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Prayerful Reading of Scripture
Praying the Bible according to the Pope
Last April 25, 2007 was the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. On
the occasion of this feast, the holy father Pope Benedict XVI urges
the importance of the prayerful reading of the bible. He refers to
the great theologian of early Christianity, Origen. According to
Origen, scripture can be read three ways: on the literal sense,
the moral sense and the spiritual sense. The Pope explains this
very well in the
Zenit news report, ZE07042503.
Praying the Psalms and other passages of the Old Testament
An Old Testament scripture professor, whose favorite translation
of the bible is
the Jerusalem Bible, says that one of her favorite ways of praying
the scriptures was to pray the Psalms or other passages, by placing
her name instead of the word "Israel", or chosen people in the text.
This way, the scriptures become a personal letter of encouragement,
love, consolation, comfort, and strengthener in times of difficulty
and hardships. This spiritual reading of the Bible helps us develop
a personal relationship with God through the Word. You may read more
about this in
Reading God's Word.
Lectio Divina
Lectio divina has always been the traditional way of praying
the scriptures. This tradition has its roots in the early
centuries and was popularized by monasticism, most especially
by the Benedictines. The practice and method is simple and
can be easily done by everyone. It does however requires
constant practice so as to reap the full spiritual benefits.
Below is a brief description of each step and some guidelines
and tips in order to move from one step to the next:
- lectio
- Lectio is the literal reading of the scripture text.
Even though reading may be at the literal sense, reading
slowly and gradually will help one move to the next
step
- meditatio
- Meditatio is meditating on the scripture passage. There
are many ways of doing this. One is by imagining oneself as
a participant in the gospel scene, such as a miracle story.
As one imagines the person of Jesus and the one being healed,
certain insights or wisdom may be achieved by reflecting on
what is going on.
- oratio
- Oratio is praying more on the scripture passage. This
invites the one reading the scripture to engage more his
feelings and how his heart views the gospel passage. One
may feel an ardent desire to be the one healed by Christ
in the gospel scene, or just feel the presence of Christ
after meditating.
- contemplatio
- Contemplatio is a level of lectio divina that is
not so much achieved but rather is a state of being in which we are
invited to be. In the first three steps of lectio divina,
we are more the actors, those actively engaging ourselves
with God's Word. In this last step of lectio divina, we
become more passive and let God's Word be present to us
in stillness, tranquillity, silence and serenity.
What bible translation is best?
A scripture professor tells many of her students that the
best translation of the bible to use is one which you find
the language appealing and comfortable. Although in general,
the English of one translation may be more scholarly than
another translation, each translation has its own appeal
to each individual and his personal preference or
taste. The best way to pick the translation best for
praying the scripture is to try the many translations
available at this present time. To help you in your
decision, there are some general tips that describe the translations
according to the style and usage of the English language.
Knowing What Bible Translation to Use will help you know
what bible translations are often used in Catholic circles.
Summary:
More and more Christians today are turning to the bible for
prayer. They pray the bible either in groups or as individuals.
The bible is a source of inspiration for all who seek to know
the person of Jesus, and learn His wisdom so as to apply it
in daily living. Praying the bible helps anyone to obtain
insight that is priceless in understanding the mystery of
life itself. The bible is rooted in a tradition that goes
way back to many centuries before Christ - back to the origin
of the chosen people of God.
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