Lent 2013

Thursday, Fourth Week of Lent

You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.  Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.  John 5:39-40

Reading often means gathering information, acquiring new insight and knowledge and mastering a new field.  It can lead us to degrees, diplomas and certificates.  Spiritual reading, however, is different.  It means not simply reading about spiritual things but also reading about spiritual things in a spiritual way.  That requires a willingness not just to read but to be read, not just to master but to be mastered by words.  As long as we read that Bible simply to acquire knowledge, our reading does not help in our spiritual lives.  We can become very knowledgeable about spiritual matters without becoming truly spiritual people. 
     As we read spiritually about spiritual things, we open our hearts to God's voice.  Sometimes we must be willing to put down the book we are reading and just listen to what God is saying to us through its worlds.

Today, when you read from John 5, stop and listen occasionally for the messages that may be directed to you.  Check out the link below to learn more about spiritual reading through the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina