Paths to Contemplation - 28

Chapter 7 - Sacred Reading

What is “sacred reading”?

There is a practice that is part of the monastic Benedictine practices called lectio divina, or sacred reading.  Sacred reading involves more than just reading the Bible or some other religious work.  Rather, the practice is intended to foster reflection, prayer and, ultimately, contemplation.

It is not unusual for persons who want to grow spiritually to read the Scriptures or other inspirational works on a regular basis.  One might ask, however, why anyone should engage in such reading, or, if someone does engage in it, how he or she should go about this reading.  

The question, at first blush, may seem foolish.  One reads to learn.  But what then does one want to learn, and why?

Remember that the goal is God; that is, we are to accept God’s invitation to come to union with God in love, and, through God’s action, allow God to draw us into his own life so that we can come to know God as he knows us.  No amount of study can bring us to the direct knowledge of God.  All study can do is teach us about God.  And since the mysteries of our faith cannot be adequately expressed in any form accessible to our natural faculties, the result of our study will necessarily be incomplete and may even be misleading.

One reason to study, of course, is to better prepare our minds for the service of God.  Anyone who wants to be a physician needs to learn the science and art of medicine.  One cannot simply pray one’s way to a medical degree.  If someone is to teach Sunday School, that person must know something to teach and learn techniques for presenting the material that are likely to be most effective with his intended audience.   If someone wants to tell someone else about her own denomination or about Jesus Christ, it is better that person be well-informed than ignorant.

But sacred reading is not primarily reading for acquiring facts, or to train ourselves for some particular vocation or ministry.  We engage in sacred reading to say yes to God’s invitation to come to union with him in love and to open our souls to his transforming action.  In sacred reading we actively listen for what God wants us to hear and invite God into our souls to change us into what God wants us to become.