SACRED READING PRACTICES

Lectio Divina is a traditional monastic practice of praying contemplatively with Scripture. It involves four separate steps: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Different groups have slightly different approaches to this practice, but the general process looks like this:

1. Read: Choose a text from the Bible. Generally it's good to keep it short, but there is no hard and fast rule-- you could use a word, a phrase, a few sentences, or a few paragraphs. Take time to quiet yourself, and then slowly read the passage aloud. Read it a second time, savouring each word and paying attention to any words or phrases that stick out to you. As a group, consider what this passage is literally saying. Share any words or phrases stood out to each of you-- no discussion is needed at this point, you're simply sharing any words or phrases that will be further reflected on in the next steps.

2. Meditate: Read the passage again. Sit quietly for a moment, reflecting on the words or phrases that stood out to you. Do they make you think of anything? Any symbols or allegories? Repeat the passage to yourself, taking time to consider specifically what the words, phrase, or passage might mean in your own life today. As a group, share what you thought of or heard.

3. Pray: Read the passage again. Consider how God might be speaking to you through the passage, and speak with Him about what you thought about while meditating. Consider how the text is speaking to you in your life, today-- are you being called to act differently?

4. Contemplate: After one final reading, take time to sit with the words and the message that God has been speaking. Consider how God might be inviting you to apply the text and the passages that stood out to you in your life, and share with the group.

Sacred Imagination-- or Ignatian Spirituality-- comes from the spiritual practices of Saint Ignatius Loyola. The emphasis is on using the senses to imagine oneself in the midst of a Scripture passage.

1. Choose a passage-- traditionally a section or chapter from one of the Gospels where Jesus is interaction with other people.

2. Someone reads the passage aloud, twice. While the words are being spoken, everyone else closes their eyes and imagines themselves in the scene. See what is going on, who the people are, what smells or sights or sounds would surround the moment. Imagine what people look like, what they're doing or saying to one another. You might find yourself taking the place of one of the people in the passage, either as an observer or active participant.

3. Take some time for quiet prayer, speaking to Jesus about what you felt, saw, or experienced in the reading.

4. Share with the group about your experience of the passage.

Florilegium is essentially the practice of writing down quotes or phrases that stand out to you from a text. In the context of a Bible study, florilegium would be best suited to a smaller group size.

1. Choose a longer passage (e.g. a whole chapter) and read it ahead of time, marking any phrases that stand out to you.

2. As a group, read through the passage again together. Each person then shares one phrase that most struck them. Once everyone has shared, go around again and explain why you chose that phrase.

3. The final step is to read the selected passages aloud as one. Consider what new ideas or interpretations arise when the words are placed side-by-side. Try reading them in different orders, and seeing if that impacts how you experience the passage.

Florilegium is not about manipulating the text to say something that it didn't say before-- it's about reframing familiar passages in a new way to get you thinking about what more God might be speaking through Scripture.

PARDES is a four-step method traditionally used to study Hebrew scriptures. These four steps become deeper as you progress: Parshat, Remez, D’rash & Sud (the name comes from the first letters of each word with vowels added, giving the word 'PARDES' which means 'garden' or 'orchard').

1. P'shat is the simple meaning of the text. What is literally taking place in the passage (consider traditional understanding of the words, historical context, literary style, etc.)?

2. Remez considers what hints might be found in the text-- any metaphors or allegories? Consider what is taking place beyond the literal meaning of the passage.

3. D’rash looks at the comparative meaning of the text in the context of the whole. As you consider other ways to interpret the passage, lean into verses or passages from elsewhere in the Bible to interpret the section you are studying.

4. Sud asks us to consider the hidden or secret meaning of a text. Take time to pray quietly, and consider what deeper message could be drawn from the passage. What might the Scripture be calling us to?

Notes taken from The Rules of PARDES.