Weston Jesuit School of Theology LECTIO DIVINA ABIDING IN THE LIVING WORD A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Licentiate in Sacred Theology By: Andrej Benda, S.J. May 16, 1997
Kazalo vsebine INTRODUCTION...3 CHAPTER ONE...6 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF LECTIO DIVINA...6 Jewish Biblical Interpretation...6 Pardes of the Scripture...7 The Fathers of the Church... 8 St. Jerome...10 Lectio... 10 Meditatio...11 Contemplatio... 11 Ruminatio...11 Oratio... 12 Operatio...12 Monasticism...12 Benedict...12 Guigo II... 14 Lectio... 16 Meditatio...16 Oratio... 17 Contemplatio... 17 Critical Methods...18 The Second Vatican Council...20 THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF LECTIO DIVINA.. 22 From the written word to the living Word...22 Bible as a human word... 22 Analogy of incarnation...24 The Word of life...25 METHODOLOGY OF LECTIO DIVINA... 26 Principles of reading the Bible...26 The four moments of Lectio Divina...28 CHAPTER TWO...32 LECTIO DIVINA OF LUKE 4:16-30...32 Lectio...32 Text of Luke 4:16-30...32 Structure of Luke 4:16-30... 33 Context...34 Close Reading...36 Some critical questions...43 Meditatio... 47 Ruminatio... 52 Oratio...54 Contemplatio...57 CHAPTER THREE...60 PASTORAL APPLICATIONS OF LECTIO DIVINA...60 Lectio Divina and personal prayer... 60 Personal Practice of Lectio Divina... 61 Lectio Divina and Biblical study groups...68 Collatio...68 Biblical prayer group... 69 Four moments of Lectio Divina-in-common... 69 Observation of the text... 70 Interpretation of the text...71 Application of the text...71 Prayer... 72 A scheme for a meeting... 73 The "School of the Word"... 74 Lectio Divina and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius...75 Spiritual Exercises... 76 Lectio divina and the Spiritual Exercises... 78 First Week...79 Second Week... 81 Third and Fourth Weeks... 83 Conclusion...84 CONCLUSION...86 Importance of Lectio Divina in Christian life...86 WORKS CITED... 89 2
INTRODUCTION In the period since the Second Vatican Council we have witnessed an increasing interest of Catholics in the Bible. This increasing interest is shown in many different ways. Religious orders have rediscovered their old tradition of "sacred reading" in which the Bible has a prominent role. Many other people have also discovered the old "art" of Lectio Divina, the prayerful reading of the Bible, which has always had great influence in the life of Christians. Also among lay people there are many new initiatives: parish Bible study groups, special schools and programs for Bible study, numerous Church movements that regularly use the Bible. It is true that not everyone is called to be an exegete or biblical scholar; however, every Christian is invited to drink from the well of the Word and to be formed by the Spirit who dwells in it. To know the Bible, to study it, and to be inspired by it is in the domain of everyone. In achieving this goal Lectio Divina can help enormously. In my personal encounter with the word of God in prayer and in studies I experience the value of Lectio Divina. In writing this thesis on Lectio Divina I have set myself three goals. First, I want to describe the history, method and theology of Lectio Divina. This will not be just an historical overview, but primarily a way of doing Lectio Divina through my thesis. I will engage an exegesis of a Gospel passage, applying the methodology of Lectio Divina and describing the theology which stands behind it. Second, I want to show the great possibility of using this method of Lectio Divina as a formative element in the life of every Christian. I will describe possible ways of using 3
it: in private prayer, as a tool for biblical study-prayer groups, and as a way of giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Third, in the light of the first two goals, I want to reflect on the importance of the Bible and prayer with the Bible in the growth and formation of the mature human person as a Christian. My way of proceeding is the following: In Chapter One, I will describe the development of Lectio Divina. First I will give a brief historical overview. After a brief presentation of methods of interpretation of the Bible in Judaism, I will describe the beginning of Lectio Divina in the exegesis of the Fathers of the Church, and its further development in monasticism. I will conclude this part with some observations on the modern revival of Lectio Divina in different movements in the Church. In the second part of the chapter I am going to discuss the theology of Lectio Divina. My central point will be the reality of the Bible as a human-divine word. The last part of the chapter will focus on methodology. Lectio Divina is not something monolithic, but rather exists in a variety of forms. There are many different steps or phases of the process. I will try to describe as many of the variations as possible to give the most accurate description of the variety of forms of Lectio Divina. In Chapter Two, I will concretize the description of Lectio Divina with a reading of Luke 4:16-30, where Jesus himself gives a reading of texts from Isaiah. In Chapter Three, I will develop pastoral applications of Lectio Divina. I have chosen three areas. In the area of personal prayer, I will describe problems one can encounter when trying to pray with the Bible and how one can overcome them in Lectio Divina. For dealing with Bible prayer groups I would like to emphasize the communal 4
dimension of Lectio Divina, called collatio and give some suggestions for concrete work in groups. Finally I will focus on similarities between Lectio Divina and the Spiritual Exercises and how one can appropriately use Lectio Divina to help exercitants in prayer and in good decision-making. I will conclude my thesis with a brief reflection on the importance of the Bible in Christian life. 5
CHAPTER ONE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF LECTIO DIVINA Lectio Divina is an ancient method of reading the Bible. When I speak about a method of Lectio Divina I mean a process of prayer with some distinguishing stages. These stages are often called by Latin names; lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. The main goal of Lectio Divina is a deep relationship with God obtained through listening to the word of God. Therefore, Lectio Divina does not use only one method of interpretation of the Bible, but any approaches that facilitate achieving this goal. In this chapter I will a give brief description of Lectio Divina. First, I will describe the development of Lectio Divina and of the exegetical methods that can be used in Lectio Divina. Second, I will give a theological foundation of Lectio Divina. Third, I will give some principles for reading the Bible and a summary of the methods used. Jewish Biblical Interpretation 1 Some of the background of Lectio Divina can be traced to Jewish methods of interpreting the Bible. The basic principle of Jewish interpretation was that Scripture interprets itself. The Torah was the heart of the Scripture: the Torah was the key that helped to interpret the other writings, the prophetic and wisdom literature. 1 G. Vermes, "Bible and Midrash: Early Old Testament Exegesis" The Cambridge History of the Bible, ed. P. R. Ackroyd, vol. 1. (Cambridge: Cambridge University P, 1970) 199-231. Michael Fishbane, "The Bible and Its Interpreters: Jewish Biblical Interpretation" Harper's Bible Commentary, ed. James. L. Mays (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1988) 50-56. Enzo Bianchi, "Dalla Scrittura alla Parola" La Lectio Divina nella Vita Religiosa (Magnano, VC: Edizioni Qiqajon, 1994) 360-366. 6
From this one basic principle developed other ways of interpretation. The most important were Peshat and Derash. Peshat was concerned with the literal or plain sense of Scripture. It tried to explain difficult texts and to harmonize their discrepancies. This way of interpretation was considered of great importance in explaining the meaning of one passage of the Bible with respect to others and in demonstrating the fulfillment of one text by quoting another. Derash was concerned with the derived sense of the Bible. This method of interpretation had homiletic and ethical overtones. We know two major currents within this method: 1.) Halakhah was the form of interpretation that tried to find proper ways of conduct. The biblical text was read as a text that could prescribe the ethical conduct of the believer. The comments made in this way were gathered in the Mishnah, and finally in the Talmud, which is an enormous library of halakhic comments. 2.) Haggadah was the line of interpretation in which Jewish exegetes tried to discover a theological doctrine by thorough examination of the passage in question, using similar passages. The Midrash is collection of haggadic narrative that tries to explain the theological motivation of certain acts of God or human being. Pardes of the Scripture 2 Thirteenth-century rabbis started to describe the research of the Scriptures with the term Pardes, "paradisial garden." One who goes through the acronymic steps of the four 2 For more about Pardes, see Enzo Bianchi, "Dalla Scrittura" 364-366; Fishbane 54. 7
consonants of PaRDeS arrives at the garden of Eden where one finds the tree of knowledge: Peshat is the literal, plain meaning of a passage. At this stage one tries to find the "objective" facts of the text. What were the events that caused the biblical story? Remez means "allusion" or "reference." One passage alludes to another, one word recalls another. The memory of one who reads the Bible becomes rich with associations. The knowledge of the Scriptures becomes part of both the reason and the heart. Derasha means "research" and has the same root as midrash. Here one studies or questions the text to find the correct way of conduct. By scrutinizing the Bible, one wants to discover the right moral behavior. Sod means "mystery." This refers to loving intimacy with God, a profound relationship with God where all words become unnecessary. The Fathers of the Church 3 The Fathers of the Church were the originators of Lectio Divina. They exorted that all Christians read and study the Bible as essential for growth in faith. In their exegesis the Fathers of the Church continued the Jewish tradition of interpretation. The interpretative key was no longer the Torah, but the Gospels and the figure of Jesus Christ. Each of the Fathers of the Church used different methods of interpretation, so it is difficult to give a brief description of their approach to exegesis. However, there are some elements that can be described as typical for the Patristic period. The patristic ways of interpretation of the 3 I will use the scheme provided by Mario Masini, Iniziazione alla "Lectio Divina": Teologia, metodo, spiritualita, prassi (Padova: Edizioni Messaggero, 1988) 50-56. 8
Bible included literal, allegorical, tropological, and anagogical interpretation. Literal interpretation: This approach tries to find the literal sense of the Biblical text and to understand what God intended through the inspiration of the biblical writer. It is an attempt to see biblical texts in their ordinary sense without trying to find a deeper or spiritual meaning. Allegorical interpretation: The Fathers understood that the literal sense did not contain all riches of the Bible. During meditation and under the influence of Holy Spirit, they came to the conclusion that the text contains meanings that surpass the literal sense. Among these interpretations, allegory was the most known and used. The allegorical sense consists of the transition from the evident significance of the text to the hidden sense. The allegorical interpretation tries to find the theological significance in order to help the reader of the Bible to be edified in faith. The risk of allegorical interpretation was that it could be taken too far from the literal sense and end up in fantastic and incredible explanations of biblical events or texts. Tropological interpretation: Patristic interpretation tried to find the tropological sense, which means to find in the texts instruction for moral conduct. It can be divided into three levels: natural, theological, and mystical. Natural: In the text one tries to find examples to guide one's own way of acting. Theological: After allegorical interpretation, one discovers in the text guidelines for one's behavior or way of being. Mystical: In the biblical text one finds the reality of deep relationship between the soul and God. 9
Anagogical interpretation: This interpretation looks towards eschatological reality, towards realities of Christian life that go beyond ordinary life. The anagogical interpretation looks for these realities in the events of Christ's life, and then in the life of the Church and of believers. It attempts to discover the mystical dimension of the Bible, the divine reality hidden in the text. These four methods of interpretation were considered to be a way of gaining access to the fuller meaning of the text, the true understanding of the Bible, and its relevance in the life of Christians. St. Jerome 4 To exemplify the Patristic methods of reading and interpreting the Bible, I will describe St. Jerome's way of studying the Bible. His approach to the Bible can still be inspiring today, especially his insistence on the importance of the Bible in the life of Christians. His approach to the Bible can be described in the following way: Lectio 4 My description of Jerome's approach follows that of Luciana Mirri, "Girolamo," La Lectio Divina nella Vita Religiosa, various authors (Magnano, VC: Edizioni Qiqajon, 1994) 107-124. 10
The only true knowledge necessary for someone who is baptized is the law of the Lord, and the most secure way to achieve it is through knowledge of the Bible, which surpasses the foolishness of the world. To know the Bible means to know Christ, that is, by means of the Scriptures one comes to know Christ. According to Jerome, the Bible is also, in the light of revelation, the compendium of all human knowledge. The wisdom of God is given to Christians in the Scriptures and definitively in Christ. The reading of the Bible will bring an acquisition of the virtues that orient Christians to life in God. The soul of the believer becomes purified and healed of the false knowledge of the world. For this reason, those who are baptized should dedicate themselves to the constant reading of the Bible. Meditatio Here St. Jerome stresses perseverance in reading. The difference between lectio and meditatio is that meditatio is not a superficial but a profound reading of the Bible, an attempt to meditate on the mystery of Christ. The more one becomes familiar with the Bible, the more one becomes united with Christ. Jerome compares the reading of the Bible to the consumption of Eucharistic food. Contemplatio 11
With lectio one becomes familiar with the Bible. In meditatio one tests the more profound meaning of the text. Contemplatio is the fruit of both. Contemplation is adoration of God within the human heart. Contemplation is Christian prayer inspired by the same Holy Spirit that inspired the writers of the Bible. In contemplation, which is primarily the prayer of adoration, one gives glory to God by acknowledging that he is the Creator. Ruminatio For Jerome this is one of the most important exercises in reading the Bible. It means constant and indispensable recourse to the Bible. Scientific study, which means diligent and constant scrutiny, is an essential part of this phase. Studying the literal meaning opens one's mind to the spiritual meaning. Oratio Oratio is prayer that is born after a profound assimilation of the word of God. It can be distinguished from contemplatio, which is primarily the adoration of the mystery of God. Each word of the Bible has the power to purify the soul and to introduce it into contemplation. For Jerome the seat of prayer is not the heart, but rather the intelligence, which is not reason but the capacity of faith to discover the ultimate Truth, Jesus. Operatio Constant recourse to the Bible will lead to the transformation of one's entire life, not only the life of prayer. The Bible must find its way into the everyday life of believers. For Jerome the reading of the Scriptures, asceticism, and a life of sanctity are so connected that it is difficult to say which is the most important. One cannot exist without the others. 12
Monasticism Benedict 5 From the very beginning of monasticism the Bible had a prominent role. For monks the only true wisdom came from the Scripture. All life was organized around it. The best example of this understanding is the Rule of St. Benedict. Although the Rule has no specific chapter on Lectio Divina, it does provide practical rubrics on how and when the Bible should be read. The Rule exerted enormous influence on the development and practice of Lectio Divina. According to Benedict the matter for Lectio was Scripture. There were also supplementary readings: commentaries on the Scriptures by the Fathers of the Church, the lives of the Fathers of the desert, the works of Cassian and the Rule of St. Basil. But all of these were intended only as a help to understand the Scripture better and to instruct monks on how to live in accordance with Scriptural teachings. Obedience to the Word of God is the primary concern of monks. Even when they obey their abbot, monks are obeying one who is instructed in the divine law. Lectio cursiva or lectio continua, a continuous reading of the entire Bible, was made over a period of a few years. There was no subjective choice of passages by monks; instead they learned fidelity to God and to God's word by this lectio 5 My presentation of Benedict's Rule follows that of Guido Dotti, "Benedetto," La Lectio Divina nella Vita Religiosa (Magnano, VC: Edizioni Qiqajon, 1994) 147-164. There are many commentaries on Benedict's Rule. One of the latest, and a very good commentary, is Terrence G. Kardong, Benedict's Rule: A Translation and Commentary (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical P, 1996). 13
cursiva. In that way any danger of one's personal ideology or various moods distorting the word of God was prevented. For the monks Lectio Divina was primarily a personal reading of the Scripture, though the communal aspect of Lectio was not neglected. On the contrary, many moments of the day were dedicated to reading, such as during the office, during meals in the refectory, and before vespers. Benedict reserves the best times of the day for reading, the moments when monks were not tired. These moments for reading were regarded as privileged times for building one's relationship with God. The Word was read, or better, listened to (at that time reading was done aloud, very slowly and with attention, with participation of all of one's being) in order that during the work of the day, the monk could meditate or ruminate on the meaning by repeating it by mouth and in the heart. The aim of lectio was to appropriate the word of God and accordingly, the will of God, and then to put it into practice. In the life of monks this effort to find God's will was principally expressed in two ways: as communal and personal reading. The communal practice of lectio was intended for the edification of the monks. The reading helped in the perfection of life and in building the community. Practices such as reading during meals and when one received guests, were intended to help one see Christ in everything: to obtain spiritual food while eating, to discover Christ in any new guest. If edification was the goal of reading in common, then contemplation of God was the goal of personal lectio. Benedict wanted to combine the active life with the life of contemplation. As those edified by the word, monks were invited to live this word in practice. Silence had a very important place in this exercise of lectio and in the lives of monks in general. The purpose of silence was not to destroy communication among 14
monks. Neither was it meant only as an external exercise. The reason for silence was to build a space where contemplation could take place. Only in silence can one be filled by the word of God. Guigo II 6 Benedict's approach to reading the Bible influenced all religious orders of the time. Among many medieval writers who wrote on Lectio Divina was Guigo II, the ninth prior of Grand Chartoux monastery, who died around 1188. He is not well known, but he did write a small work, a letter to his friend Gervaso, in which he described the method of Lectio Divina. This brief letter, entitled "The Ladder of Monks," was of great importance for the development of Lectio Divina. He used the image of climbing a ladder, trying to describe the journey of the believer toward meeting the Word, Jesus Christ, who in the power of Holy Spirit, works and reveals himself through the Scripture. The image of a ladder is taken from Genesis 28:18, Jacob's dream, and is used by some Church Fathers as an illustration of the spiritual life. Guigo was the first to use it to describe the process of Lectio Divina. The four rungs of the ladder Guigo named lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio, and thus establishing the terminology usually used to describe the process of Lectio Divina. 7 The following quotations from Guigo illustrate how he described the four parts of the Lectio Divina: 6 For more about Guigo II see Cecilia Falchini, "Guigo il Certusino" La Lectio Divina nella Vita Religiosa, various authors (Magnano, VC: Edizioni Qiqajon, 1994) 307-322. 7 Casey says that from that work comes terminology that influenced the whole perspective on Lectio Divina. See Michael Casey, Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina (Liguori, MO: Triumph Books, 1996) 58-70. 15
Reading is the careful study of the Scriptures, concentrating all one's powers on it. Meditation is the busy application of the mind to seek with the help of one's own reason for knowledge of hidden truth. Prayer is the heart's devoted turning to God to drive away evil and obtain what is good. Contemplation is when the mind is in some sort lifted up to God and held above itself, so that it tastes the joys of everlasting sweetness. 8 Reading seeks for the sweetness of a blessed life, meditation perceives it, prayer asks for it, contemplation tastes it. Reading, as it were, puts food whole into the mouth, meditation chews it and breaks it up, prayer extracts its flavor, contemplation is the sweetness itself which gladdens and refreshes. Reading works on the outside, meditation on the pith: prayer asks for what we long for, contemplation gives us delight in the sweetness which we have found. 9 Reading comes first, and is, as it were, the foundation; it provides the subject matter we must use for meditation. Meditation considers more carefully what is to be sought after; it digs, as it were, for treasure which it finds and reveals, but since it is not in meditation's power to seize upon the treasure, it directs us to prayer. Prayer lifts itself up to God with all its strength, and begs for the treasure it longs for which is the sweetness of contemplation. Contemplation when it comes rewards the labors of the other three. 10 Reading is an exercise of the outward senses; meditation is concerned with the inward understanding; prayer is concerned with desire; contemplation outstrips every faculty. 11 Lectio From these quotations we see that for Guigo the lectio is much more than simply reading in the literal sense. It means also study and exegetical evaluation of passages. Lectio searches for the Word through the written word, strengthens one in faith, gives a solid base for 8 Guigo II, The Ladder of Monks: A Letter on the Contemplative Life, trans. Edmund Colledge and James Walsh (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1981) 68. 9 Guigo II, 68-69. 10 Guigo II 79. 11 Guigo II 79-80. 16
prayer, and puts one who contemplates in true relationship with God. For Guigo all this does not mean that we can yet call this process meditation. It is still a process of exegesis, which tries to interpret the word in its historical context and bring one to the fullness of its significance. Meditatio Meditatio goes a step further. From the historical sense of the word as "it is written" meditatio goes to the deeper meaning, to "what is not written." On this matter Guigo says : "When meditation busily applies itself to this work, it does not remain on the outside, is not detained by unimportant things, climbs higher, goes to the heart of the matter, examines each point thoroughly." 12 Guigo compares meditatio to chewing food already in the mouth or to a discovery of hidden treasure. Oratio 12 Guigo II 70. 17
When one goes through the first two steps of Lectio Divina, one is called to open oneself to prayer, which occurs most often through the experience of limitation. The believer who listens to the word realizes that he cannot give himself to the reality of God's presence. While reading and meditating and therefore arriving at a deeper knowledge of the word, the believer realizes that it is not he who is the protagonist, but God himself is. To get to know God, one has to be able to ask for that knowledge. Through the reading one looks for the meaning, through meditation one finds it, and now in prayer, one must ask for the grace to receive it. From thinking about God, one enters into dialogue with God. From the meditation on the meaning, one tries to live it. Contemplatio This dynamic leads one who reads into fourth stage, into contemplation. Guigo stresses that contemplation is a gift. Human effort does not merit it; it is a free gift of God. All previous stages lead to this one, and they prepare the believer to receive that gift. However, contemplatio is not the consequence of lectio, meditatio, or even oratio. Contemplation is not a human effort, but more one's capability to accept the Holy Spirit as a gift. Contemplation is not something intellectual, but the culmination of love in the life of the believer. We can conclude that listening to the Scripture and meeting with the Lord through that listening puts the believer in the mode of desire and of waiting for the final realization of that which one experiences in prayer. 18
Critical Methods 13 The modern era, with its science and its interest in ancient cultures, has brought some new approaches in exegesis and interpretation. The main interest of biblical scholars is critical study of every book of the Bible. They have developed many critical methods in order to arrive at the most exact meaning of a text. In spite of the fact that exegetes of the critical schools look on Lectio Divina as something not scientific enough, many of their methods are useful in Lectio Divina. The critical approach to the Bible is especially useful during lectio, when we try to understand literal meaning. Since the topic is vast, I will briefly describe methods that can be very useful when doing lectio. Textual criticism: We do not have the original text of any biblical book. All we have are ancient texts and fragments of manuscripts, which many times differ among themselves. Textual criticism studies these ancient manuscripts and tries to arrive at the form of original text. For those who do not know ancient languages, a good alternative exercise is to compare some different translations. In this way one becomes alert to problems that are found in the original texts. Literary criticism: After the most reliable text has been established, we become aware of textual problems and try to understand the text in its literal sense, the sense that the writers of biblical books intended. In this process, literary criticism is most helpful. It looks at the words, images, symbols and characters in a text, and how they are related. Literary criticism also raises questions of the progress of thought, the literary form, and the relationship of form and content in a text. Here we can also include word study, which is 13 There are many books on this subject. For my brief presentation I used Daniel J. Harrington, Interpreting the New Testament: A Practical Guide (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical P, 1990); see also Mario Masini 64-74. 19
concerned with the most important terms of the passage, their meaning in the text and in the larger context, and how their meaning has changed over time. Source criticism: Source criticism tries to determine the sources that are behind a particular text, the original meaning of the sources, and the relationship between the sources and the author of the text. Form criticism: Form criticism analyzes the text by trying to identify in it literary forms that existed before the composition of the text. It also tries to establish the history of the form. Redaction criticism: While form criticism tends to fragment the text and regards the author as an "editor" of existing forms, redaction criticism tries to identify the unique contribution of the author. The author is seen as the one who organized and rewrote the sources according to the theological disposition and pastoral needs of himself and the community for which he was writing. Historical criticism: Historical criticism focuses on the historical background of an event and tries to reconstruct it as much as possible. Literary parallels: This process tries to find other ancient writings parallel to that of the Bible in order to understand better the social and cultural settings behind the text. This is achieved by highlighting the similarities and divergencies between non-biblical and biblical texts. The Second Vatican Council 20
The Second Vatican Council never used the word Lectio Divina; however, its document Dei Verbum renewed the interest of Catholics in the Bible. The whole document is as important as it is interesting, but we will only examine the statement of the Council about the reading of the Bible, which is found in no. 25 of chapter VI. There we find five different descriptions how to read the Bible: Therefore, all clerics, particularly priests of Christ and others who, as deacons or catechists, are officially engaged in the ministry of the Word, should immerse themselves in the Scriptures by constant reading and diligent study. Likewise, the sacred Synod forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful, especially those who live the religious life, to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ' by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Therefore, let them go gladly to the sacred text itself, whether in the sacred liturgy, which is full of the divine words, or in devout reading, or in such suitable exercises and various other helps. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For, 'we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles.' It is for the bishops suitably to instruct the faithful entrusted to them in the correct use of the divine books, especially of the New Testament, and in particular of the Gospels. They do this by giving them translations of the sacred texts which are equipped with necessary and really adequate explanations. Thus the children of the Church can familiarize themselves safely and profitably with the sacred Scriptures, and become steeped in their spirit. 21
These statements of the Council can be summarized into the following description of the reading of the Bible: The reading should be constant and not something occasional; one should immerse oneself, live in the text, have direct access to the biblical text, and conduct familiar conversation with the biblical pages. All this is accompanied by prayer in a way that reading become transformed into dialogue with God, listening to God in order to respond to him. This description corresponds to the description of Lectio Divina. 14 These words of the Council are important and new relative to the centuries before, when Catholics had almost no access to the Bible. The Council, having in mind the new cultural situation, invites all believers and not just ordained ministers, to familiarize themselves with the Bible by constant reading, in other words, by Lectio Divina. Since the Second Vatican Council the reading of the Bible has become more and more popular. Many religious orders have rediscovered Lectio Divina and have started to practice it more zealously. In the same way many lay movements and groups in the Church, such as the Neo- Catechumenate, the Charismatic movement, Christian Life Community, and Base Christian Communities, make frequent use of the Bible. In parishes there are numerous Bible study groups. An interesting example is the diocese of Milan where Cardinal Martini started a large biblical movement. He introduced the study of the Bible at every level of formation, of clergy as well of lay people. Cardinal Martini himself started with public Lectio Divina, which has now spread all over the diocese as the "Scuola della Parola" (School of the Word). Similar enterprises in various parts of the world have made the practice of Lectio 14 Carlo M. Martini, "S. Ignazio e il Vaticano II: la "lectio divina" nella vita del cristiano" Rassegna di Teologia 32 (1991) 548. 22
Divina more and more popular and have included by people of different ages, professions, and classes. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF LECTIO DIVINA From the written word to the living Word As we have seen from the very beginning, the Bible was perceived as a book with various levels of meaning or different levels of sense. Before we go to the concrete explanation of the method of Lectio Divina, I would like to summarize the approach to the Bible in a way of Lectio Divina. Bible as a human word Lectio Divina is based on the supposition that the Bible is the word of God, and that in this word abides the Holy Spirit. This is, in fact, the belief of the Church. The Second Vatican Council affirms that the books of the Old and the New Testament have God as their ultimate author. Immediately after, however, the Council adds that God chose men to write down things that God wanted, thus making them the Bible's true authors. 15 This affirmation reminds us that the Bible is a book, even better, a library of books (ta biblia in Greek means "books") written by human authors. 16 In the Bible we have different types of books: stories, historical books, theological reflections and essays, exhortations, poems, prayers, letters, and many others. Saying that all these were written by men and women 15 Dei Verbum 11. 16 For a long time the biblical writers were considered as instruments moved and guided by God. See Bianchi 353. 23
thousands of years ago, we declare that the Bible is a human work. Recognizing the humanity of the Bible, we become more aware of the fact that the authors were people of their time within their particular cultures and world-views. We admit also that they were human in their writing efforts: their knowledge of language, their ability to write, their literary style. All these things are reflected positively and negatively in the biblical books. When we say that the Bible is a human word, we also affirm that the books are subject to human error: they can be corrupted while copied, misunderstood by scribes and interpreters, lost or destroyed. 17 This is the reason why we have to do serious study of the Bible and of its literary styles, culture and history. We have to try to enter into the mentality of the writer and community where each book was produced. When we understand the weaknesses and limitations of each book, then we can understand with more ease what God wanted to communicate. If we refuse to admit this humanity of the Bible, we reduce it to a book fallen from the heavens. It is not. The great scandal of our faith is to believe that the word of God is present in the human words. God has chosen human words to communicate with us. God made himself near to humankind, entering into the dynamics of human language in all of its variability. These languages, nations, cultures, times are now part of the word of God. As a human word, the word of God enters into the dynamics of human phenomenology: 1. Behind every word there is a person who pronounces it. Through the word God is revealed as a person. 17 Bianchi 354. 24
2. A word is intended to communicate something to someone. It is a means of communication. Through the word God communicates to us something of God's self. 3. Finally, by a word we communicate something. There is always a message that is given. The word of God is a message, the message of salvation, the message of God's care for humankind. 18 In the humanity of the Scriptures we discover the greatness of God. In the limits and weaknesses of the human words we can look for the word of God, convinced that we can find it. 19 Analogy of incarnation To understand better this dynamic of the word of God we can make an analogy between the incarnation of Christ and the word of God. The Second Vatican Council affirms that "the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men." 20 As we say that Jesus Christ is really human and divine, so we also say that Scripture is a truly human and divine word. The inspired word remains weak and fragile, just as the body of Jesus was weak and fragile. Just as Jesus, although completely human, was without sin, in the same way in the Scripture there is no lie, no sin. Just as the Holy Spirit was active and present in the incarnation, so there was 18 Carlo M. Martini, Bibia e Vocazione (Brescia: Morcelliana, 1983) 18-21. 19 Bianchi 354. 20 Dei Verbum 13. 25
also the Holy Spirit in the formation and redaction of the holy books, as well as in the giving of the Bible to the Church. 21 This analogy can go even further. We can accept or reject Jesus, and we can accept or reject the Bible as it is. The scandal of the incarnation is captured in the question: How can this man be the Son of God? The same is also valid for the inspired words: How can this human book be the word of God? The word of God has to be accepted in its human and incomplete expression as the divinity of Christ must be accepted in his human person. This is the scandal of our faith. We are invited to recognize the communication of God's love, and even more, God himself, in human words. 22 The Word of life The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible, guiding them in the process of writing down the story of God revealing to his people. When we read the Bible we become part of this revelation, the revelation of God himself. Through the reading of the Bible we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can hear the Word of life and we can enter into relationship with God. 23 We believe that the Holy Spirit not only guarantees the correctness of what the Bible says, but this same Holy Spirit gives us life, the life that was revealed in its fullness in Jesus Christ. Contemplating the mystery of God's incarnation in Jesus and Jesus' redemptive work, we participate in his life. The Spirit who inspired the 21 Bianchi 356. 22 Bianchi 356. 23 George Martin, Reading Scripture as the Word of God: Practical Approaches and Attitudes, 2 nd ed. (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Books, 1982) 119. 26
biblical writers, who acted through Christ, is also continuously at work in the Church and inspires us as we read the Bible. 24 Because we believe that the Bible is full of the Holy Spirit, we cannot approach it as we would any ordinary book. The Bible is not merely an ancient book that recounts stories or God's past revelations. It is a privileged means through which God reveals himself today. Therefore if we want to read the Bible as a word of God, we have to be filled with the desire to grow in union with God, to be united to Christ through the Holy Spirit. Without this faith the Bible remains only an old book. METHODOLOGY OF LECTIO DIVINA Principles of reading the Bible In reading the Bible we may encounter some difficulties or we may miss the true meaning. Because we believe that the Bible is both the human word and the word of God, we have to be careful not to exaggerate in any way. We must not over-analyze or spiritualize the Bible. Of course, we have to study it as a human word, in order to be informed as much as possible. For a Christian, however, just knowing the Bible is not enough. On the one hand, the knowledge of the Bible must help us in deepening our relationship with God. On the other hand we have to remember that God speaks through human language. If we forget that God speaks to us through human language we may entrap ourselves in individualism, spiritualism, and fundamentalism of various kinds. We start to project our own ideas into the Bible or we look only for things in the Bible that fit 24 Martin 130. 27
our purposes. Cardinal Martini suggests some principles that can help someone who wants to undertake a journey of Lectio Divina. 25 We can summarize them into the following four guidelines: 1. The unity of the Bible: In spite of the variety of the books that are in the Bible, every page speaks about one thing: it speaks about the great design of God for the salvation of humankind. Without this guiding principle one can easily become lost. One who starts to read the Bible may get discouraged by things that he or she cannot understand, or may find it boring and stop reading. Only with the effort to bring every page into the unity of the mystery of God's plan of salvation can one continue reading and growing in faith. 2. The Bible is the real presence of Christ: When we read the Bible we enter into communion with Christ. We do not merely read about Jesus; we actually communicate with him. This has been the belief of the Church from the beginning, reaffirmed by the Vatican II: "He [Christ] is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church." 26 3. The humanity of the Bible: The writers of the Bible express the essence of the human heart, its sufferings, aspirations, and desires. Every human being can find himself/herself in the Bible. The practice of Lectio Divina can help us, as individuals and as members of a community, to understand ourselves. 4. The dynamism of human values: One who reads the Bible brings to it all that one is at the moment, with all the values that shape one's life. In Lectio Divina 25 Cardinal Martini gives these principles as rules for popular access to the Bible. See "Lectio" 215. 26 Sacrosanctum Concilium 7. 28
one finds a variety of values that shape human relationships with God and with one another. Confronting the experiences of humans described in the Bible, one can see more clearly one's own experience. In the same way, even the pages where cruelties, suffering, and sin are described, illuminate our human existence and the dynamism of human conversion. The four moments of Lectio Divina Before we start with a concrete example of Lectio Divina, I would like to summarize everything I have said so far about Lectio Divina. We saw that Lectio Divina is a process and that during this process we can use different exegetical methods and ways of interpretation. The whole process of Lectio Divina we understand as a process of prayer, traditionally divided into four "moments" named lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. The reading of the Bible (lectio) leads into meditating on the meaning (meditatio) which grows into prayer (oratio) and finally into closer friendship and union with God (contemplatio). 27 As the practitioners of the Jewish tradition of interpretation of the Bible and the Fathers of the Church understood, there is more than just one sense of the Bible. During various stages of Lectio Divina, we try to penetrate the fuller sense of the word of God. Although the Fathers of the Church distinguished various kind of senses of the Bible, there are four that are most important for Lectio Divina. First, we start with lectio, discovering the literal or historical sense where we try to understand why something is written in the 27 Casey 57. 29
way that we find it in the Bible. Second, during meditatio, we seek to penetrate the christological or allegorical sense, which goes deeper than the mere historical sense of the word. At this stage every page of the Bible starts to speak about Jesus Christ. Through this journey our faith gets challenged, and we try to make changes in our lives as Christians. In the Bible we find inspiration for our way of living, and therefore we shape our ideals, our way of thinking to these values. We enter into the third stage of Lectio Divina, oratio, discovering the behavioral or tropological sense of the Bible. Through our failures to change our lives by our own efforts, we realize that God is the only one who can help us. Prayer is born and we constantly try to deepen our relationship with God through these efforts. The desire to enter into even deeper communication with God grows. Through the gift of God we may be able to meet God in the text of the Bible. When this meeting occurs, all words become unnecessary. We are in the stage of contemplatio, in the realm of the mystical or anagogical sense of the Bible. 28 We can describe the same process in terms of the faculties predominantly used in the different stages of Lectio Divina. In discovering the literal meaning of the text, we use our senses, especially our intellect, which tries to arrive at logical conclusions after study of the text. The correctness of this study does not depend on faith or our belief. The christological sense operates on a different level. In discovering the deeper meaning of the text we engage our memory. The literal or objective meaning of the text becomes part of our world and our memory. The ideas and objectives of our life are compared to and enriched by those of the Bible. This necessarily includes our faith. Progressively, while we enter into the level of tropological sense of the text, our conscience is engaged. The 28 Casey 56. 30
word that we earlier analyzed, now we perceive as an inner command, which will finally lead us into obedience to the word of God. Little by little, this process leads us to discover the mystical sense of the Bible. Through the text we become more conscious of God and of ourselves. At this point the word penetrates our heart, the inmost level of our being. The word addresses our spirit. The word of God is no longer perceived as a mediator between God and us. The word becomes the Word, Jesus Christ. 29 We can summarize the whole process of Lectio Divina in the following diagram: 30 The Four Moments of Lectio Divina PRAYER SENSE FACULTY FUNCTION Lectio Literal or Intellect Understanding the text Historical Meditatio Christological or Allegorical Memory Contextualizing the meaning Oratio Behavioral or Conscience Living the meaning Tropological Contemplatio Mystical or Anagogical Spirit Meeting God in the text This diagram represents a generalization and thus involves a great degree of simplification. In any event, it can help us realize where we are in the process of Lectio Divina. We have to understand, of course, that this process is not something linear and that we do not automatically pass from one stage to another. It may happen that way at times. However, most likely these stages or moments will overlap. We can spend a lot of time, even years, in lectio trying to understand the text, or the culture of the time. At other times 29 Casey 56-57. 30 This is my adaptation of Casey's diagram; see Casey 57. 31
we might experience all four stages of Lectio Divina in a single period of prayer. The last thing that we have to be aware of is the fact that the process of Lectio Divina is a life-long process. Only if we dedicate time to all the stages of Lectio Divina, will we obtain the desired results. 32
LECTIO DIVINA OF LUKE 4:16-30 Lectio CHAPTER TWO The first, very important step in Lectio Divina is lectio: reading and studying the passage. Lectio requires one to read and reread the text, trying to identify its important elements. This reading includes finding the most important words and images. It is also important to realize what characters are present in the story, and what are their relationships. 31 At this stage it is important to use instruments of exegesis such as source, form, and redaction criticism. Study of important words and of the historical background is also very important to understand the text fully. 32 My text for Lectio Divina is a passage from the Gospel of Luke, 4:16-30. First, I will present the text itself: its structure and its context. Second, I will analyze the text and try to describe some problems that are found in the passage and some solutions offered by exegetes. Text of Luke 4:16-30 4:16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. 31 Carlo M. Martini, Popolo in cammino: Fine, condizioni e tappe di una Chiesa missionaria (Milano: Editrice Ancora, 1983) 15. 32 Daniel J. Harrington, Interpreting the New Testament: A Practical Guide (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical P, 1990) 125. 33
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" 23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" 24 And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. Structure of Luke 4:16-30 The beginning and the end of the pericope is marked by the verb of movement: elthen "he came" (v. 16) and eporeueto "he went" (v. 30). The whole passage can be divided into two major parts: The first is Jesus' preaching and the initial, positive reaction 34