings me into conscious contact with God. Lectio divina keeps my vocation to seek God alive and thriving. Knowing that my brothers meet together to read scripture and reflect on the Rule of Saint Benedict helps me to go and simply do it. Once I'm there, I just sit and wait for God. There aren't any flashes of lightning or earth shattering revelations, but for a little while, I'm still and I'm with God in the company of my brothers.
At times there are moments when I understand scripture in a way I hadn't before. Sometimes I become a bit more aware of God's presence. Other times it seems like nothing happens. The one thing that remains consistent is that I slowly grow alongside my brothers towards the understanding that I am not alone and that I am very much a part of a God who lives within and whose compassion is beyond my capability of understanding. Through lectio divina I slowly grow to trust that God is leading me towards full union with him, a union in love which is beyond the kind that is knowable in this life. It's a love which I am presently incapable of handling, a love which will be fully known and lived, and a final realization which will blow my mind.
-Br. Peter
Practicing Lectio Divina
Prayer is at the center of our lives. Benedictine prayer and work is the rhythmic breath of the day and gives our monastic life its basic form. We come together each day to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate the Eucharist, but lectio divina is at the core of personal prayer in Benedictine communities.
Lectio Divina may be as simple as reading and reflecting on Scripture, spending time with the Word of God and opening yourself to His influence. However, as a 2000 year-old Christian prayer, many words of advice and methods have been developed and inherited throughout the Church.
One conprehensive introduction we favor and recommend is Accepting the Embrace of God:The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Fr. Luke Dysinger, O.S.B., from Saint Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo, California.