When asked, what is an Oblate and what is required of an Oblate.  In my poor attempt to respond I had mentioned the practice of lectio divina as being one requirement.  I have never been able to clearly articulate what lectio divina actually is.  In reading yesterday, I came across the following that I feel clearly outlines this practice, taken from: Pocket Guide to Adoration by Fr. Josh Johnson.

 

The Catholic Church highlights lectio divina as a normative model for approaching the Word of God. It’s important to note that all of the biblical text is the inspired Word of God that opens us to God’s self-revelation. The Second Vatican Council’s document Dei Verbum states,

 

For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life.

 

In the twelfth century, Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, wrote a letter to another monk on how to practice lectio divina.  Lectio divina means “divine reading.” Guigo’s work is about praying the Scriptures and is based on the vision of Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:10-17. Guigo titled his letter “The Ladder from Earth to Heaven.”

 

Here is a basic introduction:

• Read: What does the Scripture text say in and of itself?
• Meditate: What does the Scripture say to me?
• Pray: Converse with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ about what the Scriptures are saying to me. Acknowledge my thoughts, feelings, and desires about what the Scriptures are saying to me and relate them to God. If the Scriptures bring to mind a particular person or an event, share that with God.
• Contemplate: Allow myself to be in the stillness of the gaze of Christ as I look at him.
• Resolve: What concrete action will I take in my daily life in response to lectio divina?

 

Lectio divina primarily relates to reading of Scriptures.  However, this practice encompasses what is referred to as Holy reading, which in broad terms is inclusive of most inspirational writings.  I have also seen this practice expanded to what is called visual divina to address sacred art.