The translation must have all the books of Scriptures. The document Dei Verbum stresses the rule that for a biblical statement to be understood, it must be read in the light of the whole of revelation. This is also one way of saying that a biblical word or phrase cannot be understood apart from the whole of the Scriptures. The idea behind the phrase "all books of Scriptures" is understood differently by Catholics and non-Catholics. While both Catholics and non-Catholics use the same number of New Testament books, their Bibles have two different lists for the books of the Old Testament. Non-Catholics use the list of OT books as found in the Hebrew bible; Catholics use a list based on that of the Greek Septuagint -- a list, may I add, that is older than that of the Hebrew and was already current during the time of the apostles. Whether Catholic or non-Catholic, the reader must seriously take the fact that the whole of Scriptures means both the books of the Old and the New Testaments. Rule 2. Decide on a Time and Place and Stick to it. Routine is necessary for receiving the fruits of lectio divina. It is like working out in the gym or studying to have good grades: a routine helps one to make lectio divina a habit, one's "second nature". As in any human activity, time and place is important. As a rule, the lectio must be made within thirty minutes at least; this period of time would allow the practitioner to have enough time for the slow reading, meditation, and prayer that the lectio requires. What is the best time for the lectio? I would suggest either the early morning or in the evening just before bedtime, but never when one is in a hurry or is too tired. Further, the place where the lectio is done must be conducive for prayer, since the lectio is prayer. The practitioner should make it a point to stick to his/her schedule once it has been decided on.
