Synod Hears Explanation of Lectio Divina

(October 16, 2008) The Synod of Bishops has nearly touched the mid point of its deliberations with concrete suggestions on the theme of the word of God. The Auxiliary Bishop Santiago Silva Retamales of Valparaiso, Chile, made a concrete presentation of the Prayer Lectio Divina. Bishop Silva, named by Pope Benedict XVI as the vice president of the commission for the message that the synod will produce, explained by citing St. Gregory the Great, that the objective of this practice is "to know the heart of God through the word of God."He explained the steps his groups follow in order to do lectio divina in communities. First an atmosphere is created by placing the Bible in the central place with devotion. Each participant has his own Bible. Next they evoke the strength of the Spirit. A passage is given for greater understanding. The fourth step is the silent reflection and prayer and to discover personally, the key points. This is followed by meditation, and contemplation, where they discover how they have encountered God in their lives. This is aided by music. Finally the participants write the key passage as a help to live Gospel life. This practice is done in his diocese with great advantage for the past five years. Bishop Joseph Rayappu of Mannar, Sri Lanka, also dedicated his intervention today to lectio divina. He described the fruits that the practice has had in his diocese, where the Episcopal conference began to emphasize lectio divina 14 years ago.