We have been pondering about Lectio Divina, the ancient Benedictine way of approaching Scriptures. Today, I would like to invite you to look at a Gospel passage by spending more time on the first step or movement than you usually would do:

After each sentence, pause, re-read it and ask God to let images rise up inside of you. There is an endless supply of images inside of each of us. We store images of what we have seen and what we imagined. There are numerous images presented to us on TV every single day. Images speak to us, stir something within us. They cause different emotions and reactions. Whatever images the following Gospel verses evoke for you, know that God speaks to you through images as well. If they are stirred up through Scriptures, they have their own stories to tell. Maybe they want you to make connections, heal painful memories and images of the past, or underscore some important new movements of the Spirit inside of you.

In Wednesday's (February 19) Gospel (Mark 8:22-26) , Jesus is interacting with a blind man:

They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?”  And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walkiTng.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”

Take note of all your images. Record them in your journal. Prayerfully reflect on each one. Write, pray, invite God to speak to you now.

Here is an image that arose for an artist about the healing of the blind man. Stay with this picture. Does it express anything of what your own images did?

If you like to journal about  your prayer, draw your own images or find pictures that express  your own. Paste them into your journal.

Over these last few days, we have been reading chapter 7 of the Rule of Benedict at morning prayer. Maybe humility is an odd kind of word for us today. Maybe it appears to be outdated. Maybe it is just not very cool. Nevertheless, in Benedictine communities all over the world, we keep reading, reflecting on, and practicing humility. 

Here is what the dictionary says,
"The term 'humility' comes from the Latin word humilitas, a noun related to the adjective humilis, which may be translated as 'humble', but also as 'grounded', 'from the earth', or 'low', since it derives in turns from humus (earth). See the English 'humus'.
Because the concept of humility addresses intrinsic self-worth, relationships and socialization as well as perspective, it is emphasized in religious practice, moral teaching and ethical study where the notion is often made more precise" (Wikipedia).

In his Rule, Benedict develops 12 steps of humility. When you read this chapter, it can be a pretty confusing. Just think of all the Scripture quotes, parts copied from the Rule of the Master, Benedict’s anthropology, and some more intricacies,.. BUT it has one consistent message: 

We journey from Fear of God to Love of God. That is the progression on the spiritual journey. Humility is our work and yet, it is God’s work inside of us to move us closer to the experience of God’s love. It is ongoing and our contribution is our gradual growth in self-awareness.

The journey of humility is a journey of personal growth as we re-examine our attitudes, hang-ups, etc. Working on ourselves makes us more compassionate with others. Scholar of the Rule of Benedict, Sr. Aquinata Böckmann, OSB, elaborates that this journey, “is a way to feel in real solidarity with all the poor in the world. The degrees of humility, especially the fourth one, consider injustices.”

For your Lectio this week, you might want to pick up the Rule of Benedict and slowly read over chapter 7. Look at the different Scriptures that Benedict includes.
Look at the life of Jesus and how he embodies humility.

Christ's humility is beautifully expressed in Philippians 2:

4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of    others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6  who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
7  but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
    And being found in human form,
8   he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death--
    even death on a cross.
9  Therefore God also highly exalted him
    and gave him the name
    that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Lectio Divina always invites us delve deeper into the Word of God. There are times when certain Scriptures sort of linger with me. It is almost like they have gotten a hold of me and I find myself pondering them for several days. The beauty of the Liturgical Year is that Scriptures come by again. There is a rhythm of re-visiting. 

Last Sunday, John 1: 29-34 was read again. There is John the Baptist speaking about Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." The Lectio Divina process asks us to pick out one word or phrase that resonates with us. Well, for me it is the word "behold". 

Take a minute and sit with this word. 


                                   Behold

This word has always resonated with me. It speaks of gazing and looking intently. It seems to say, "Do not miss this!"

It also speaks of tender care, attentiveness, protection. That's why I picked this picture: These hands hold soil and the young plant, new life. What would it be like if you could hold God's Word like this? Behold God's Word? Cradle God's Word?

Beholding happens with all our faculties: Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste. Behold the Word of God: 

See the Word
Hear the Word
Smell the Word
Touch the Word
Taste the Word

The Benedictine Way of Life is inviting us to behold God's Word. Isn't Lectio Divina that process of beholding?

Let's add it to the four Lectio Divina steps:

Reading - Behold as you read the Word
Meditatio - Behold as you ponder the Word
Oratio - Behold as you pray the Word
Contemplatio - Behold as you sit with the Word

With the New Year, we have started a new cycle of reading through the Rule of Benedict. You might know that the Rule begins with the Prologue, which reads like a poem and serves as a preview for the following chapters. It also sums up what the Benedictine Life is all about. 

The well-known phrase "Listening with the ear of your heart" can be found right in the first verse: "Listen carefully, my child, to the master's instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart."

This is how Benedict prefaces the Rule. This is also how this New Year 2014 has been prefaced and introduced to us by Benedict. 

Volumes have been written on this admonition and we can enjoy reading and pondering these good books. Let's explore how Benedict's words could set the tone for the year.


Listening with the ear of your heart - This is all about awareness. How do I notice God's presence, God's actions, God's way of communicating with me? This has to be a special way of being aware. It is the awareness that we call "prayer" or "meditation". This kind of awareness goes deep down into my very being. 
I would like to give you an example of such a meditation:

I have always liked the light the flame of a candle creates in a dark space. It is a warm light. It is intense and hot right there around the wick. It melts and consumes the wax. There is tremendous energy there! 


In the Easter Vigil, when the Easter candle is lit and the total darkness of night is permeated by that light, we sing, "Christ our Light!" Liturgy sharpens our awareness around the meaning of darkness, light and fire. 

Let's take this a little further: In the Emmaus Story (Luke 24:13-34), we are listening to a story of growing awareness. The disciples slowly become aware of the identity of the person walking with them. They realize:




“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

I have taken you from the first verse of the Prologue all the way to Emmaus! Listening with the ear of  your heart takes us on such journeys of growing awareness. In this year 2014, what would it be like for you to listen with the ear of your heart as a spiritual practice, a way of praying? What would it be like to have your heart on fire and an ever growing appreciation of how God communicates with you?