LECTIO DIVINA

A WAY TO TRANSFORMATION

by
Patricia M. McIntire
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI
A thesis project submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theological Studies

Approved:

_________________
Rev. Raymond J. Gunzel, sP, M.A.
__________________
Rev. Richard Ver Bust, Ph.D.

__________________
Joanne Dupont Sandoval, Ph.D.

© 2002 Patricia M. McIntire. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to St. Norbert College permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part.

CONTENTS

IntroductION 3
Historical Overview of Lectio Divina 5
Experiences of Lectio Divina 14
Group Practice of Lectio Divina 20
what is centering prayer? 25
Benefits of Lectio Divina 28
Commitment - Obstacles and dispositions 31
THE ACTION OF SCRIPTURE 35
fruit of lectio divina 42
gifts of the spirit 49
conclusion 54
Appendix I Ways to Read and Pray Scripture: Lectio divina 57
Appendix II Ignatian Prayer of the Imagination 58
Appendix III Some Gospel Passages for Meditation and Prayer 59
Appendix IV Guidelines for Centering Prayer 63
Appendix V How to pray the Jesus Prayer 64
Appendix VI Resources for Study and Prayer 66
Works Cited 69







INTRODUCTION

Seek in reading
and you will find in meditation;
knock in prayer
and it shall be opened to you in contemplation.
St. John of the Cross ¹
When faithfully practiced, lectio divina, especially in the context of centering prayer, has power to form and transform the lives of not just individuals, but the corporate life of the Church to a closer attending to and fuller living of the Gospel message. Vatican II has encouraged the laity to study and pray with Scripture: “Let all the Christian faithful . . . go gladly to the sacred text itself . . . . Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and the human reader.”²
Over twenty years ago I discovered lectio divina prayer as it is prayed in the context of centering prayer. Abbot Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk from St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snow Mass, Colorado, came to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and presented a workshop on the centering prayer method. Rev. Raymond Gunzel, sP. was in attendance at this workshop as a resource person, and Fr. Ray continued the instructions over the next several years and added the lectio divina prayer to the

centering prayer practice. Several small groups were formed under his tutelage, and my husband and I were privileged to be part of one of these groups for many years.
Over the years I integrated the Ignatian way of praying with the Gospels into my own prayer of lectio divina and taught several groups to pray lectio divina, most often including some teaching on the Ignatian way of the imagination, the Jesus prayer, and centering prayer (see Appendices). There was much fruit for me personally and for many others with whom I have journeyed.
This wonderful experience of praying the scriptures is the prime motivation for writing this paper. Others need to know of the fruits of a deepening relationship with God through attentive reading, listening, dialoging, and then resting in the Word and Presence. This paper is directed to the lay persons of today, in hopes that the information may inspire and give hope that God is with them, and lives in them, and that they may know that finding a quiet oasis of prayer is necessary for spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health. We live in a noisy, self-consumed world, with many distractions and illusions which call to the “false self.” ³ The contemplative way of silence and listening is a strange and unknown way to most moderns.
The last few years has seen a vast increase in the literature available on contemplation, including lectio divina and centering prayer. In this paper some of this body of literature is referenced beginning with an historical overview of the development of prayer with scripture from the pre-Christian time of the Hebrew scholars, to our present day efforts to recover the practice of contemplative prayer with the scriptures that is part of our spiritual heritage.
Following the historical summary is a description of lectio divina as it is understood and experienced today. The actual practice of the groups formed for this study is recounted as these practices may serve as a possible model for persons who wish to begin a lectio divina group. A review of centering prayer is included because many have found this a beneficial method that prepares one to better listen and to hear the Sacred Word.
Also addressed in this paper are the benefits from lectio divina, the commitment called for, and some of the dispositions and obstacles. How scripture works in us is discussed, with examples from the experiences of individuals in the small groups. The fruit of the prayer is described as witnessed by several individuals from these beginning groups. Long term prayer with scripture brings spiritual gifts, and to show how these gifts are manifested, the experiences of the individuals in a group that has been together for many years are also recounted. Guidelines for lectio divina, Ignatian prayer of the imagination, centering prayer, the Jesus Prayer, a list of gospel passages for prayer, and a list of resources are included in the Appendices.

Historical Overview of Lectio Divina
The practice of meditating on scripture is pre-Christian. The haggadah is the Hebrew tradition of study and memorizing the text and “was part of the devotional practice of the Jews in the days of Jesus.” They would repeat the text “over and over softly with the lips until the words themselves gradually took up residence in the heart, there transforming the person’s life.”⁴ Christians carried on the traditions of the Jewish rabbis who believed “ that God’s law was his presence to which we open ourselves through reading, meditation, and prayer. Christendom has inherited this way of reading scripture from Judaism. “[Remember],” Paul writes to Timothy, “how from childhood you have known the sacred writings” (2 Timothy 3:15).”⁵
Many scholars agree that lectio divina came to the West by way of the Eastern Fathers during the fifth century. In the sixth century, St. Gregory the Great (540-604) describes contemplation as “the fruit of reflection on the word of God in scripture and at the same time a gift of God . . . a resting in God.”⁶ As Pope, and as one of the Fathers of the Church, St. Gregory’s teaching was reverenced and has influenced generations through the ages of the Church. Although he writes about the wonderful benefits of a personal and solitary encounter in doing lectio divina, particularly interesting is his understanding of the blessings of lectio divina done in community. He says:
For I know that in the presence of my brothers and sisters I have very often understood many things in the sacred text that I could not understand alone . . . . Thus it happens, by the grace of God, that as perception grows pride diminishes, since on your behalf I learn what I am teaching in your midst, for – I must confess – I often hear with you what I am saying.⁷
This observation of St. Gregory’s is one that many have experienced in the group practices of lectio divina over the past 20 years. The faith of the community, sharing together their reflections upon a text, brings the Word to life. More is said about this later in this paper.
Monasticism is the milieu in which the practice of lectio divina flourished, and the reciting of sacred scripture, so that it became committed to memory, was a large part of the monks’ daily prayer. St. Benedict’s Rule prescribes three hours a day to be given to personal spiritual reading or lectio. As books were rare, there was great reverence for the text. Reading was done very slowly, and books would be reread many times. “Because there were so few reference books or commentaries, the monks had to learn to sit with difficulties and obscurities and try to puzzle out for themselves the meaning of the page before them. Reading became a dialogue with the text.”⁸
The Cistercians followed in this tradition of the Benedictines, and Cistercian monk William of St. Thierry (1085-1148) offers advice regarding the practice of lectio divina, beginning with the lectio:
At fixed hours time should be given to certain definite reading. For haphazard reading, constantly varied and as if lighted on by chance . . . makes the mind unstable.
He then advises about the second part, meditatio:
Some part of your daily reading should also each day be committed to memory, taken in as it were into the stomach, to be more carefully digested and brought up again for frequent rumination . . . helpful to concentration, something that will take hold of the mind and save it from distraction.
Of the third moment, oratio, he states that:
The reading should also stimulate the feelings (affectus) and give rise to prayer, which should interrupt your reading: an interruption which should not so much hamper the reading as restore to it a mind more purified for understanding.
Of contemplatio William says:
the understanding of the one thinking becomes the contemplation of
the one loving . . . a true experience of the Lord in goodness.⁹
More often, writers reference the method that was presented by Guigo II in The Ladder of Monks. Guigo II, a prior of a Carthusian monastery in France in the early twelfth century, follows in the tradition of Western Monastic spirituality. Guigo II images the four parts of lectio divina, reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation, as rungs that “make a ladder for monks by which they are lifted up from earth to heaven . . . . Reading seeks for the sweetness of a blessed life, meditation perceives it, prayer asks for it, contemplation tastes it.”¹⁰ There are several modern summaries of Guigo’s teaching that, after reading Guigo’s description, seem quite prosaic. His words are quite poetic, and filled with the feelings (affectus) that perhaps characterize his time, or it may be that they are colored by the fervor of the mystic. He compares reading a text of scripture such as “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” to be of
great sweetness, like a grape that is put into the mouth filled with many senses to feed the soul . . . . So, wishing to have a fuller understanding of this, the soul begins to bite and chew upon this grape, as though putting it in a wine press, while it stirs up its powers of reasoning to ask what this precious purity may be and how it may be had.¹¹
Guigo writes at some length about the effects of prayer and the contemplation
that follows: “He restores the weary soul, He slakes its thirst, He feeds its hunger, He makes the soul forget all earthly things . . . .”¹²
Guigo’s summary of the process seems somewhat hierarchical, one step building on the next step:
Reading comes first, and is, as it were, the foundation; it provides the subject matter we must use for meditation. Meditation . . . digs, as it were, for treasure which it finds and reveals, but since it is not in meditation’s power to seize upon the treasure, it directs us to prayer. Prayer lifts itself up to God with all its strength, and begs for the treasure it longs for, which is the sweetness of contemplation.¹³
Guigo claims that “The first degree [reading] is proper to beginners, the second [meditation] to proficients, the third [prayer] to devotees, the fourth [contemplation] to the blessed.” He does say that these four degrees work together, and that the “first degrees are of little or no use without the last, while the last can never, or hardly ever, be won without the first.” ¹⁴
Both Abbot Thomas Keating and Father Carl Arico, founders of Contemplative Outreach,¹⁵ speak of two approaches to lectio divina, the monastic and the scholastic. The monastic approach, practiced by the monks in the first centuries, is characterized by a free-flow between the various parts of lectio divina. A scenario might be: the monk would have a time for reading in the early morning, followed by some reflection and meditation (chewing the Word) throughout the later morning as the monk does his chores. Perhaps, he would read again, and be moved to affective prayer in the afternoon, and in the evening, as he meditated on that same Word again, he might be drawn into contemplation. Lectio divina permeates the monk’s whole day.
Arico says that the scholastic approach, much more analytical than the monastic, came out of the writings of Guigo II, who tried to describe the monastic way by examining the four steps and putting them in order, as if they were rungs on a ladder. He states that Guigo “never intended that these four moments be seen as separate elements or parts of lectio – parts which would stand on their own. But this is what happened during the centuries after his work.”¹⁶ The Reformation of the sixteenth century
caused the Church to tighten up and back away from the affective and contemplative dimension – the oratio and contemplatio. These were difficulties to control and the Church was looking for more control during those turbulent times. Whenever the Church feels threatened, it goes to her head and leaves behind the heart.¹⁷
With such suspicion of the mystical or contemplative dimension of prayer, scholasticism became for many a safe, analytical, and intellectual practice and was the method used in the development of the schools of theology for clerics. To trace this scholastic movement is beyond the scope of this paper. A very good study of the scholastic and monastic movements of the Middle Ages may be found in Jean Leclercq’s The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. Here we note only that scholasticism has influenced what has developed and persists in the Church as an overemphasis on the intellectual and analytical at the expense of the contemplative way of the mind and heart.
Before the Scholastic period,
the approach to God was not compartmentalized into discursive meditation, affective prayer, and contemplation. . . . the passion for analysis in theology [from the twelfth century on] was later to be transferred to the practice of prayer and bring to an end the simple spontaneous prayer of the Middle Ages based on lectio divina with its opening to contemplation.¹⁸
Lamentably, this division of the ways of prayer contributed to the idea that contemplation was not for the ordinary person, but reserved for those who had special graces. “Contemplation was identified with extraordinary phenomena, and was regarded as both miraculous and dangerous, to be admired from a safe distance by the average layperson, priest or religious.”¹⁹
Even the Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola were diluted and the prayer and contemplative parts were downplayed “by lesser lights in the community [than Ignatius] who felt they had to tighten up his spiritual exercises.”²⁰ Abbot Keating thinks that this reduction of the Spiritual Exercises to discursive meditation has had quite an impact on Catholic spirituality, as the other congregations founded during this period modeled their constitutions after the influential Society of Jesus.²¹ In our day, thankfully, much of the spirit of Ignatius seems to have been recovered in the practice of the Exercises. They are a journey of the heart, and a wonderful invitation into the contemplation of the scriptures.
Other movements and heresies threatened the Church, including Jansenism and Quietism, and as devotional practices became popular, and were easier to control than the more mystical types of prayer, devotions and discursive meditations became the predominate spiritual practices. These ways of prayer are still very much part of present day spirituality; however, in the last couple of decades, there seems to be a new hunger, a search for ways to pray beyond devotional practices. The meditative practices of other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism have attracted many. The contemplative tradition of Christianity has long been hidden from the majority of Christians, and the spiritual poverty caused by the denial of this treasure needs to be alleviated.
Lectio divina, prayerful reading and meditating on the scriptures, especially when done in the context of centering prayer, often leads naturally to contemplative prayer. Although it is not widely practiced yet, there are signs that more and more
persons are recovering this prayer. In the last few years there have been more opportunities for bible study for Catholics in many parishes; however, the “dialogue . . . between God and man,” the contemplative way offered by lectio divina, is quite different than the intellectual analysis of a bible study. The process of lectio divina differs from traditional bible study in that it engages not just the intellect or the mind, but also the heart, and thus has potential for true conversion and transformation.
Saying that lectio divina is not bible study is not to say that there is no room in the spiritual life for the intellect. Study of the scriptures and of the writings of the spiritual masters enhances prayer of any kind. An excellent source to use if one wishes to seriously pursue spiritual reading is Susan Muto’s A Practical Guide to Spiritual Reading,²² which gives a systematic way to approach the writings of the scripture and of the spiritual masters. What Muto describes is an intentional and interactive process of study that can lead one to lectio divina.
Louis Bouyer also teaches that spiritual reading and study are essential for spiritual growth and is of
priceless benefit to spirituality. This benefit may not be immediately evident. But it will reveal itself little by little in a sense of the authentic, the essential, which will preserve us from reading our own fancies into the Word of God or from retaining merely some dry scrap or first impression of it.²³
Bouyer says that our study of scripture “enables us to integrate the historic and
philological vision of the Bible with the traditional understanding of it . . . so as to transfigure our whole personal spiritual understanding of the Bible.”²⁴ Study of scripture brings in a new light. An example may be that the confusions and obscurities of the books of the Hebrew Scriptures are made understandable, and this knowledge may bring depth and richness to one’s prayer.
According to Bouyer, this study and understanding of the culture of scripture prepares us fully for the true lectio divina. He compares spiritual reading and study to the “slow, patient, persevering growth” of a tree, the fruit of which is our lectio divina.²⁵ Hopefully, the fruit is healthy and nourishing. Let us understand, though, that the actual time of our lectio divina is not study, but lectio divina is definitely enhanced by what we know of God’s Word through spiritual writers and modern exegesis, and this forms a rich backdrop to our prayer.

Experiences of lectio Divina
“It feels like camping!”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, when we go camping, we can just sit and do nothing, and just enjoy.”
So spoke Alice,²⁶ one of the new members of the group, as she experienced for the first time a period of centering prayer followed by lectio divina. Alice was a “doer,” one of those ladies who serve their families and friends and their church communities so well, always the ones who volunteer to help – the ones who can get the job done. Where would we be without them? When Alice was invited to join the group, she hesitated as she learned that we practice quiet prayer, then we listen to scripture. It didn’t seem very productive to her. “Perhaps you would enjoy it,” we encouraged her. “Do something for yourself for a change.” Alice loved the quiet and the careful reflection on the scriptures. At this point in her life she needed to slow down and give attention to her interior life. She later brought to our meetings her equally busy and overworked husband, and he, too, loved the peace that he found in this prayer.
This peace, the quiet, the silence seems to be the first fruit for the people who
experience lectio divina, especially as it is practiced in the context of centering prayer. Our society has an addiction to busyness, and the frenetic pace wears and tears on the fabric of individual and family spiritual and psychological health. Cultivating interior silence is a necessary prelude to hearing God speak in the recesses of our minds and hearts and spirits. As Alice and Bill continued to experience the silence of prayer and reflection upon the scriptures, the inner wisdom that they had stored in their many years of married life and their raising of six children often came forth as lights of truth for the rest of us in the group, surprising even themselves as they heard what they were saying.
Benedict’s Rule speaks of being “free for lectio divina.” Nathan Mitchell makes the connection with the Latin “free for” as having
the same verb from which our English “vacation” derives. . . . So to practice lectio divina is to engage in an activity that is, at its deepest level, nonaction. Practicing lectio means learning how to “waste time” creatively, imaginatively. For the moments occupied by “holy reading” are not utilitarian; they constitute time as content rather than chronology. The holy leisure of lectio is, therefore, a kind keen attention – a supreme wakefulness or mindfulness. It is a time for stretching, for letting the heart lie fallow and receptive, for watching the corn grow or listening to the crows complain.²⁷
Perhaps what would be good for individuals who are tired of the constant busyness of our production-oriented and competitive culture is permission to take “camping” vacations. Vacations in which you didn’t have to do anything but “just enjoy” would be a novelty for many persons. Commonly, people say that they had to come back to work to rest up from their vacation.
Taking the time to quiet down, to listen to our inner selves, which is another way of listening to God, is a challenging and sometimes threatening undertaking for many persons. Consumed with false guilt and unresolved pain, there are many who do
not yet know truly that God is Love and that they are infinitely, and unconditionally, loved by God.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46.10).²⁸ This is a threat rather than an invitation to some who are afraid of God and of what God might ask of them.
Keeping busy is a way to avoid God and one’s inner life. Words, even words in prayer, busyness (our “to do” lists), all the media noise that we seem to cultivate are masks, or blocks to really listening to God. Centering prayer and prayer with scripture will often bring persons to face their feelings of low self-esteem, of loneliness and isolation, and
the angst or nameless anxiety that plague so many. If one is able to be faithful to the prayer, there is the experience of God’s unconditional love and of healing, the “divine therapy”²⁹ that brings one to wholeness and peace.
A few persons have come to the lectio divina group who just could not stand the quiet. They left after one or two visits and later encounters with them reveal a wistfulness and regret (somewhat unconscious) that they may have missed something. Others have learned to love the silence, and after several meetings they realize that the silence was remaining with them, that they were able to find time in their daily lives for quiet periods of reflection. One person commented that during the first few meetings with the group, the twenty minutes of centering prayer felt like an hour, and in later meetings the twenty minutes flew by.
One woman told the story that when she felt the need for silence and solitude as a respite from her busy life as a wife and mother, she began to take hermitage days at a nearby retreat center. One time she arrived exhausted and decided to take a nap. Out there, in the middle of this desert, someone was playing a radio! It was loud and annoying, keeping her from her sleep. Two hours later she awoke, and realized the radio had to have been all the noises in her own head.
“God’s first language is silence,”³⁰ says Keating, but many do not want to learn that language. Inner silence must be sought, and needs to be cultivated. First of all there has to be an awareness that there is great value in silence. Although many
spiritual writers have long expounded on this topic, the message seems to be lost for persons in our society, many of whom never turn off radios or televisions in their homes, and while they are out, have to be talking with someone on a cell phone. No wonder there is such inner noise in our heads, and that we seem to have lost the skills to listen to one another and to God.
How then, is the practice of lectio divina being rediscovered in our time? In the last twenty years or so, as there has been more attention given to scripture and encouragement to the laity to read scripture on their own, more persons have discovered an attraction to and gradual love for the Word. As they read and reflect on the scriptures, the Holy Spirit leads them to prayer and even to the self-forgetfulness of contemplation.
Many are unknowingly praying contemplatively with the scriptures. It may not be the structured way as outlined by Guigo II, but all the elements are present. It becomes a way of dwelling in the Word until one realizes that the Word dwells in them. Keating says “lectio divina develops spontaneously if we do not get stuck on one of the stages of the process like over-intellectualizing or the multiplication of aspirations. The heart of the prayer is to recognize the action of God and to consent to it.”³¹
The monastic way is the more natural way of lectio divina and is generally the
practice done in private or with groups who are more experienced with the “moments” of lectio divina. Keating has a good visualization of the four moments, seeing them as four points along the circumference of a circle, joined to each other in a horizontal and interrelated pattern as well as to the center, where the Spirit of God speaks to us through the text and in our hearts. To pay attention to any one of the four “moments” is to be in direct relationship to all the others. In this perspective, one may begin one’s prayer at any “moment” along the circle, as well as moving easily from one “moment” to another, according to the inspiration of the Spirit.³²
In his teaching of this monastic style on the video Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, ³³ Keating illustrates this circle as such:
Reading

Holy Spirit

Reflecting (Meditation)
Rest
(Contemplation)

Response (Affective Prayer)

This description of lectio divina can be a very freeing revelation. Some may recognize their own prayer style, and understand that rather than chastising themselves for not being more structured and purposeful, they are following the movement of the Holy Spirit.
This monastic way of lectio divina was the original practice and is the way for individual practice, says Keating. The scholastic practice of lectio divina as done in most groups, with the four steps proceeding in order from the reading to the contemplation, could better be “regarded as a kind of “Liturgy of Lectio Divina” or even better, as a kind of shared “Liturgy of the Word.” ³⁴

GROUP PRACTICE OF LECTIO DIVINA

For persons who are just beginning the practice of lectio divina, Keating and others believe that the scholastic method, the four parts done as steps, is a good way to learn, especially in a group. The scholastic method is the practice of the groups formed for this study, although they have been encouraged to pray in the monastic way for their private prayer.
The first lectio divina group was formed in September of 1999, and met twice a month for about two hours each meeting. The participants were asked for a year’s commitment to the group. Most were new to lectio divina and to centering prayer. In September of 2000, another small group was formed with the same intention to learn lectio divina in the context of centering prayer. Several of the members of the first group asked to continue with the second group, and everyone was asked for a year’s commitment from that time. At that point there were eighteen committed members in this second group.
Now the commitment time is over, and as the group wanted to continue, we hold the meetings weekly, and the members come when they are able. We have opened the group, and as new persons come, we give them brief instruction as to the method, and
then begin the prayer. The group members mentor the new ones as they come in.
We have also shared the facilitation of the group with the ones who have more experience.
At our meetings we start with twenty minutes of centering prayer (see Appendix IV). During the instruction for centering prayer, the group is encouraged to choose a sacred word to use during the centering prayer time, such as “Jesus,” or any other short word: love, faith, hope, peace, etc., that would help them to return to the stillness when they found themselves carried away by their thoughts.
We usually start by ringing a small Chinese bell three times (to recognize, or symbolize the Trinity). After our twenty minutes, the bell is rung again and the leader slowly recites the “Our Father.” This gives people a chance to gradually open their eyes and come out of the deep place where centering prayer usually takes them. We stand together, and do a meditative walk for about five minutes. We walk slowly, deliberately, in single file, being careful to keep the group together as we walk in a circle. The walk serves to stretch our limbs, and gives a feeling of community and of union with the others. One person commented that it felt like the communion line, all moving to receive Jesus. After returning to our places, we bow once to the others in the room to recognize the Christ in each. Then we sit, recollect ourselves for a couple of minutes, and then begin the lectio divina.
We pray a prayer to the Holy Spirit that our minds, hearts, and spirits be open and receptive. The leader reads the text for the first time (the lectio), and after some quiet reflection, we have a time of shared reflection or meditation (the meditatio). Any one who wants to may speak aloud a particular way that the text moves them. We benefit greatly from the insights of others, but we are aware that this is not a conversation or discussion. It is simply a quiet speaking of what the Holy Spirit seems to be revealing to them. What is said does not need a response or comment from anyone.
After a few minutes, the text is read for the second time, and the oratio, or prayer response, begins. This is the affective prayer of the heart. A few are led to pray their prayers aloud. Some are not comfortable with vocal prayer in a group and will hardly ever offer their prayer aloud. Once we were surprised and delighted at the prayer of a woman who had never before said anything at any time in the group. Her prayer was a beautiful prayer of the heart, arising spontaneously with great joy and love. She was obviously moved by the Holy Spirit.
We read the text a third time, and move into contemplative silence (the contemplatio). Here, we just rest, and we let the Word sink into our spirits. Over the months and years we have increased the time for this last part of contemplatio, as the capability of the group to sit longer increases. (See Appendix I for the process of lectio divina.)
Other models of shared lectio divina are described in the various literature listed under Resources at the end of the paper. A form of monastic lectio was prayed recently by a group who was experienced with the process. The scripture passage was read by three different persons with a short time in between each reading. The group was then invited to share their reflections (meditatio), or their prayer (oratio), or to just rest in contemplative silence. There developed a beautiful weaving of the four moments of lectio divina that Keating describes, and all were very full at the finish of the prayer. It seemed to the individuals in the group that they had been to the well of the Word, and their thirst was satisfied.
Let us look more closely at the four “moments of lectio divina.” In the lectio we are being “introduced” to the passage that is read, and to the Word who is present. We listen intently, hoping not to miss a thing about so important a Person. Even if we have read or heard this passage many times before, there is always something new that the Holy Spirit wants to show us, a deeper understanding, or a brand new insight. Often we have the experience that we had never before “heard” a particular word or words in a passage, even though that passage is quite familiar to us. The Word is resounding in us at a deeper level of our being. Thelma Hall comments truly that “It is my active faith in this Spirit, present in the word and in me, which when brought to the reading and hearing of scripture, ‘in-spires’ or ‘breathes into’ it the living reality of the Speaker.”³⁵
In the meditatio, the second moment, we go deeper in our relationship with the Word. Here, as we reflect, our spiritual eyes and ears open wider and we may see the scene as in the Ignatian way, or we hear the words in a new way. Often when members of the group spend too much time trying to figure out what a passage means, they are reminded to relax, and let the Holy Spirit do the work of enlightening us. Think about what this passage says to you, or what grace is being given to you. Then they are encouraged to do some study when they go home, some exegesis using a good commentary that will help them understand the context of the scripture passage and the intent of the author. The next time they pray with this passage there will, as was mentioned before, be a new richness in their prayer.
In private lectio divina, we should stay and pray with a passage as long as it seems that God has something to say to us through that particular word. This means that throughout our day, or week, we will “chew” on the word, will savor the word, and as we do, new insights and awareness will be given by the Holy Spirit which will lead again and again to oratio or even to contemplatio.
In oratio, we take the word from our intellect or mind into our heart. This is heart in “the biblical sense: not as the source of the emotions only, but as the core and focus of the whole personality at its deepest, that intimate sanctuary in which our eternity is at stake because here is where our ultimate decisions are woven and taken.”³⁶ Good reason for Jesus to caution us: “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Luke 12:34). If our heart finds that our treasure is the Word, the Living God, then we can trust that God will guide and sustain us in every moment of our lives. This awareness of God living in us will lead us in the oratio to praise and gratitude and to thanksgiving, no matter what our situation. We can petition in full trust that God hears us, knows us, and will carry us and all our concerns about ourselves and all others to his
very Heart. The most powerful prayer of intercession is to bring others into the Heart of God.
It is in the Heart of God that we rest in the contemplatio that is pure gift. An excellent description of contemplation is given by Thelma Hall:
Contemplation is variously described as a “resting” in God, or a “loving gaze” upon him, or a “knowing beyond knowing,” or a “rapt attention” to God. All such attempts at verbalizing the experience necessarily fail to express the reality, for the simple reason that contemplation transcends the thinking and reasoning of meditation, as well as the emotions and “feelings” of the affective faculties. It is basically a prayer and experience of pure faith.³⁷

WHAT IS CENTERING PRAYER?

Centering prayer has become such an important part of our lectio divina group meetings that I think it necessary to include a short description of the prayer.³⁸ Centering prayer is based on the spiritual doctrine of the Divine Indwelling. At the very center of our being, God dwells. We enter into the prayer ready to give complete attention to God, and we express our intention to allow God’s action within us. Centering prayer enables the “divine therapy” about which Abbot Thomas Keating writes and teaches so clearly. Much of the fruit of the prayer with scripture comes as a result of our learning to quiet our thoughts and give God permission to work in us during the period of centering prayer. Centering prayer then becomes a powerful way for the dismantling of the false self, and “our immature programs for happiness which can’t possibly work in adult life.”³⁹ The purifying work of God that is so necessary for growth in the spiritual life is able then to transform us, most often without our
knowing when and how. Others are often the first ones to notice the changes in us, the fruit that is the sign of our true self being freed.
During the period of centering prayer we let go of the flow of thoughts that would keep us at the surface level of our awareness. We allow the Spirit to carry our attention to the very center of our being where God dwells. Because God is beyond our thoughts, we do not try to think about what is happening, nor do we hold onto thoughts. We simply give our consent and we surrender to the presence and action of God within us.
Keating presents a wonderful image of thoughts being like the boats and debris on a river. This description has helped many to understand the environment of centering prayer.
Centering prayer as a discipline is designed to withdraw our attention from the ordinary flow of our thoughts. We tend to identify ourselves with that flow. But there is a deeper part of ourselves. This prayer opens our awareness to the spiritual level of our being. This level might be compared to a great river on which our memories, images, feelings, inner experiences, and the awareness of outward things are resting. Many people are so identified with the ordinary flow of their thoughts and feelings that they are not aware of the source from which these
mental objects are emerging. Like boats or debris floating along the surface of the river, our thoughts and feelings must be resting on something. They are resting on the inner stream of consciousness, which is our participation in God's being. That level is not immediately evident to ordinary consciousness. Since we are not in immediate contact with that level, we have to do something to develop our awareness of it . . . We need to refresh ourselves at this deep level every day.⁴⁰
The recommendation from Keating and others is that we practice two periods of centering prayer daily as this helps us maintain the “ reservoir of silence”⁴¹ and our awareness of God’s presence. The immediate benefit to the persons in the group are that it helps us come to silence and to quiet within, and we are better able then to listen to the Word when we begin our period of lectio divina. Centering prayer is also a way to prepare our minds and hearts to receive the gift of contemplation. We need to understand that centering prayer is not contemplation, although it can open us to receive the gift of contemplation. During the prayer we have no other purpose than to recognize God’s presence within and allow God to do what he wants with us.
The Jesus Prayer (see Appendix V) is a wonderful prayer that may also lead one into contemplation. For persons who practice verbal prayer and who have little experience with silent prayer, the Jesus Prayer is a good way to help them come to quiet. With this prayer they learn to pay attention to their breathing, to focus on the words of the prayer, and let go of other thoughts. In a group setting, the words of St. Simon (Appendix IV), read slowly by a facilitator, may help people enter into the Jesus Prayer. As they slow their breath, they continue to say the name, Jesus, with their breath, and they each find the rhythm that suits them.
The groups formed for this study were taught the Jesus Prayer to help them transition from verbal to less verbal prayer. We start by reciting the whole prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Gradually the prayer becomes simpler, until the words formed are usually “Jesus, mercy” or “Jesus.” As this prayer becomes part of our breath, we enter more and more into the silence.
The Jesus Prayer has it roots in a spiritual movement in the East known as “hesychasm.” It is known as the “prayer of the heart,” and as it is prayed over a period of time, it does seem to come from the heart, and we are made more aware of the presence of Jesus in our hearts. Some persons experience that this prayer is present to them throughout their days, and at times, waking in the night, they are aware of the prayer surely as though their hearts were praying. The prayer brings peace and the knowledge of God’s presence in all sorts of situations. It is the way to “pray constantly,” as the Pilgrim discovered. Often, persons who have prayed the Jesus Prayer for a period of time, choose the name of Jesus to say as their sacred word during their centering prayer time, as this is what seems most natural for them.

BENEFITS OF LECTIO DIVINA

The authors of Prayer and Temperament state that “lectio divina is a method of prayer that is suitable for the beginner and the spiritually advanced.” ⁴² They offer suggestions of particular ways to pray for persons with the four basic temperaments and sixteen personality types (based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). The section on lectio divina states that this prayer is suited to all temperaments, and is good for both extraverts and introverts. The four steps of lectio divina each appeals to one of the four basic psychological functions, the lectio to the senses, the meditatio to the intellect, the oratio calls forth one’s feeling function, and the contemplatio, one’s intuition.
In regard to these psychological functions, Father Ray Gunzel illustrates the benefit of the prayer of lectio divina as the moving through all the moments of reading, reflecting, responding, and rest that
serves as a process of integration of left and right brain, or rather serves to integrate the intellectual and volitional with the intuitive and affective. Thus lectio addresses one of the major spiritual difficulties of our time, namely the isolation of the intellect and will from our affective and intuitive life. Intellect devoid of intuition and affectivity becomes arid and brittle, excessively clinical and heedless of the softening human values of intuition and affection. On the other hand, intuition and affectivity isolated from cognition, intelligence, and the discipline of will tend to become narcissistic, sentimental and amorphous (an example: free floating “new ageism”). There is no grounding in objective reality and thus [the person] often lacks commitment and steadfastness.⁴³
These isolations of intellect and the affective life, or the separation of the two, were evident in several of the group members early on as they shared their reflections of the scripture text during our meetings. A few were so overly intellectual that their
impressions of the text seemed to have no relevance for their own lives, and their “sharings” seemed to be more in the mode of preaching to the rest of us. “What does it mean to you personally?” I would ask. After a few meetings, the individuals would usually be able to listen to their intuitive and affective functions. On the other hand, some persons would be so “overcome” by their feelings at the expense of any cognitive reflection, that their sharings would gush with how wonderful the experience felt. Gradually, these persons also became more adept at listening, at first to other members of the group who model very well the integration of mind and heart. Eventually, everyone in the group learned to give careful attention to the Word, and to listen and respond from the good mix of their psychological functions.
At first, I personally invited to the new group those I thought would appreciate the prayer. They seemed to be “ready” for a deeper experience. I was surprised and wrong about two or three persons whom I had invited. It was not structured enough for them, or, as I mentioned before, they were not ready for so much silence. Then, others heard about the group and asked to join. I had my doubts about some of them, and was wrong again about a couple of them. These grew into the prayer like new babies who can easily learn to swim. It seems that they had “been there” before. So I learned not to judge. Later, in forming the second group, I placed an announcement in the church bulletin, inviting anyone interested. So people come. Some come regularly and they appreciate the sacred space and sacred time. Others come occasionally. When their lives seem too busy, the lectio divina group seems to move to last place.

APPENDIX I

WAYS TO READ AND PRAY SCRIPTURE
LECTIO DIVINA -- DIVINE WORD


The following is a simple outline of the Lectio Divina, an approach to praying with Scripture. This particular format is known as the scholastic method, and is a good way to learn to pray with the scriptures, and it is also a good way to pray in groups, as there is a subtle structure. This holy reading of the scriptures has a long history in the Church, coming down to us from the Patristic period and monastic spirituality. It is a simple method that, when practiced faithfully, allows the Word of God to have a deep and rich impact on our lives.

1. Lectio - Slowly read the scripture passage. Read it aloud if you find this helpful.
2. Meditatio - Think, meditate, reflect: what do I see here and how does it relate to me today?
3. Oratio - Read the passage again. Pray and respond in your heart (talk to God about what you think this passage is saying to you).
4. Contemplatio - Read the passage again. In silence, allow the Word to go deeper into your spirit as you savor the presence of God and receive the transforming love of the Holy Spirit within you.

APPENDIX III

SOME GOSPEL PASSAGES FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER

Infancy narratives
Annunciation: Lk 1:26-38
Joseph's dream: Mt 1:18-25
Visitation: Lk 1:39-56
Journey to Bethlehem: Lk 2:1-5
Nativity: Lk 2:6-7
Visit of shepherds: Lk 2:8-20
Visit of Magi: Mt 2:1-12
Presentation: Lk 2:21-40
Flight to Egypt: Mt 2:13-18
Return to Nazareth: Mt 2:19-23
Finding in the Temple: Lk 2:41-52
Jesus' calling, teaching, ministry
Baptism of Jesus: Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-34
Temptation: Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13
Synagogue at Nazareth: Lk 4:13-30
Calling the disciples: Mt 4:18-22, 9:9-13; Mk 1:14-20, 2:13-15; Lk 5:1-11, 27-32; Jn 1:35-51
Wedding at Cana: Jn 2:1-11
Nicodemus: Jn 3:1-21
Samaritan woman at well: Jn 4:1-42
Zacchaeus: Lk 19:1-10
Cleansing the Temple: Mt 21:12-13; Mk 11:15-17; Lk 19:45-46; Jn 2:13-17
Calming the storm: Mt 8:23-27; Lk 8:22-25; Mk 4:35-41
Little children and Jesus: Mt 19:13-15; Mk 10:13-16; Lk 18:15-17
Sending out the disciples: Mt 10; Lk 9:1-6, 10:1-24
Loaves and fishes: Mt 14:13-21, 15:29-39; Mk 6:30-44, 8:1-13; Lk 9:10-17;
Jn 6:1-15
Jesus walks on water: Mt 14:22-33; Mk 6:45-56; Jn 6:16-21
Beatitudes: Mt 5:1-12; Lk 6:20-26
Parables: Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
"I Am" sayings of Jesus: Gospel of John
Healing the People
Man with leprosy: Mt 8:1-4; Mk 1:40-45; Lk 5:12-16
Centurion's servant: Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10; Jn 4: 46-54
Peter's mother-in-law: Mt 8:14-15; Mk 1:29-31; Lk 4:38-39
Paralytic: Mt 9:1-8; Mk 2:1-12; Lk 5:17-26
Jairus' daughter; woman with hemorrhage: Mt 9:18-26; Mk 5:21-43; Lk 8:40-56
Blind men: Mt 9:27-31, 20:29-34; Mk 10:46-52; Lk 18:35-43
Man with withered hand: Mk 3:1-6; Mt 12:9-14; Lk 6:6-11
Daughter of Canaanite woman: Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30
Epileptic boy: Mt 17:14-21; Mk 9:14-29; Lk 9:37-43
Gerasene demoniac: Mt 8:28-34; Mk 5:1-20; Lk 8:26-39
Deaf and dumb men: Mk 7:31-37; Mt 15:29-31
Blind Bartimaeus: Mk 10:46-52; Lk 18:35-43
Widow of Nain: Lk 7:11-17
Crippled woman: Lk 13:10-17
Ten lepers: Lk 17:11-19
Son of royal official: Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10; Jn 4:46-54
Invalid at pool of Siloam: Jn 5:1-15
Blind man at pool of Siloam: Jn 9:1-41
Lazarus: Jn 11:1-44
Preparation for Passion
Jesus foretells his passion: Mt 16:21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19; Mk 8:31-33, 9:30-32, 10:32-34; Lk 9:22, 9:43-45, 18:31-34
Transfiguration: Mt 17:1-13; Mk 9:2-13; Lk 9:28-36
Triumphal entry: Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-40; Jn 12:12-19
Jesus anointed by woman: Mt 26:6-13; Mk 14:1-9; Lk 7:36-50; Jn 12:1-8
Washing disciples' feet: Jn 13:1-17
Last Supper: Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-38
Passion
Garden of Gethsemane: Mt 26:36-46; Mk 14:32-42; Lk 22:39-46; Jn 18:1
Arrest: Mt 26:47-56; Mk 14:43-52; Lk 22:47-53; Jn 18:1-12
Before Pilate: Mt 27:11-26; Mk 15:1-15; Lk 23:1-25; Jn 18:28-40, 19:1-16
Peter's denial: Mt 26:69-75; Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:54-62; Jn 18:15-18, 25-27
Way of the Cross: Mt 27:27-44; Mk 15:16-32; Lk 23:26-43; Jn 19:17-27
Death and burial: Mt. 27:45-66; Mk 15:33-47; Lk 23:44-56; Jn 19:28-42
Resurrection
The empty tomb: Mt 28:1-7; Mk 16:1-11; Lk 24:1-12; Jn 20:1-18
Appearances to disciples: Mk 16:12-14; Lk 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-29, 21:1-14
Road to Emmaus: Lk 24:13-35
Peter Reinstated: Jn 21:15-19
Ascension: Mk 16:19; Lk 24:50-53

1. “Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s Presence and action within.” Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you with one that is especially suitable to you. Some examples: Lord, Jesus, Abba, Love, Joy, Peace, Mercy, Trust, Yes, Amen. Once a word is chosen, do not change it during the prayer period. A simple inward gaze may be more suitable for some than a sacred word.
   
2. “Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as a symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.” Whatever sitting position you choose, keep the back straight. Eyes are closed to let go of what is going on around us and within you.
   
3. “When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.” Thoughts include every perception, sense perceptions, feelings, images, memories, reflections, and commentaries and are a normal part of centering prayer. The only activity you initiate during the prayer is to return gently to the sacred word as you become aware that you are following a “thought.” The sacred word is not to be repeated over and over like a mantra, but used to gently bring you back to your intention to recognize and allow God’s Presence and action within you.
   
4. “At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes. This gives the psyche time to readjust to the external senses and enable you to bring the atmosphere of silence into daily life.”
   

• called prayer of the Name or prayer of the heart
  
• has roots in New Testament (blind Bartimaeus: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me” Mark 10:46)
  
• practice of early Christians
  
• emerged again in Eastern Church around 5th or 6th centuries with hermit monks of the desert in Greece; Greek missionaries took it to Slavonic countries where it flourished, particularly in Russia.
  
• now it is better known in the West because of book The Way of a Pilgrim by an anonymous Russian pilgrim, written around 1850.
  

WORKS CITED

Arico, Carl J. A Taste of Silence: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Centering Prayer. New York: Continuum, 1998.

Bouyer, Louis. Introduction to Spirituality. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1961.

Casey, Michael. Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina. Liguori: Triumph Books, 1995.

The Cloud of Unknowing. Ed. William Johnston. New York: Image Books, 1973.

Dysinger, Luke. Accepting the Embrace of God: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina (http://www.lectiodivina.org/ldDysinger.htm).

Gregory, In Ezech. II, 1 (PL 76, 949) qtd. in Mariano Magrassi, Praying the Bible: An Introduction to Lectio Divina. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998.

Guigo II. The Ladder of Monks and Twelve Meditations. New York: Doubleday, 1978.

Gunzel, Raymond J. Letter to the Author, February 15, 2002.

---. The Treasures of God: Unlocking Our Spiritual Heritage. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2002.

Hall, Thelma. Too Deep For Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina. New York: Paulist Press, 1988.

John of the Cross. The Sayings of Light and Love in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, Otilio Rodriguez. Washington: Institute of Carmelite Studies, ICS Publications, 1991.

Keating, Thomas. The Better Part: Stages of Contemplative Living. New York: Continuum, 2000

---. Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina Series #7. Butler, NJ: Contemplative Outreach, Ltd
.
---. The Classical Monastic Practice of Lectio Divina. (http://www.centeringprayer.com/lectio.htm, 1998.

---. Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit. New York: Lantern Books, 2000.

---. Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation. New York: Continuum, 1996.

---. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel. New York: Amity House, 1986.

A Monk of the New Clairvaux. Don’t You Belong to Me? Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1979.

Mitchell, Nathan. “Holy Reading,” Assembly, vol.26,4 . July, 2000.

New American Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Muto, Susan Annette. A Practical Guide To Spiritual Reading. Petersham: St Bede’s Publications, 1994.

Pennington, M. Basil. Lectio Divina: Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures. New York: Crossroad, 1998.

Stinissen, Wilfrid. Nourished By The Word: Reading the Bible Contemplatively. Liguori: Liguori Publications, 1999.

Teresa of Avila. The Way of Perfection, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila. Vol. 2. Washington: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1980.

Vatican Council II The Basic Sixteen Documents. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, ‘Dei Verbum’ 25. Ed. Austin Flannery. New York: Costello, 1996.

The Way of the Pilgrim. Trans. R.M. French. New York: Crossroad, 1965.

¹ John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, Otilio Rodriguez. (Washington, DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, ICS Publications, 1991) 97.

² Austin Flannery, ed., Vatican Council II The Basic Sixteen Documents. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, ‘Dei Verbum’ 25. (New York: Costello, 1996) 114.

³ The “false self” is defined by Contemplative Outreach, LTD, (see note 15) as “the self developed in our own image and likeness rather than in the likeness of God; the self-image developed to cope with the emotional trauma of early childhood, which seeks happiness in satisfying the instinctual needs of survival/security, affection/esteem and power/control, and which bases its self-worth on cultural or group identification.”

⁴ Carl Arico, A Taste of Silence: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Centering Prayer (New York: Continuum, 1999) 103.

⁵ Wilfrid Stinissen, Nourished By The Word: Reading the Bible Contemplatively, trans. Joseph B. Board (Liguori: Liguori, MO, 1999) 97.

⁶ Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (New York: Amity, 1986) 20.

⁷ Gregory, In Ezech. II, 1 (PL 76, 949) qtd. in Mariano Magrassi, Praying the Bible: An Introduction to Lectio Divina (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1998) 10.

⁸ Michael Casey, Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina (Liguori: Triumph, 1995) 4.

⁹ A Monk of the New Clairvaux, Don’t You Belong to Me? ( Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1979) 119-121.

¹⁰ Guigo II, The Ladder of Monks and Twelve Meditations, trans. Edmund Colledge and James Walsh (Garden City: Image Books, Doubleday, 1978) 82.

¹¹ Guigo II 83.

¹² Guigo II 87.

¹³ Guigo II 92.

¹⁴ Guigo II 93.

¹⁵ Contemplative Outreach is a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday life through the practice of Centering Prayer. See Appendix VI for the website.

¹⁶ Arico 104.

¹⁷ Arico 114.

¹⁸ Keating, Open Mind 20-21.

¹⁹ Keating, Open Mind 25.

²⁰ Arico 114.

²¹ Keating, Open Mind 23.

²² Susan Annette Muto, A Practical Guide to Spiritual Reading (Petersham, MA: St. Bede’s Publications, 1994).

²³ Louis Bouyer, Introduction to Spirituality (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1961) 50.

²⁴ Bouyer 51.

²⁵ Bouyer 52.

²⁶ The names of persons who are part of the lectio divina groups have been changed.

²⁷ Nathan Mitchell, “Holy Reading,” Assembly, vol.26,4 (July 2000) 25.

²⁸ New American Bible, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990). All scripture passages are from this version.

²⁹ Thomas Keating, Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation (New York: Continuum, 1996) 3.

³⁰ Keating, Open Mind 57.

³¹ Thomas Keating, The Better Part Stages of Contemplative Living (New York: Continuum, 2000) 41.

³² Thomas Keating, The Classical Monastic Practice of Lectio Divina (http://www.centeringprayer.com/lectio.htm, 1998) 2.

³³ Thomas Keating, Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, Lectio Divina Series #7 (Butler, NJ: Contemplative Outreach, Ltd).

³⁴ Keating, Classical Monastic Practice 4

³⁵ Thelma Hall. Too Deep For Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina (New York: Paulist Press, 1988) 36.

³⁶ Bouyer 54.

³⁷ Hall 9.

³⁸ For the guidelines to centering prayer, see Appendix IV.

³⁹ Keating, Invitation 84.

⁴⁰ Keating, Open Mind 34-35.

⁴¹ Keating, Open Mind 64.

⁴² Chester P. Michael and Marie C. Norrisey, Prayer and Temperament (Charlottesville: The Open Door, 1984) 31-33.

⁴³ Raymond J. Gunzel, letter to the author, 15 February 2002.

⁴⁴ Casey 21.

⁴⁵ Casey 16-17.

⁴⁶ Casey 17-18.

⁴⁷ Casey 18-20.

⁴⁸ Casey 22.

⁴⁹ Keating, Better Part 31.

⁵⁰ The Cloud of Unknowing, ed. William Johnston (New York: Image Books, 1973) 93.

⁵¹ M. Basil Pennington, Lectio Divina: Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures (New York: Crossroad, 1998) 5.

⁵² Pennington 5, 17.

⁵³ Raymond J. Gunzel, The Treasure of God: Unlocking Our Spiritual Heritage (Notre Dame, Ave Maria Press, 2002) 32.

⁵⁴ Pennington 7-8.

⁵⁵ Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. 2 (Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1980) 21,3

⁵⁶ Stinissen 42-43.

⁵⁷ Arico 149.

⁵⁸ Stinissen 43.

⁵⁹ Arico 150.

⁶⁰ Stinissen 45.

⁶¹ Arico 150.

⁶² Monk 115.

⁶³ Arico 173.

⁶⁴ Thomas Keating, Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit (New York: Lantern Books, 2000) 2.

⁶⁵ Keating, Fruits 50.

⁶⁶ Keating, Fruits 114-115.

⁶⁷ Keating, Fruits 73-74.