Lectio Divina in the Catechism of the Catholic Church Part IV

To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality..." (2706)

In this phrase the Catechism draws from the Patristic tradition that regards Scriptures as a mirror of life. According to this view, the Scriptures aid us in discerning the meaning of the events in our lives. They are similar to a code that allows us to decipher the "riddle" of our existence. (In a previous article, we pointed out that when the Lord explained the Scriptures to the disciples on the way to Emmaus, he was actually shedding light on the "riddle" of Good Friday!) Hence the Catechism adds:

...To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: "Lord what do you want me to do?" (2706)

Thus, by meditating with the aid of the Scriptures, the one who prays passes on "to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him." (2708)

To summarize... We have just gone through five paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church dealing with Scriptures and prayer. It should now be clear.

(a) that one's reading of Scriptures must become a prayerful dialogue;
(b) that a prayerful reading of the Scriptures must lead to "the surpassing knowledge of Christ," and
(c) that a meditative reading of the Scriptures must lead the reader to a better grasp of one's reality before God, man, and the world.

Additional Notes:

1. A sample of a way by which Scriptures is read "as a mirror" can be found here.

2. Peter Kreeft points out two ways of appropriating the text of Scriptures (in the sense of CCC, par. 2706 indicated above), namely, the Ignatian and the Augustinian:

There are two ways to connecting the historical and the spiritual senses. The Jesuit method, from St. Ignatius' "Spiritual Exercises," tells us to imaginatively place ourselves into the Gospel stories. The older Augustinian method tells us to look for elements of the story in our lives.

The complete text is to be found at this URL: http://www.catholiceducation.org/religio...

The Catechism seems to allow both traditions in par. 2705-2708.

3. The editions of the Catholic Catechism I used for this article are

English: Catechism of the

Go To Page: 1 2 3