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News inserted on 26/08/2014

Praying with God’s Word

For several years now I have been following lectio divina on the website www.lectiodivina.catholique.fr There are many similar sites in the English language.

In a recent retreat with the sisters in Vanuatu we began the Lectio each evening by reading a specific text of the bible, so that the next morning we already woke with the Word of God in our hearts and minds. Each day the Sisters were given texts for the day and the opportunity of spending lengthy periods in silent prayer, as is the method for carrying out lectio divina. We had two short talks each morning and in the afternoon a meditatio. Before Vespers we had the contemplatio and each evening we shared briefly on the prayer of that day, without commenting on the sharing of others present.

LECTIO DIVINA CONSTITUTES A REALSPIRITUAL JOURNEY MADE IN VARIOUS STEPS:

·         Lectio, which consists in reading a passage from the Bible and trying to take in the main aspects of the story as it unfolds.

·         Meditatio, which is like a time of letting go of all exterior thoughts and actions so as to come to inner silence, where our soul is focused on God, trying to understand what this word is saying to us in the concrete circumstances of our life today.

·         Oratio, which allows us to converse directly with God, and which leads us to 

·         Contemplatio,which helps us to remain attentive to the presence of Christ, whose word is like a bright “light shining in the darkness until daylight comes and the morning star rises in our hearts.” Pope Benedict XVI

I would like to share with you my joy at the quality of prayer of all and the way they quietly helped to create an atmosphere of peace and deep unity. The Sisters left the retreat truly happy.

“THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE...”Heb. 4:12

Sr M. Emmanuel FUCHS

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