193- From the Literal Meaning of Scriptures to the Spiritual One

Spiritual Exegesis, Spiritual Life and Lectio Divina

When we practise Lectio Divina, in the process of listening to the Word of God we read the text various times. As one can see in the 15 steps of Lectio Divina we have read (1), read (2), read (3), read (4). What do they mean? In the Active phase we do read (1) in order to understand the text. While in the more Receptive – listening phase: we read while asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. We read (2) in order to discover Christ’s will: we ask, beg and, pray. We read (3) until we see only one light in the two texts. And finally, we read (4) until this same light becomes clear for us in a practical way. As we can see, we repeat the reading of the same text, but each time with the aim to go further deep into the text. 

In other words, we go from the literal meaning of the Sacred Text, read (1): reading in order to understand what the text says in its plain literal meaning, to the Spiritual meaning of the same text (read (2), read (3), read (4)).

The initial work of the Holy Spirit starts when we notice that despite the fact that the two texts are different (different human authors, different moment in history, different subjects…) they start to say the same thing, one thing.

This phenomenon is really amazing, and it is really the sign of the working of the Grace of God. It starts one day when the Holy Spirit opens our mind (see below Luke 24:45) and allows us to see (in fact contemplate) a new spiritual meaning, which shows the unity between the two texts, a unity that lies at a deeper (or higher) level, the Spiritual Level, the level of the Holy Spirit. A unity caused by the fact that the Holy Spirit is the main Author of the sacred text.

“Then he [the Risen Lord] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)

Note: He opened their minds once Risen. The opening of the Mind requires the Holy Spirit who was given after the Resurrection.

Having two texts and not one prevents us from remaining on the literal level, on the level of the letter: “the letter kills”, says Saint Paul, “but the Holy Spirit vivifies” (2 Co 3:6), i.e. gives us Divine Life. We witness the miracle of the Holy Spirit, animating with His Breath the letter of the Text, transforming it into the Living Word of God. In doing this He makes us communicate directly with the Risen Lord, and makes us hear His voice talking to us, guiding us, nourishing us. He really is the one who connects us with the Risen Lord and makes us hear His Voice.

This experience should then lead us to seek clarity on what He has started to say to us. We then would like to understand from Him what He wants us to do. The temptation is to stop at the beginning of Contemplation and rejoice in the “juiciness” of this Supernatural communication of Jesus to us. This new spiritual meaning the Holy Spirit is showing us in the texts needs to come into sharper focus, i.e. pointing within us toward an act that we should make.

Going from the Literal to the Spiritual Sense

In this sense, we are called everyday, while practising Lectio Divina, to have the experience of going from the literal meaning of the daily readings to the spiritual meaning that the Holy Spirit reveals to us. Lectio Divina is not an intellectual exercise or endeavour. Having the spiritual meaning, in itself, is not the goal of Lectio Divina. But having this spiritual meaning touching on some area in us to change us is the goal.

However, the spiritual meaning we get of some parts of the text we are reading today doesn’t mean that this meaning is the only one to be had and the only one that everybody should have. The Word of God is Divine and therefore is versatile. If we don’t lose the direct connection between the literal and the spiritual sense, we will notice that the same word or expression of verse or passage can and will have many legitimate meanings. We can never exhaust all the meanings. In our quest for the spiritual sense of the texts of the day, we should never depart from the literal meaning to the point of losing the connection between the two. This is like taking a word out of its literal context and understanding it symbolically or literally in another way. There is a line between the literal sense and the spiritual sense just as there is a connection and line between the contours of a piece of stained glass and the light that comes through it.  

Going from the literal meaning to the spiritual one in fact is the normal process of Lectio Divina,in the sense that it is part of Lectio Divina to have the experience, in the Holy Spirit, of the Living Word of God and not to be dealing intellectually (with our mind) only with a text, even if it is a Sacred Text.

"Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,

he explained to them what was said

in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

(Luke 24:27) 

In this sense also, the foundational experience of the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus in Luke 24 (the disciples of Emmaus and the eleven Apostles gathered together), the experience of this opening of the mind to understand what the Living Word of God says, through the powerful help of the Holy Spirit, is crucial for the practice of a proper Christian “Lectio Divina”. (“Proper” here means “supernatural”.) It strongly takes us back to the experience of the Ephphata (Mark 7,34) which is enacted as one of the rites of Baptism where the priest anoints the ears and mouth of the baby (or the adult), opening afresh the inner spiritual ear and the inner spiritual speech, after their having been closed since Adam’s fall! Enacting the experience of this baptismal opening should be lived by each of the Faithful in a personal way... discovering how he or she is really a son of God by adoption and therefore is called to hear his Father talking to him and to talk to his Heavenly Father with His Words.

This capacity comes from God, is given to us in Baptism, and is enacted when Jesus Calls us to follow Him. Nobody can take this grace for granted, ignore it or neglect it. It is part of the richness of each Christian. This is what makes us real Prophets, i.e. capable of having a two-way relationship with God, hearing Him and talking to Him. (Note: No other religion has this experience offered to all the Faithful, even the smallest Faithful.) This is what the Apostles state in the Act of the Apostles during Pentecost: they remember the prophet Joel’ prophecy that says that all will be prophets (see Acts 2:17-18). “And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28)

Seeing other persons (i.e. the Fathers of the Church, the Spiritual Masters, the Mystics and all spiritual persons) also having the same experience throughout the past twenty centuries (to the point that it has become coined as: “Spiritual Exegesis”) gives a greater confirmation and depth to our Prayer (i.e. Lectio Divina). Seeing so many generations having the same experience gives it a context, and more so offers a confirmation that one is on the right path. Discovering that the meanings that the personal experience of the Holy Spirit inLectio Divinaare similar or identical to persons who lived in the early centuries is a wondrous experience that shows the unity through time of the Action of the Living Word in our life. It shows an amazing continuity, a real experience of the Living Tradition in Action, in us.

Having said that, it is important to remember two things:

1- going from the literal meaning to the spiritual meaning of the text suggested on a particular day is not a goal in itself and we shouldn’t dwell in it. It is not the goal of Lectio Divina to discover new meanings in the Scriptures. The discovery of a new spiritual meaning of the text is simply part of the supernatural process of Lectio Divina.

2- going from the literal meaning of the text to the spiritual one should lead us toward the real goal of Lectio Divina, which is listening to the Word of God and putting it into practice. In order to do so we need not only a general contemplation but a real incarnation of what the Voice of the Son, in the Holy Spirit, has made us hear in the Text. Thus, once the spiritual meaning starts to appear, one has to aim for the completion of the process of listening, hence the need to keep on asking: “how do you, Lord, want it to be applied by me today in my personal life, in myself?”

The Spiritual Opening

We mentioned above the spiritual opening, the experience one has of a sudden and profound change in the way one understands the Scriptures where the Holy Spirit intervenes and offers a deeper meaning of the text. However, there is a “before” and an “after” in this experience.

This phenomenon raises questions: do all Christians have this “opening” experience? Do all the Faithful have to have this experience? Since there is a “before” this experience, how can one deal with the Scriptures? Does it last for ever or is it a phase?

These questions lead us to introduce an important dimension or parameter for the understanding of “how to read the Scriptures”, and to “what is supposed to happen in Lectio Divina”. This new parameter is spiritual growth. The spiritual journey is not uniform or binary: being Christian or not being Christian. Within being Christian, there are various stages of growth. This reality is addressed by all Spiritual Masters and deserves a minimum of understanding by the Faithful in order to know what the steps are that he or she has ahead of them. Please see the book or articles on “The Spiritual Journey” or read St. Teresa of Avila’s book the “Interior Castle.”

If we consider three different stages (each one of them has sub-stages) we can say that Christian life can be divided into three stages: 

1- From first conversion to second conversion, 

2- From second conversion to full Union with Jesus, 

3- From full union with Jesus to the fullness of Love (Christian Death).

Stage 1 corresponds to the first three mansions in St. Teresa of Avila’s “Interior Castle”. Stage 2 corresponds to the following four Mansions, and Stage 3 to the “Living Flame of Love” (St. John of the Cross’ masterpiece and testament).

But if we want a more Gospel image, we can use the image of the crossing of the Sea of Galilee: here we would have three phases:

1- Before crossing the sea,

2- Crossing the sea,

3- Arriving on the other side of the sea.

This image doesn’t correspond perfectly to the previously described phases because Jesus’ Apostles were Jews, believers in God and had been prepared for centuries to receive the Messiah, and then prepared more closely by John the Baptist. So meeting Jesus, i.e. receiving His Call, doesn’t correspond exactly to the Second Conversion.

To be more precise we should divide the first stage before crossing the sea into two phases: preparing to meet the Messiah and meeting the Messiah and His calling them to follow Him. This second phase should be in a way put together with the Crossing. So, in a wider way but more with greater precision, the three phases should be:

1- Before meeting the Messiah, until meeting Him and being called to follow Him.

2- Starting to follow Him.

    2a- from home till the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

    2b- having to cross, the sea (from one shore to the other)

3- Reaching the other shore until death in Christ.

What was described above corresponds to the entire long (very long) Phase 2. The Second conversion to Union with Christ.

Now what happens before this phase? From first conversion to second conversion? How do we read the Scriptures? Is there any direct action of the Holy Spirit in us? No. Do we use the general help of the grace of God? Yes, to its fullest or in its fullness, i.e. we, first, make a serious effort to learn the Scriptures, we use our mind as much as we can to understand God’s Commandments and the entire Catechism. The mind has a greater role here. Meditation is the main activity with the Bible. Meditation means mainly the use of the mind, analysis, reflection, thinking and pondering. Meditation means going from idea a to idea b, and from b to c, so the conclusion we draw is: a to c. All this is achieved with the general help of the Grace of God, until one day Jesus draws closer to us, has mercy on us and calls us to follow Him.

It is very important to fulfil this first stage before moving forward. The long learning process of the Bible (history of it, contents), the long learning process and implementation of the four parts of the Catechism are fundamental.

In fact, sometimes even people who have had a powerful conversion, need to go back and strengthen this initial long phase of rooting and implementation of a solid Christian Life.

This means that for the persons who are in this long phase (it can last years and decades) meditation is their main bread, their main way of addressing the Scriptures and their way of practising Lectio Divina. See for instance (see it and study it) the first way of watering the garden described by St. Teresa of Avila in her Autobiography, where this phase is vividly brought to life for the reader.

Bibliography:

- Vatican II, "Dei Verbum".

- Henri de Lubac, "History and Spirit. The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen."

- Henri de Lubac, "Medieval exegesis", 3 vols.

- St. Teresa of Avila, "Autobiography".

- St. Teresa of Avila, "The Interior Castle".

192- When I Die, Can I go Directly to Heaven?

By H.T.

The first conversation regarding purgatory I had was with a priest in a confessional box.  I mentioned about going to heaven after death and was abruptly stopped by him telling me to be humble because I didn’t know if I would be going to heaven.  I forgot about it after leaving confession.  Strangely since then I have heard, in close succession, enough of the same view from other religious so as to give me concern.

Here are the reasons they gave to explain why no one should think they can go to heaven without first going to purgatory, followed by some reflections.

1. “No one is good enough so anyone who thinks she can go directly to heaven lacks humility.”

Is this real humility? What is humility? ‘Humility is Truth’ says St. Teresa of Avila. The Truth is that God has an earnest desire for us to reach for spiritual growth, i.e. fullness of love. The Truth is that we can’t reach it with our own efforts only. So, humility is to accept the truth and live by it.

People with this view as expressed above are (knowingly or unknowingly) far from being truly humble. False humility does exist! True humility lies in complete trust in God, His mercy, His love and most of all His Promise as it is.  These people doubt Him as a Heavenly Father who yearns to bring us to Him to the point of coming down from heaven to die for us.  This yearning, if reciprocated by the soul, enkindles such a fire of love that the soul becomes willing to give up all things to be with her Beloved.  God, seeing this, will do His part which she cannot do herself – He raises her to Himself. 

All Catholics know God is Love but do they actually understand the true depth of His love and its implications for their life?  Knowing is not enough.  It has to be received into the core of our hearts, and in fullness! 

What of our Holy Mother? She was to be the first and only human to carry God in her womb.  Was she lacking in humility when she said “yes” without doubt or hesitation?  Should she have said she was not good enough?  Her “yes” was not only total humble obedience, but a courage that stemmed from a formidable faith and trust in God that He could bring about a miracle that she couldn’t understand.

Sadly, some people place their own good works above the grace of God and believe in their own judgement rather than the wisdom of God.  Since they already judge themselves unworthy they have no need for God’s judgement.  They forget that none of us will ever be good enough to enter heaven.  Never ever by our own merits!  It has always only been one thing - the Grace of God.  

2. “God is so pure that no impurities should enter His kingdom.  Therefore one needs to be purified in purgatory first.”

As if the Fire of Love here on earth can’t purify us.

Some people believe their weaknesses/sins are above God’s goodness and purity!  To think that they have the power to somehow affect the purity of God and His kingdom by their impurity is actually quite an insult to the omnipotence of God.  Besides why does one need to wait to be purified in purgatory?  Can one not be purified in her earthly Christian life?  St. Therese of Lisieux puts it perfectly:

“Ah! since that day love penetrates me and surrounds me; this Merciful Love each moment renews and purifies me, leaving in my heart no trace of sin. No, I cannot fear Purgatory; I know that I do not merit even to enter with the Holy Souls into that place of expiation, but I know too that the fire of Love is more sanctifying than the fire of Purgatory, I know that Jesus cannot will needless suffering for us, and that He would not inspire me with the desires I feel if He were unwilling to fulfill them.” (St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Story of the Soul, Ms. A, 84)

Here is her humility: “I don’t (even) merit even to enter with the Holy Souls into that place of expiation”i.e. purgatory. But she doesn’t accept one half of the truth, she takes it entirely. “I know that the fire of Love is more sanctifying that the fire of Purgatory.”

Some might argue St. Therese is a saint therefore she’s different.  We are all called to be saints. She even offers her way to the weakest. So one needs to know: are we taking on board her little way or not!

Counting on Purgatory actually is a very bad solution because it prevents us from growing! The purification in Purgatory is not “meritorious”, it doesn’t allow us, our capacity to love, grow. While the Fire of Love here on earth makes us grow tremendously. So why accept to remain for the rest of eternity like dwarfs! This is really absurd and an insult to us and to God. Allowing the infinite growth of our capacity to love by the fire of love here on earth, is simply a “must” for whoever really understand what Purgatory is and what Purification is here on earth (for the latter, please see St. John of the Cross’ works). 

3. “Only the martyrs go directly to heaven.”   One lady was told by her priest that martyrs are the persecuted Christians in the Middle East because they die for their faith.  “In the West, we have no such opportunity.”

What is martyrdom?  Do people have to literally be shot or beheaded to become martyrs?  No genuine Christians should think they can escape martyrdom.  As true followers of Christ, aren’t we called to be martyrs in our daily lives?  Sacrificing our will and desires to do the will of God and to die to ourselves – this is martyrdom.  As union with Christ is our ultimate goal, martyrdom is the way to this union.  Now, if these people mean to say they aren’t willing to die to themselves – that is another matter.

Having the fullness of love in our heart is the key to understanding true Martyrdom! St. Paul says it: “if I gave my body to the flames and I don’t have Love, then it is in vain” (see 1 Co 13:3).

St. John of the Cross explains also that true martyrdom is realised by the growth of Love in us, until it reaches its perfection in us - it is not the fact itself of dying(see quote below). This is why the Church talks about “Perfection of Love” (Vatican II, Perfectae Caritatis).

“Let us take another example. A soul has great desires to be a martyr. It may happen that God answers him, saying: Thou shalt be a martyr. This will give him inwardly great comfort and confidence that he is to be martyred; yet it may come to pass that he dies not the death of a martyr, and notwithstanding this the promise may be true. Why, then, is it not fulfilled literally? Because it will be fulfilled, and is capable of being fulfilled, according to the most important and essential sense of that saying -- namely, in that God will have given that soul the love and the reward which belong essentially to a martyr; and thus in truth He gives to the soul that which it formally desired and that which He promised it. For the formal desire of the soul was, not that particular manner of death, but to do God a martyr's service, and to show its love for Him as a martyr does. For that manner of death is of no worth in itself without this love, the which love and the showing forth thereof and the reward belonging to the martyr may be given to it more perfectly by other means. So that, though it may not die like a martyr, the soul is well satisfied that it has been given that which it sired. For, when they are born of living love, such desires, and others like them, although they be not fulfilled in the way wherein they are described and understood, are fulfilled in another and a better way, and in a way which honours God more greatly than that which they might have asked. Wherefore David says: “The Lord has granted the poor their desire.” And in the Proverbs Divine Wisdom says: 'The just shall be given their desire.' Hence, then, since we see that many holy men have desired many particular things for God's sake, and that in this life their desires have not been granted them, it is a matter of faith that, as their desires were just and true, they have been fulfilled for them perfectly in the next life. Since this is truth, it would also be truth for God to promise it to them in this life, saying to them: Your desire shall be fulfilled; and for it not to be fulfilled in the way which they expected.”(St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, 18,13)

Some even might argue that Martyrdom is not for everybody. Here is what Council Vatican II says about martyrdom:

“Since Jesus, the Son of God, manifested His charity by laying down His life for us, so too no one has greater love than he who lays down his life for Christ and His brothers.(230) From the earliest times, then, some Christians have been called upon—and some will always be called upon—to give the supreme testimony of this love to all men, but especially to persecutors. The Church, then, considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the fullest proof of love. By martyrdom a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world—as well as his conformity to Christ in the shedding of his blood. Though few are presented such an opportunity, nevertheless all must be prepared to confess Christ before men. They must be prepared to make this profession of faith even in the midst of persecutions, which will never be lacking to the Church, in following the way of the cross.” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 42) 

4. “Being in purgatory is being on the way to heaven.  One should be satisfied if he goes to purgatory.” 

In other words, as long as we are not in hell we are ok.  Why are we being told to aim for mediocrity then, when there’s something as supreme as heaven?  If one is satisfied only to go to purgatory, how will one be living one’s life?  This view takes away all motivation to live a meaningful spiritual life and certainly does not encourage growth.  How can man aspire to something he doesn’t believe is possible?  Christians are not called to be easily contented.  We are called to be ambitious, passionate and courageous in our quest for Him and His righteousness.  Jesus did not say, ‘as long as you don’t go to hell.’  He says ‘be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect’.   Be perfect like God?  Is this achievable in human terms?  Why instruct us with something so impossible?  Give God a sinner and He will make a saint out of him.  Desire and love Him with all our hearts, all our minds, all our strength and all our souls and He will perfect us.  With Him, comes heaven - not purgatory.

If God created us and saved us in order to reach the fullness of Love. Why do we want to disappoint Him? If somebody wants to give us a present and we refuse it, it is an offence! The same applies to God. St. John of the Cross says that is an offence to God not to aim for these heights!

When, at the age of seventeen St. Therese of the Child Jesus read St. John of the Cross she prayed to God to make all that she read a reality in her life!

Magnanimity is a real virtue. It is not opposed to humility, on the contrary, it leans on it. It is to accept wholeheartedly the greats things God has prepared for us and is calling us to receive. If we are God’s Children, how then do we understand the fact of being “called” to become his Children? 

5. “If one believes she’s going to heaven, then it’s a gift from God.  It’s not for everyone.”

What is their understanding of holiness then?  The Church teaches that we are all called to be saints and yet some religious claim that only some are gifted to believe they will get straight to heaven.  Not only is their view incorrect, it’s also dangerous because it implies that God chooses some and not others.  It portrays a God who plays favouritism and who is undependable, unreliable and difficult to please.  As for the ‘chosen few’, it feeds false pride.  Christ died for ALL.  Whatever He has He offers to ALL.  He stands by the door of every heart, knocking to enter.  First conversion is merely the start of a friendship with Christ.  When one opens her heart and Jesus enters to eat and drink, that’s a relationship that will lead to true love and eventually marriage.  Of course, when Jesus has entered into our hearts, we need to keep them clean as one would keep one’s home clean for a beloved guest.  If then some do not wish to do keep their hearts clean, then sure, it’s not for everyone, but we are then talking about people who don't want it rather than it not being offered to them.  

Here is the paradox: everybody agrees that we are all called to holiness. But when it comes to talk about holiness, real life holiness, everybody avoids the question, and come up with all sorts of statements of false humility, then end up by denuding of all meaning the idea that “all are called”. Even if the door and the path are narrow and that many (all) are called but only few are elected, we should believe in what Jesus came to offer us! Otherwise we offend Him, offend His love for us, and reveal that we don’t believe that He can make us saints! We still, then, silently and in practice, are agreeing that holiness is a man-made reality - which is totally false!

Furthermore, this verse ‘many are called but few are elected’, should not be taken literally that God will only elect a few! It means, rather, that though many are called, only a few truly reciprocate His love. Therefore instead of seeing it from a negative angle (few are elected) it’s a reminder that our active participation is absolutely necessary in order to be ‘the elected’; at the same time trusting God to do the rest.  This is a verse that offers great hope for us yet also places great responsibility on our side as it tells us that it is in fact our choice to be the elected or not. 

Christian Death According to St. John of the Cross 

“It should be known that the natural death of persons who have reached this state is far different in its cause and mode from the death of others, even though it is similar in natural circumstances. If the death of other people is caused by sickness or old age, the death of these persons is not so induced, in spite of their being sick or old; their soul is not wrested from them unless by some impetus and encounter of love far more sublime than previous ones; of greater power, and more valiant, since it tears through this veil and carries off the jewel, which is the soul.

The death of such persons is very gentle and very sweet, sweeter and more gentle than was their whole spiritual life on earth. For they die with the most sublime impulses and delightful encounters of love, resembling the swan whose song is much sweeter at the moment of death. Accordingly, David affirmed that the death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord [Ps. 116:15]. The soul's riches gather together here, and its rivers of love move on to enter the sea, for these rivers, because they are blocked, become so vast that they themselves resemble seas. The just one's first treasures, and last, are heaped together as company for the departure and going off to the kingdom, while praises are heard from the ends of the earth, which, as Isaiah says, are the glory of the just one [Is. 24:16].” (St. John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love, II,30)

The truth is the journey into union with Christ, spiritual marriage and finally Christian death is not an easy one, just as His coming to die for us shows true love requires huge sacrifices.  There are some Catholics (consecrated and lay) who do not wish to live a challenging spiritual life so they are happy to settle for a happy medium - purgatory.  It is indeed their right to choose not to be transformed by Christ but they have no right to tell others that going directly to heaven is not achievable.  It is not only cruel but a sin to destroy the faith and confidence of those who believe.

St. Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.” 

On these three lie the success of spiritual life.  A love that would require a merciful act from the Holy Spirit to finally free the spirit from the broken heart of a yearning soul, in order for it to fly up hand in hand with the Him into eternal bliss.  What a happy death!  Such a love that is possible between God and His children is the power that shapes a mountain of unshakeable faith and hope and it is this that gives them the courage to say ‘Yes! I am going directly to heaven.’  Who dares challenge it? 

H.T.

191- Completing the Process of Contemplation

Hi S.,

Please find below my answer to your question regarding Lectio Divina. My answer here is very important since it underlines various important aspects of the practice of Lectio Divina. Some people, unknowingly, don’t implement them and they therefore don’t reach the completion of Lectio Divina. This resembles an “abortion”. Here is your question:

“I just finished an hour of Lectio Divina, and this is what I got from it. The reading about the Blind man of Bethsaida… I never saw it that way…. It revealed my own journey…  Jesus took him by the hand out of the village… maybe things that I was comfortable and used to… He used spittle on the eyes of the blind… From Jesus’ mouth to the blind man’s eyes… Only God’s word can make me see…It was a gradual healing…. For me it meant that God will always finish what He started because He is faithful…. And He said do not even go into the village… in my life now it may mean to avoid occasions to sin and to trust in the new way of praying He is introducing to me, not to go back to the old ways of my life. Jesus healed the blind man outside of the village… meaning, true healing can only come through Jesus but not on our own terms, and not the way we want it to. I’ve never seen that particular Gospel passage in this way…. 

And the first reading about Noah meant process of growth… there are stages… but God will see us through, again He is faithful.

It took me the whole hour to get something from the reading…. Is this Lectio Divina? Am I doing it right?”

Lectio Divina has like three stages in the process of listening:

a- Reading the text and understanding what it says, using our normal intellectual capacity.

b- The supernatural action of the Holy Spirit starts to work in us: the two texts say one thing. (This is led by God Himself)

c- The supernatural light becomes a clear indication for today to do something. (This is indicated by God Himself)

It goes without saying that going from "a" to "b" is a real crossing, because in "a" we are left with the normal strength of our faculties, even if we have faith, but what they reach and achieve is limited. We actually use what in theology is called: the general help of the Grace of God. While in "b", God’s power is communicated to us, the mind (intellect) is lifted by the Holy Spirit from its own ways of functioning to a higher supernatural level. So our mind starts to see God’s loving light with God’s eyes. This is in itself an achievement, because in this case we witness a “miracle” happening to us: the real immediate and personal action of the Holy Spirit who starts to bring the text of the Scriptures to life, it is as if the “Word of God” is being addressed to us personally through the Scriptures. The specific process of (supernatural or infused) contemplation of Lectio is now starting. (This is not to be confused with the specific contemplation of the Prayer of the Heart which is different.)

But the temptation here is to rejoice in this contemplation, delight in savouring it but to bring to an abrupt halt the descent of the Word of God in us thereby aborting lectio, aborting the supernatural Work of God. God’s Word must descend fully, from the highest point of our mind, to the lowest part of our will.

I have noticed that many people just remain at this stage and don’t move forward. Remember the very common way today of presenting Lectio Divina - which is truncated – which seems to allude to the fact that Lectio ends at this stage (a gaze of contemplation): "read => meditate => pray => contemplate". (See stage 8 in the fifteen steps, "Read (3) until I see only one light" which describes this stage and shows that there are other stages after it. Please see here: https://schoolofmary.org/lectio-divina-1-definition-steps/)

From what I have read above, you seem to have reached this stage in the Lectio Divina you did that day. As you can see, you rejoiced in the fact that it is new: "I have never seen it this way". So you are witnessing the action of the Holy Spirit in you. Your mind tastes this newness that God only can give.

There is one further important step at this first stage of listening - the following and last stage being the “Putting into Practice” – that is, having a clear indication of God’s message on how to act. So, the light itself you received and started to rejoice in should continue its journey until it reaches the juncture with your will, that is, it should reach a level of clarity that will allow you right after to put into practice the clear indication given to you by God.

The Turquoise Arrow Stops in General Contemplation
The Blue Arrow Reaches Clarity

How do we reach this stage of understanding clearly what God wants to say to us? How do we reach such clarity while Contemplating? It is by begging the Lord something along these lines: “ok Lord, you started to show me something about my life, "I never saw it this way", "I never saw this text this way", "this is new": but what do you mean by that in practical terms? How do you God (not me) translate it in a practical way?

Beg, insist, until the light that has started to work in you becomes clear, as if God were saying: “S., as a consequence of what I have  just made you see or understand in a general light, look for how this general light is becoming clearer as we talk clear and is ready to become incarnate in you  today. As a consequence, I would like you to start doing this today… 

In this case, the process of contemplation will be orientated properly. In fact, contemplation is not about climbing to the clouds, but it is about going from God (the clouds if you will) to the lowest part in us, in fact it is going in the opposite direction, the direction of incarnation: i.e. a Word given to us from God, starting its journey from high above, going down, crossing our entire being, in a beautiful sacred descent (like what happens to Our Lady during the Annunciation) where the Word crosses our mind, from its upper part to its most practical part, and is about the cross from our mind to our will, generating an act. A sacred act that finds its origins in God and is working in a participation of our mind and will with the thought and will of God.

Once the Word, the Light of this contemplation, reaches this junction between "what I know" (our mind) and "what I do" (our will), it becomes clear and visible, the Word of God is pointing its finger or tip (tip of a sword or arrow), toward a precise point in our Will, asking us for a specific act.

Here come the following 5 steps of implementation (see the last 5 steps in the link mentioned above on the 15 steps), marked essentially by this second and last prayer: “God you showed me what you want me to do, please Jesus help me, give me your Holy Spirit so I can put THIS received Word into practice.” Then you put the word into practice! Lectio then is a Word that became clear and then became flesh in your will, through an act.

I hope this helps.

For further reading please read these three articles, they address this issue on how to go from the beginning of the supernatural action of the Holy Spirit (one light) to the end of the process of listening, that is, understanding clearly what God is asking of us, how the one light becomes clear (from 2 to 3 of the above steps):

- Finished and Unfinished Lectio Divina

- How The Grace of God Works in Lectio Divina

- The Space We Dig In Ourselves

Note that your way of doing Lectio Divina here in this case is very common to the way the Fathers of the Church read the Bible. We see it in their Homilies. The temptation then is to transform Lectio Divina into a sort of a “spiritual reading of the Bible”, in the sense of having a “spiritual exegesis” or understanding of the text. There is nothing wrong in reading the bible spiritually, or seeing symbolically how it can allude to different aspects of our life. But this in itself is not Lectio Divina yet as you can see from the above explanations.

Many people today (unfortunately it became a trend 15 years ago) offer their own spiritual meditation on texts from the bible and they call it: “Lectio Divina on the Gospel of Matthew”, or Luke or Job, or Jeremiah…. This is really a deviation, giving us the fruits of a personal spiritual meditation and not inviting each one of us to meditate. But strangely nobody seems to bother. It leaves me speechless! How did we reach this deviation?

We see it even in presentations of Lectio Divina, like the French Wikipedia entry on Lectio Divina. It initially seemed to say that Lectio Divina was about the spiritual meanings of the Scriptures! From a method of listening to God’s Word and putting it into practice, we have transformed it into spiritual exegesis or spiritual personal meditation! How sad!

Lectio is indeed the most powerful way of prayer, the most secure (“it is not the ones who say: ‘Lord Lord’ who enter in the kingdom but the ones who put into practice the word of God”), but also the most difficult and challenging: why? Because it involves real transformation and it tackles our conscious faculties that we use on a daily basis: the mind and the will, our thoughts and our actions!