We start Lectio Divina with a prayer to the Holy Spirit – the Author of the sacred texts. We ask Him to enlighten our mind for us to hear His words of love for us. Only the Holy Spirit is capable of leading us to the heart of the epistle God has prepared for us for today.

The goal of this stage is to understand the biblical text. What does that text tell by itself? What is its meaning? It is necessary to look for answers to that question (to the extent we can), otherwise we can stay locked in our own ideas and interpretations, only feeding our own wishes with the quotations we need.

We need to read slowly, not in haste. Our ability to read has been considerably affected over the recent years. It has been crippled by SMS messages and social media news feed. We have got accustomed to skim, chaotically jumping from one headline to the other. It is becoming more and more difficult for us to focus on the text containing more than just several sentences, since we are tempted by the drive for tracing the whole flow of information which is constantly growing. One should not seek numbers now. Choose a rather short fragment, a complete idea you can perceive, digest. Let it even be just a small one. The Church encourages us to contemplate over the fragments we will hear at the Mass, the reference to which can be found in the Church calendar. But you may also choose any other biblical text.
Certain asceticism is required to ensure attentive, thoughtful reading. You need to read the text several times in a sturdy, calm, slow manner. It is necessary to hear it. If you want, you can read it aloud or whisper it at least once. In this way you don’t just read it, but you will also hear the Word voiced by yourself.

Now it’s time for a search. Find an idea, word, or phrase that contains the key message of this fragment. Where is the key to this text? Try to memorize it and to learn the phrase by heart. That is not easy – to find the sense. You may need additional knowledge for this. That is why it is high time that you made use of additional materials. These could be a glossary or a map at the end of the Bible, comments or parallel places. The Word explains the Word, you will understand more when you allow the Bible to comment upon itself. The comments made by the Fathers of the Church or some other experienced people, which will lead you to your own meditation over the Word, can also come in handy. By the way, our magazine Skynia was born exactly to provide you with such help. Be patient and attentive throughout this search.

he goal of this stage is to hear the Word that carries salvation. The key question is: what does the biblical text tell personally to me? God directs this Word directly at me at this specific moment of my life. He knows my heart. But do I know it? It would be good to at least briefly report to oneself on what I am experiencing today. If I don’t understand myself, I will most probably not understand the Words God has directed at me. What is my here and now? What is there in my heart? What am I concerned with? What am I thinking of? On realizing this, let us not become inattentive since it is absolutely possible that later we are going to hear the answers to our questions.

Now read the text. Take the Holy Virgin as the example: And his mother kept all these things in her heart (Lk 2:51). She kept contemplating over her Son’s words all the time. The things read must become a part of ourselves. Try to allow the Word to penetrate to your insides, to the story of your life, to your present-day situation. Also, picture the situation described in the biblical fragment. Use your knowledge, memory, and imagination.

Now the Word has to start its travel from your mind to your heart. Read the text once again, more slowly. How does your heart react to the Word? With sadness, fear, joy, or aggression? What feelings are born in you? Try to name them. What exactly is it that evokes them? What strivings, needs, motivation are behind them?

Now it’s time for attentive collecting of the Word. Read the text once again. Stay in it. Like bees collect nectar and bring it to their beehive. Recall the key phrase you have found. That is the period of acceptance and storage of the Word. Let the Word work in you. Bees bring nectar to the beehive, a separated and calm place (that is into your heart) to slowly and systemically produce honey. Let the Word do this.

Now you can compare your life with the Word. What is it that God wants to heal in you? What does He ask you to provide access to? What does He want to touch? What part of your life requires conversion, changes?

At this stage it’s time for you to respond in the prayer. Every dialogue consists of the exchanges between the two parties. Now it’s your turn. What will I tell God in response to His Word?

The prayer of recognition and request: I can see what You wanted to show me, o Lord. And therefore I would like to ask You (for help, conversion, support, preservation of what is good, change of what is bad, etc.). The prayer of gratitude and glorifying: I also thank You for (...) and I want to glorify Your holy name. I want You to glorify in my life. I give You all the glory and do you all the honour. The prayer in the Word and the prayer of the Word: the very text at which you have been contemplating can become a prayer – use it.

Let the Eucharist be the top of my prayer. If I have a chance like that, I will join the Church gathering at the Mass to hear the Word again there and to give as complete answer as possible, uniting with God in the Holy Mysteries.

What conversion of mind, heart and life is God asking of us? This stage becomes the prayer of presence, a new experience. The sounds go silent, not a single voice is heard. I am staying in the presence of God. I am standing in front of Him, spending time on our staying together. We can just be together, in silence. We can communicate without words. Here the initiative lies with God, you need to let the Holy Spirit lead me into the depth of prayer.

Contemplation (Gr. teoria from tea – sight, literally: to go to see the sight; figuratively: to consider, watch and think at the same time) is the vision, appearance, or true seeing of the object of consideration. Only once is this word used in the Gospel – as the description of the sight of Jesus on the cross (see Lk 23:48). The term was introduced by the Eastern Fathers, starting with Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Contemplation was often defined in the East as a real and the only goal of monks’ life, on which all the spiritual life (and not only that of a monk, certainly) is based. That is the road to perfection.

That is not as much knowledge as relations, live and real, deep, permeating into the foundations of our life. In our obedience to the Word of life we will find inspiration to become more like Christ. Contemplation aims at creating within us a truly wise and discerning vision of reality, as God sees it, and at forming within us “the mind of Christ” (1Cor 2:16) (Verbum Domini, 87).

Prepare the text you are going to consider tomorrow. Read it for familiarization purposes. Clear up the context, check some unknown terms, look up additional literature. Directly before going to bed – read the text again, for this Word to be the last on that day.

The first Word of this day is the biblical fragment prepared the day before. Do the rest of what this stage presupposes (this has already partially done in the evening).

Don’t forget to outline the word or the phrase that will become the key to the whole day out of what you hear at this stage.

In the daytime often get back with your mind and your heart to the Word heard. Here the key phrase can help you, since due to it you will immediately recall everything you experienced during the reflection. The process of lectio divina is not concluded until it arrives at action (actio), which moves the believer to make his or her life a gift for others in charity. (Verbum Domini, 87). This means that you cannot interpret Lectio Divina as some theoretical exercise. Certainly, it does not mean that you need to subdue this Word to yourself and to determine Its effect on your life. But God has granted It to you, knowing that you will come across It today. In different situations of this day try to decide how you should act, getting back to this Word in your mind, looking for a piece of advice in It. Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing. (Jm 1:21-25).

Use some free minute or a lunch break for a short prayer in which you will once again revive in your mind the Word heard.

At the evening prayer stay with God. Look into the face of the One you have been talking with today.

Look at the day you lived through the prism of the Word heard. Try to recall in what minutes It showed Itself, reminded of Itself, what thoughts and feelings, strivings and hopes It gave birth to in you. Make an examination of your conscience through the prism of this Word. See each manifestation of God’s love, which has lightened up your day.