In
the archdiocesan weekly "O São Paulo," the
archbishop of São Paulo recalled how the
synod of bishops on the Word of God, held
last October, "noted with joy that in the
whole world the prayerful reading of the
Bible -- lectio divina
-- is being adopted and is spreading."
"It is a simple method
accessible to everyone, including the most
simple," the cardinal said,
explaining that the method "proposes the
reading and acceptance of the Word of God in
a context of prayer,
as the Church recommends."
Through lectio divina, Cardinal Scherer
continued, a "dialogue
of faith" is established, "in which we
listen to God who speaks, we respond
with prayer and try to be attuned to him in
our lives." The cardinal went on to offer
the faithful four easy steps for lectio
divina.
Meditation on the text
comes next, in response to the
question "What is God saying to me, or to
us, through this text?
Now we really do try
to listen to God who is speaking to us and
we receive his voice."
"Let us always remember that a good biblical
reading is always done only in the dialogue
of faith: God speaks,
we listen and accept, and respond to God and
speak to him," the cardinal
explained. The text "might inspire several
types of prayer: praise, profession of
faith, thanksgiving, adoration, petition for
forgiveness and help."
The fourth and final step of lectio divina
is
contemplation. In this
step "we dwell on the Word and further our
understanding of the mystery of God and his
plan of love and salvation; at the same
time, we dispose ourselves to accept in our
concrete lives what the Word teaches us,
renewing our good intentions and obedience
of the faith."
"It's enough to start;
it is learned by being practiced," he
said. "The preciousness of the Word of God
and its importance for Christian life,
moreover, well merits
an effort on our part."
