Lectio Divina

Definition and Meaning

Lectio divina is Latin for "divine reading" or "sacred reading." Unlike reading done quickly to gather information, it involves reading a short passage of Scripture slowly and repeatedly. Its purpose is to take the Word to heart and to respond to it in prayer. It is commonly described in four stages:

• Reading (lectio): The text is read slowly, either aloud or silently.
• Meditation (meditatio): The reader ponders a word or phrase that has touched the heart.
• Prayer (oratio): Drawing on what has been meditated upon, the reader responds to God in prayer.
• Contemplation (contemplatio): The reader ceases speaking and rests in God's presence. Contemplation means "quiet gazing."

Biblical and Historical Background

The teaching to meditate on the Word day and night (Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8) is frequently cited as the biblical basis for this practice. Origen, in the third century, is known to have used the expression "divine reading." The sixth-century Rule of Saint Benedict set aside times for sacred reading in the monks' daily schedule. In the twelfth century, the Carthusian monk Guigo II systematized the four stages of reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation in The Ladder of Monks. Thereafter the practice was carried on chiefly within monastic and Roman Catholic traditions.

Among Protestants, some interpreters see a similar current in Martin Luther's presentation of prayer, meditation, and trial (oratio, meditatio, tentatio) as the path of theological study.

Practice in the Korean Church

In the Korean Catholic Church, lectio divina has long been widely practiced in parish and religious-order Bible study groups. Among Protestants, it has been introduced through some seminary courses, retreats, and spirituality programs as interest in spiritual formation has grown. Churches that value liturgical and spiritual tradition, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, have adopted it with relative ease.

It is sometimes compared with quiet time (QT), which is widely practiced in Korean Protestantism. Some observers note that whereas quiet time emphasizes the meaning of the text and its application to life, lectio divina places greater emphasis on repeated reading and on lingering with the text.

Assessments are divided. Supporters hold that because lectio divina is a slow reading that begins with the biblical text, it does not conflict with the Word-centered faith of Protestantism. Some conservative Reformed and evangelical circles take a different view. They are particularly concerned that the final stage of contemplation may give priority to subjective experience and drift into mysticism, and they regard it with caution, linking it to the debates surrounding contemplative prayer.