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Growing up, I was an athlete. I played every sport you can imagine. When I was 11, I had to change schools and started 6th grade at a new middle school. I was looking forward to trying out for the various sports my school offered so I could continue to live out my passion of sports. What my parents failed to tell me; however, was that the school’s curriculum was set up in such a way that every student had to be involved in something related to music. I settled on trying my hand at 6th grade band. On the first day of band, the director came up to me and asked what I wanted to play. After staring at my band director blankly for a few moments he said, “Here, try this old trombone.” So, I embarked on the adventure of learning and mastering an instrument I had never heard of before. During my time in band, I learned that part of doing something new is repetition, repetition, repetition.
Much like learning something new, prayer is something that takes practice and repetition, especially when it’s a new prayer practice. I was 17 when I encountered the prayer practice of Lectio Divina. The literal translation of Lectio Divina is “praying with scripture”. Lectio Divina was a regular practice in monasteries in the 6th Century and has evolved over time, but the point of this prayer practice is the same: to enter into a conversation with God and cultivate the gift of contemplation.
Starting Lectio Divina isn’t as hard as you might think. Here is a step by step process I found helpful when starting my practice of Lectio Divina:
- Pick a passage of scripture. This passage can be any length, but I wouldn’t recommend practicing on a whole chapter. Let’s start with John 6:16-21
- The first time you read your selected passage, simply read it. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you soak up the passage.
- Now read the same passage a second time. Begin to listen to God for a word or phrase that stands out to you in this particular passage.
- The final time you read the passage, when you hear the word or phrase that stands out to you, you should stop reading (or listening if you have the Bible in audio format) and begin focusing on that word or phrase in the passage.
- Allow yourself to contemplate what God has shown you. You may want to write down the particular word or phrase that stands out to you so you can reflect further on why God might have led you to this particular word or phrase.
The practice of repetition in Lectio Divina, I believe, is designed for us to clear our minds and allow our hearts to be spoken to by our loving Creator. Remember, as with any new practice or rhythm in our life, it’s all about repetition. Blessings on your journeys of prayer.
In Christ,
Rev. Philip Galyon
Pastor of Youth and College Ministry
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