It might be helpful to summarize the Lectio journey with the Gospel in the following steps:
We read the gospel passage several times to become familiar with the past event described therein. Where it took place? When did it happen? Who was involved? What happened?
Having listened deeply to the passage and its context, we now move to meditation where we allow the passage to remind us of similar events, happenings or encounters from our own life-experience, in which we have come to see the same movement of grace or sin contained in the passage reproduced or living again today. In that recognition we meet God alive and at work today as in the past – this “good news” has the power to strengthen, inspire, motivate, and give life!
Having recognized the passage in life today, spontaneously we are moved to a prayer of thanksgiving, or repentance or petition or all three, expressed in our own words, and interlaced with words of the passage where possible – in this way our recognition of passage in life experience is elevated, ennobled and celebrated as “a word of God today” which it truly is.
As the prayer deepens and the presence of God takes over, we journey to the Contemplative moment – a deep moment of resting in God’s presence and work which we have first encountered in the passage and in life experience. God becomes the dominant reality and we sit trustingly in his presence as we would before an open fire…letting his light and warmth penetrate our hearts.
In the wisdom moment of the Lectio we ask ourselves what have we learned from our journey with the passage? What new insights and understanding have been given to us – into life, love, God, humanity, beauty, truth, freedom etc.? It has been well described as “the Aha” moment of Lectio Divina—” now I see it.” We seek to give expression to these insights in our own words, in short and succinct non-moralizing statements, gems of truth, universally true, and sparkling with light and beauty. We hold them gratefully and joyfully in prayer, savouring and delighting in them and trusting that in God’s own time and own way they will lead to action.
