Lectio Divina (2)

"Lectio is an experiential hearing of the Word of God. It is a hearing in the context of a certain listening. Here the faith dimension of lectio comes into play. lectio is listening to a Person present. God lives in his Word. When we come to lectio empowered by faith, we tune in to the Word beamed to us by God, whether it is coming to us through the printed page before us, the voice of a reader, or the inner voice or imaginative page offered to us from memory. Our inner attitude - the listening we are - will make all the difference in our ability to hear what God is saying to us. Certain dispositions are indispensable and enhance our reception, making our listening able to receive the divine communication." (Fr. Basil Pennington)

These, according to the late Fr, Basil Pennington, are "faith, humility, openness and faithfulness".

Faith is the firm belief that the Word who is God speaks to us through the inspired Word and also that the Word is truly present in his inspired Word and present to us as he communicates with us through the Word. Even as we faithfully hear the Word, the Word renews and strengthens our faith.

Humility is the full acceptance of reality. The reality is that we need and want the divine communication. Humility is the acceptance of our profound ignorance with regard to God as well as to so many other things. We come to our listening hungry and thirsty, filled with longing and need. And God who is mighty will fill the hungry with good things.

Openness is the opposite of a "I've heard it all before" mindset. I am not simply reading a book I have read so often before. I am meeting a Person, a Divine Person, the God who loves me.

No matter how many times we have encountered the words before, there is an opportunity for the love to expand every time we meet our God of love in our lectio.

Faithfulness: to really listen to God, we need to dip again and again into the divine reading of lectio divina.