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Divine reading
Prayer and Scripture encourage communion with God
By LINDA M. LINONIS
villa maria, pa.
Lectio (read).
Meditatio (reflect).
Oratio (respond).
Contemplatio (rest).
The words in Latin describe the four steps of Lectio Divina, an ancient Christian prayer form. What participants get out of it hinges on what they bring to it.
“It speaks to individuals and the circumstances of their lives,” said Cathy Cawley, who will lead a series of programs entitled “Lectio, Lunch and Labryrinth” beginning next month.
The adult and family program director at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center said this old form of prayer was practiced in monasteries in the time of St. Benedict in the sixth century. “It is most effective with a group though it can be done alone,” she said.
She said a passage of Scripture is at the heart of the prayer form. It’s read aloud by a participant then another. “There usually is a phrase or word that speaks to each participant,” she said, adding that various voices offer multiple inflections.
Cawley said the next step is reflection and thinking about what the words mean.
The response allows for individuals to express “what they heard in the words and how it affects their lives.”
Rest is just that, Cawley emphasized. “You don’t think, you just rest.”
The Scripture choices are the Gospels, “the life and words” of Jesus Christ, she said, or Psalms or Letters of St. Paul.
Cawley said, for example, an excerpt from the love passage from St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 might be used. “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
She said participants could reflect on their own patience and kindness, or lack of those qualities. “This isn’t about theology,” Cawley said. “It’s about what the words mean to you in relation to the circumstances you’re in.”
But Cawley said the beauty of the prayer form is that it is “no pressure.” “You can be quiet or participate,” she said.
Cawley said there is a “richness” of sharing what the words mean to individuals.
She noted the prayer is not a “rushed process” but a contemplative way. Cawley said people have hectic lives, and this method of prayer offers a respite, if even for 10 minutes as part of one’s morning routine.
“The process deepens the prayer experience,” she said.
Cawley said Scripture suggestions might be taken from daily Catholic devotions. For today, May 22, suggestions are Acts 28:16-20, Psalm 11:4-5,7 and John 21:20-25. Psalm 11:4-5 is “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence.” The devotion suggests thinking about how God knows our motives and the sincerity of the effort.
Cawley said lunch will follow the prayer segment. “This is a time for fellowship and socializing,” she said.
The program will conclude with walking the outdoor labyrinth, another ancient prayer tool. The labyrinth, she said, brings a physical aspect into prayer that touches our souls and hearts.
Cawley said she hoped participants in the program will “realize that in God we are one” as they share their voices, thoughts and feelings. “Prayer brings us into communion with God and one another,” she said.
“Make the time to spend with God.”
Cawley came to Villa Maria in November of 2009 as adult and family program director. She was the director of Shalom Retreat House in Richmond, Va., for 16 years. Cawley is the author of “A Rainy Afternoon with God.”