Lectio Divina
Catholic Bible study should help us not only to be informed about the text but to be
transformed by God’s Spirit working through the text. Threshold Bible Study uses the
ancient method of lectio divina (sacred reading), offering a time-tested way of directing
readers to move from attentive listening, to reflective prayer, to contemplative action.
Lectio divina is the church’s most ancient way of studying Scripture. This ancient art is
rooted in the Jewish tradition of Jesus, and it has been nourished through the desert
spirituality of the early Christian centuries, the patristic writers of the ancient church, and
the monastic tradition through the ages. In our day, lectio divina is experiencing a worldwide revival as Christians are returning to age-old wisdom to experience the Scriptures in
a deeper and more complete way.
The following elements of lectio divina help Bible readers experience the ongoing power
of the Spirit within the inspired text:
Lectio – Reading the text with a listening ear and interpreting the text with an attentive
mind
Good Bible study must always lead participants to the sacred text itself. The Bible should
not be studied merely as proof texts to support doctrines or teachings. Through the
sacred text, God speaks to us. The Bible has been called God’s love letter to humanity.
The Bible offers not just information, but promotes Christian formation and leads to
personal transformation. By developing a daily practice of Scripture reading, we create
the habit of personal communication with God.
Threshold Bible Study offers solid biblical commentary along with the Scriptures to teach
us how to approach the text with reverence and expectation. Deep respect for the text
grounds all interpretation of Scripture in its original meaning. With this foundation, the
fuller meanings of the text can be understood with fidelity and integrity. This biblical
commentary encourages readers to explore the canonical, Christological, and ecclesial
meaning of the text – what the text means in the context of the whole Bible, in the light
of Christ’s coming, and as the word of God speaking to his church.
Meditatio -- Reflecting on the message of the text and its meaning for today
After careful reading and interpretation of the text with the help of solid commentary,
Threshold Bible study helps the reader meditate on the text. Questions for reflection
assist the reader in personally integrating the text at a deeper level.
Questions for reflection help the Bible reader to do the following:
 They invite us to ruminate on the text, to go back and focus on some aspect of
the text or commentary, encouraging a careful and thoughtful response.
© Threshold Bible Study, 2014
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They ask us to probe more deeply, challenging us to create a dialogue between
the text and the information we have from other sources and life
experiences.
They challenge us to apply our learning to our lives in a practical way.
In short, good questions for reflection respond to all dimensions of the human
personality: the intellectual, the affective, and the behavioral – the head, the heart, and
the hands.
Oratio and Contemplatio – Praying from the heart which flows from reading and
reflecting on the text
Bible study must lead to prayer. In this way, studying Scripture creates an intimate
dialogue between God and the reader. In lectio and meditatio, we listen as God speaks;
in oratio, we respond to God with open hearts.
Lectio divina invites two different levels of prayer: active prayer and receptive prayer.
• Oratio is a word-filled prayer. Having heard God’s word inviting our response, we
then answer. We offer to God prayers of praise, petition, and thanksgiving based on the
Scripture we have studied. When we root our prayer in Scripture, we receive new
vocabulary in which to pray. The words of the Scriptures begin to enter into the
language of our prayer to God.
• Contemplatio is a prayer with minimal words. It is a resting in God. Sometimes it is
helpful to choose one word or phrase from the Scripture we have read to bring to the
prayer. We can then allow that word or phrase to remain with us throughout the day so
that the experience of prayer continues.
Collatio – Conversing about the Bible and forming a community of faith
Throughout history, God’s word has been directed first and foremost to a community,
not just to individuals. For this reason, studying the Bible in the context of a community
of faith can deepen and enrich the experience of individual study.
By sharing our understanding and wisdom in a faith-filled group of people, we discover
how to let God live in every dimension of our lives and we enrich the lives of others.
Practicing lectio divina within a community of faith, we learn to place our own lives into
the story of God’s people throughout the ages.
Through conversation and shared insight, a supportive group can be an enormous help in
allowing God’s word to take fire in our hearts. The insights that one person is able to
derive from reflecting on the texts are multiplied through a group discussion.
© Threshold Bible Study, 2014
The Bible is like a bottomless well. Though we dip in the bucket time and time again,
there is always more refreshing water to quench our thirst. Within a supportive group we
can never exhaust the full meaning of its texts, so there is always more to ponder and
discuss.
Today there are many ways to form a Bible-reading community of faith. Churches
seeking to promote Threshold Bible Study should consider a variety of opportunities to
invite people in every stage of adult life to study the Bible.
Operatio – Witnessing to God's word in the context of daily life and making a
difference in the world
There is a power in God’s word than can profoundly change people’s lives. The word is
like life-giving rain; if we receive it and let it soak in, it will produce fruit (Isa 55:10-11).
Studying the Bible can never stop with communicating information; it must be oriented
toward personal transformation.
Stories abound of the transforming effects of Bible study groups in parishes. People
immersed in Scripture think and act differently. They take ownership of their faith, bear
fruit in ministry, and serve people in need.
Part of the fruit of effective Bible study is the desire to bring other people into the
experience. If the word of God is having an impact in our lives, we will want others to
have that experience too. Early Christianity grew so rapidly because people saw that
those spiritual communities had something that they
wanted. We can always judge our effectiveness as a community of faith by how much
people want to join us. The fruit of lectio divina is evangelization.
© Threshold Bible Study, 2014