Friday, November 20, 2015

National Bible Week: Friday's Question

For National Bible Week, I will be proposing a question each day for you to consider.  Let's take this week to consider the great gift that is the Holy Scriptures.

Today's Question:
Do you practice lectio divina?  If so, explain how you do it?  What parts of the Bible do find most conducive to lectio?
at

6 comments:

  1. CWBuckleyNovember 20, 2015 at 8:25 AM

    Teaching it to my 9yo son for a Webelos achievement in Cub Scouts.
    Practice it briefly together each morning using the Gospel reading of the day from the mass lectionary.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve MolitorNovember 20, 2015 at 9:07 AM

    Hi Christopher that's so awesome. Can you explain how you teach it to your son? Do you have any special material? Do you use an easy to read translation, or a standard one?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 20, 2015 at 10:51 AM

    I use the Catholic Prayer Bible / Lectio Divina Edition. I pray the day's Gospel. Depending on time during the day I sometimes use it with the Vigil Reading from the LOTH. The Catholic Prayer Bible uses the NRSV and I like the fact that they include reflections, prayer and a recommended action--I use these as guides to help me with my own thoughts and prayer.

    Lenny V

    ReplyDelete
  4. CWBuckleyNovember 20, 2015 at 1:08 PM

    Steve-

    Not to be glib, but the simplest, most useful guide I've ever found is this one-pager from Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB from St. Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo, CA.

    http://www.saintandrewsabbey.com/Lectio_Divina_s/267.htm

    I just explained to my son that we can listen to God talking to us by reading the words of Jesus each day, asking him to show us his desire for us that day, and then praying about what we hear so we're ready to act on it when the time is right.

    We use the approved Good News Translation Catholic Edition I gave him for his first communion (it's also one of the free translations on the YouVersion Bible app).

    http://www.bibles.com/bibles/bibleversions/good-news-translation-gnt-bible-with-deuterocanonical-apocryphal-books-and-imprimatur-1.html

    Translated (not paraphrased) at a fourth grade reading level, this edition has the weekly AND daily mass lectionary at the back. We literally spend 10 minutes each morning, and then check in at bedtime at night to follow up:
    -looking up the reading
    -he reads it out loud once, to get the story
    -I talk him simply through any basic context or exegetical material he needs to understand (cross-referencing notes in my Didache NABRE or Ignatius Study Bible NT)
    -Then with that explanation in min, I ask him to listen again, this time asking God to give him some word for him to use today
    -I read the passage to him a second time
    -We tell each other what we each heard, and what it might mean for us today
    -We close with a responsive prayer, the Lord's Prayer, and a Hail Mary
    -At bedtime, we check in to see how we responded to that word during the day

    After the first time or two, the whole process takes about 10-12 minutes, tops.

    I recommend it highly.

    Peace and all good-
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  5. Steve MolitorNovember 23, 2015 at 2:01 PM

    Thanks Chris, this is very helpful!

    Steve

    ReplyDelete