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Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina (​“divine, or sacred, reading”) is the name given to a spiritual tradition among Christians over the last two thousand years, in which they attentively and pray​erfully read the word of God.

Although there is an element of study in “Lectio Divina”, it is not the same as Bible study, or exegesis, where one seeks to interpret the sacred text through analysis, and with the help of the work of scripture scholars.

In Lectio Divina we seek not to master or grasp the sacred text, but rather through it, prayerfully and silently, to come into the presence of God. We seek to be humbly a​ttentive to God’s Holy Word, to savour it, and to let it enter into our heart as much as our heads, so that it may transform us.

One approach to Lectio Divina is simply to move systematically though a book of the Bible, but it never involves worrying about “covering” a certain quantity of text: what matters more is the quality of our humble attentiveness. We choose a small portion of the sacred text, and reflect prayerfully upon it.

Lectio Divina is not intended to increase our intellectual knowledge of the Bible (though it also has that effect); instead, it is intended to draw us closer to God, and to transform our attitudes and behaviour.

September 3, 2021: After 20 years of leading monthly Lectio Divina evenings from September through June (during his time in both Edmonton and Toronto), Cardinal Collins will not be moving forward with a new season in the fall of 2021. We express our appreciation to His Eminence for his commitment and dedication in leading Lectio Divina over the past two decades as this prayerful meditation has been a tremendous support for parishioners throughout the archdiocese and beyond. We also extend our gratitude to the staff of St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica and Salt + Light Media for their faithful assistance in supporting Lectio Divina over so many years.

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