A monastic practice that probably dates back to St. Benedict himself is a blend of Scripture reading, study, thought and prayer called “lectio divina,” that is, divine reading or sacred reading.
St. Benedict and the traditions that followed him recommended that at least an hour a day be given over to this observance of reading the Bible, pondering the message, lifting the mind and heart to God in the light of this message and then simply resting in the satisfaction brought by this union with God through reading, study and prayer. Now it might seem all well and good for medieval monks to take time out of their manuscript copying to spend an hour in reflective reading. But quiet time within the modern household is at a premium when if not down right impossible. Yet no busier a man than Pope Benedict XVI recently advised: “I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of lectio divina: the diligent reading of sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart. If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the church - I am convinced of it - a new spiritual springtime.” So the pope is convinced that an hour spent by a mother or a father, a school teacher or a sales clerk, a real estate agent or an x-ray technician will renew the church, which is a tall order in an era when most Catholics can’t even set an hour aside for Mass on Sunday!
Yet the seed for the prayerful and protracted consideration of Scripture goes back much farther than even St. Benedict. The two readings for this coming Sunday, one from Second Timothy and the second from Luke, admirably blend the contemplation of Scripture with perseverance in prayer. As has been noted many times in this column, Catholics are sadly derelict in their reading and appreciation of Scripture. Popularly speaking, the Bible has been the domain of the Protestants; it is to the catechism or the encyclopedia that Catholics turn when they want to inquire into their faith. Rosaries and novenas are much more comforting to Catholics than the psalms or epistles. Yet the Scriptures since Apostolic times were seen as a great source of spiritual strength and direction: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Familiarity with the Bible is the true school of righteousness, conferring both wisdom and guidance on the devoted reader.
But the fruits of biblical appreciation are not garnered by the occasional flipping of a few pages. Perseverance and persistence are the qualities of all authentic Christian prayer as today’s parable of the nagging widow and the unjust judge relates. The widow’s determination was effective because it was unrelenting. Like medieval monks and the cloistered religious of today who give themselves over to regular, enduring prayer, reflective commitment sooner or later gets results. Jesus’ message today is that there is nothing casual about prayer. If prayer is to be taken seriously in our own day then it still requires the traditional investments of worthwhile reflection and divinely focused meditation. There is no shirking the obvious. Effective prayer requires time and attention. Like the widow, true prayer is relentless.
While Catholics might not open our Bibles as often as we should, we are not without scriptural resources. The rosary, honored especially during this month of October, is thoroughly rooted in Scripture, prayer and meditation. All 15 (now 20) decades recall Scripture-based events in the life of Christ. The rosary, properly understood, is the New Testament in graphic form. The rosary is a handy, portable version of lectio divina. It blends Scripture, meditation, prayer and, just possibly, contemplation on a practical level. The rosary is not the exalted practice of lectio divina that one might find in a Benedictine or Carmelite monastery. And believers who have the time and opportunity to embrace the fuller product should find it a great grace. But others should not shrink from fingering the beads regularly, taking advantage of the link with Scripture, reflection, and prayer present there.
