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Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 1 Introduction
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 1 Introduction
by Christine Valters Painter
INTRODUCTION They can be like a sun, words. They can do for the heart what light can for a field. —John of the Cross, Love Poems from God In October 2009 I was on pilgrimage in Ireland. We were visiting Glendalough, the ruins of an ancient Celtic monastic community founded by St.…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 10 VISIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 10 VISIO DIVINA
by Christine Valters Painter
VISIO DIVINA The four movements of lectio create a sacred rhythm that nurtures our ability to experience God’s presence in the world around us. As we grow in our ability to become present to God in our prayer, this awareness begins to spill over into our daily lives. We may disco…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 11 AUDIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 11 AUDIO DIVINA
by Christine Valters Painter
AUDIO DIVINA This chapter explores music as another sacred text through which we can encounter the Holy. Augustine of Hippo famously wrote in his commentary on the psalms, “He who sings, prays twice.” The psalms themselves are filled with descriptions of singing to God, such as “…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 12 NATURE AS SACRED TEXT
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 12 NATURE AS SACRED TEXT
by Christine Valters Painter
NATURE AS SACRED TEXT Every being is praising God The fire has its flame and praises God. The wind blows the flame and praises God. In the voice we hear the word which praises God. And the word, when heard, praises God. So all of creation is a song of praise to God… Taken from Le…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 13 THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 13 THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES
by Christine Valters Painter
THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES Like the Hebrew alphabet, the alphabet of grace has no vowels, and in that sense [God’s] words to us are always veiled, subtle, cryptic, so that it is left to us to delve their meaning, to fill in the vowels, for ourselves by means of all the faith…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 14 Afterword
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 14 Afterword
by Christine Valters Painter
AFTERWORD The purpose of contemplative practice is cultivation of freedom and compassion. As we grow in inner freedom, we become less caught up in the demands of life. We begin to let go of our compulsions to grow ever busier. As we learn to welcome in the full spectrum of our ow…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 17 Appendix 2
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 17 Appendix 2
by Christine Valters Painter
Appendix 2 While lectio divina has traditionally been a solitary practice, in recent years a group form of lectio has become popular and widely practiced. This can be a beautiful way to share your experience of a sacred text with others and break open a deepened experience of pra…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 19 Suggested Resources
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 19 Suggested Resources
by Christine Valters Painter
SUGGESTED RESOURCES Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer *Arico, Carl J. A Taste of Silence: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Centering Prayer. New York: Continuum, 1999… Taken from Lectio Divina the Sacred Art by Christine Valters Painter
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 2 Beginning Our Exploration of Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 2 Beginning Our Exploration of Lectio Divina
by Christine Valters Painter
Beginning Our Exploration of Lectio Divina SACRED READING Listening for a Sacred Word Give me a small line of verse from time to time, oh God, and if I cannot write it down for lack of paper or light, then let me address it softly in the evening to your Great Heaven… Taken from L…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 3 AT THE HEART OF LECTIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 3 AT THE HEART OF LECTIO DIVINA
by Christine Valters Painter
AT THE HEART OF LECTIO DIVINA All that we know about the life of Benedict of Nursia and his twin sister Scholastica comes from a collection called the Dialogues, written by Pope Gregory I, which attribute several miracles to him. The son of a Roman nobleman, Benedict began his mo…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 4 THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 4 THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
by Christine Valters Painter
THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE In his book Worship and Spirituality, theologian Don Saliers describes spirituality as “our embodied humanity fully alive before God and neighbour, stretched by story, stretched by touch, stretched by song, stretched by eating and drinking, bathing,…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 5 “GIVE ME A WORD”
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 5 “GIVE ME A WORD”
by Christine Valters Painter
“GIVE ME A WORD” What is a sacred text? Traditionally it comes from a collection of authorized religious writings, such as the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. The desert mothers and fathers believed that God spoke to them directly and intimately through the words of the Bible, w…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 6 LISTENING FOR GOD’S VOICE
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 6 LISTENING FOR GOD’S VOICE
by Christine Valters Painter
LISTENING FOR GOD’S VOICE The first movement of lectio divina in traditional language is called lectio, which means “reading.” But this kind of reading is so much more than simply reading words, stringing together sounds, and comprehending the meaning of those sounds. Rather, the…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 7 SAVOURING SACRED TEXT
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 7 SAVOURING SACRED TEXT
by Christine Valters Painter
SAVOURING SACRED TEXT In the previous chapter I focused on lectio, the first movement of lectio divina, which includes the dynamics of settling and shimmering— preparing yourself to enter the deep silence of the heart and then listen for the word or phrase from the sacred text th…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 8 SUMMONING YOUR TRUE SELF