And so we come to the end of the classic book on lectio divina by Guigo II (d. 1188), The Ladder of Monks. The idea of a ladder is key to understanding his approach to the Bible — despite all the food metaphors I’ve noted in these posts. He might have done better still with a spiral […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 6): Contemplate Upon It
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.” That is Guigo II (d. 1188) talking about the fourth and final step of lectio divina, the spiritual reading of Scripture. In his classic little book he compares the process to […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 5): Pray It
I am convinced that far too few who follow Jesus find fuel for the journey in their own regular engagement with the Bible. If you do, that’s great. If you don’t, Guigo II (d. 1188) is the man to check out. Actually it is his little book that you should check out: The Ladder of Monks is […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 4): Meditate On It
Raise your hand if the word “meditation” brings to mind images of someone trying to empty their mind of every thought. Okay, how many of you think of “meditation” as repeating a mantra — a secret word in a language you don’t actually understand? What about option three: When you hear “meditation” how many of […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 3): Read It
The subtitle here is not a snarky Nike-influenced oversimplification: “Just read it.” No. I am referring to the first step of the process in medieval monastic spiritual reading, the foundation of “lectio divina.” Simply reading the Bible, opening at Genesis and pressing on to Revelation, is an excellent practice, of course, though a challenging one for many. But that is […]