Two ways of listening to sctipture: Lectio and Imagination
There are various reflective ways in which we can read the scriptures. These are two that I have found most helpful. The first comes from the Benedictine tradition and is called Lectio Devina (Latin for Holy Reading) and is about prayerfully listening for the word of God in the text. The second comes from the Ignatian tradition and is a more imaginative way of reading the text, inserting ourselves in to the story.
The reading we shall be using today is the one set for Mass today John 12. 1-11:
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
Lectio Devina
The aim of Lectio is to allow God to speak to us through the text. It comes in four stages: reading; Meditatio (listening); Hearing (identifying the voice of God); Oratio (responding) and Contemplatio (resting in the presence of God).
- First we Read the text slowly, twice through. (It's helpful to have the text in front of you, preferably on paper rather than on your phone, to avoid distractions.) We are acclimatising ourselves to the text. Now we come to respond to that text.
- We come now to what is called Meditatio. Once we have read the text through twice we sit with the text, listening for a word, phrase or thought from the story which sticks out for us. At this stage I often find it helpful to say the prayer given to the Prophet Samuel by the High Priest Eli, 'Speak Lord for your servant is listening'. You should allow about 5 minutes for this stage and Oratio.
- The next stage is called The Shared Echo. We now spend a moment listening to that word, phrase or thought, allowing it to seep into us. (If you are doing Lectio with others then this is a chance to share that word with others, but only if you feel comfortable; it is often through listening to what others have heard that I have heard the voice of God more clearly speaking to me!) Don't worry if God has remained silent, the silence of God does not mean his absence, and sometimes we are called just to rest in his presence.
- Oratio. Now is the time to respond to what God has said to us, to pray to him asking for his help or guidance.
- Complatio is the final step, a chance to rest once again in the presence of God. Thanking him for his word, or for his loving presence, and allowing ourselves to rest in that presence ourselves.
Lectio ends with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer which gathers together all our prayers, thoughts and intentions.
Imaginative reading of the text
This is another way of listening to the text. It is a process of allowing ourselves to step into the text, to participate in the story, and to listen to what God might be saying to us. Like Lectio it begins with reading the text through a few times, so that we immerse ourselves in the text, to see what stands out for us, what we notice. We then imagine ourselves as a participant in the text, not as Jesus, but perhaps as one of the bystanders at the edge of the room. In this story we might want to imagine the smell of the ointment as it fills the room, the gasps of the onlookers, shocked at such a waste. We might hear the hiss of Judas, who in his fury complains about the waste. We hear the gentle reproach of Jesus.
As we find ourselves in the text we allow the presence of Christ to fill and to comfort us. We listen for the voice of God - is Jesus saying something we need to hear for ourselves? We listen also to our own inner thoughts: what is inspiring us? Troubling us? Making us question? We might want to note these down and explore them for ourselves.
When we come to an end we need to allow ourselves to gently disengage from the scene, not to rus away, but to prayerfully disengage, we are after all leaving the presence of Christ in one way, so that we might meet him in another. As with Lectio, our session of imaginative reading ends with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer which gathers together all our prayers, thoughts and intentions.
The reading we shall be using today is the one set for Mass today John 12. 1-11:
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
Lectio Devina
The aim of Lectio is to allow God to speak to us through the text. It comes in four stages: reading; Meditatio (listening); Hearing (identifying the voice of God); Oratio (responding) and Contemplatio (resting in the presence of God).
- First we Read the text slowly, twice through. (It's helpful to have the text in front of you, preferably on paper rather than on your phone, to avoid distractions.) We are acclimatising ourselves to the text. Now we come to respond to that text.
- We come now to what is called Meditatio. Once we have read the text through twice we sit with the text, listening for a word, phrase or thought from the story which sticks out for us. At this stage I often find it helpful to say the prayer given to the Prophet Samuel by the High Priest Eli, 'Speak Lord for your servant is listening'. You should allow about 5 minutes for this stage and Oratio.
- The next stage is called The Shared Echo. We now spend a moment listening to that word, phrase or thought, allowing it to seep into us. (If you are doing Lectio with others then this is a chance to share that word with others, but only if you feel comfortable; it is often through listening to what others have heard that I have heard the voice of God more clearly speaking to me!) Don't worry if God has remained silent, the silence of God does not mean his absence, and sometimes we are called just to rest in his presence.
- Oratio. Now is the time to respond to what God has said to us, to pray to him asking for his help or guidance.
- Complatio is the final step, a chance to rest once again in the presence of God. Thanking him for his word, or for his loving presence, and allowing ourselves to rest in that presence ourselves.
Lectio ends with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer which gathers together all our prayers, thoughts and intentions.
Imaginative reading of the text
This is another way of listening to the text. It is a process of allowing ourselves to step into the text, to participate in the story, and to listen to what God might be saying to us. Like Lectio it begins with reading the text through a few times, so that we immerse ourselves in the text, to see what stands out for us, what we notice. We then imagine ourselves as a participant in the text, not as Jesus, but perhaps as one of the bystanders at the edge of the room. In this story we might want to imagine the smell of the ointment as it fills the room, the gasps of the onlookers, shocked at such a waste. We might hear the hiss of Judas, who in his fury complains about the waste. We hear the gentle reproach of Jesus.
As we find ourselves in the text we allow the presence of Christ to fill and to comfort us. We listen for the voice of God - is Jesus saying something we need to hear for ourselves? We listen also to our own inner thoughts: what is inspiring us? Troubling us? Making us question? We might want to note these down and explore them for ourselves.
When we come to an end we need to allow ourselves to gently disengage from the scene, not to rus away, but to prayerfully disengage, we are after all leaving the presence of Christ in one way, so that we might meet him in another. As with Lectio, our session of imaginative reading ends with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer which gathers together all our prayers, thoughts and intentions.
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