Christians can now reconnect with the Bible using a resource based on an ancient Scripture reading method – Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina, Latin for ‘spiritual reading’, follows a four-step approach - reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.
The resource was released by Bible Society to encourage Christians to reconnect with God through the Bible’s life-changing message.
Available as a free download from Bible Society’s website, the booklet takes the reader through Mark’s Gospel week by week for a whole year. It puts Bible verses in the context they were written and, to help the reader understand. Lectio Divina also encourages personal and prayerful reflection on the passage.
The series starts on 30 November and is available in 13 languages.
Already, it has been welcomed by leading theologians. Archbishop Vincent Nichols said it would allow Christians to become ‘ever more centred on the life-changing Word of God’.
Michael Pfundner, Bible Society’s Bible and Church Development Officer said, "With its emphasis on quiet and intense contemplation, the Lectio Divina will give people a new encounter with God in the midst of everyday life, with its joys and challenges.
"We hope it will radically alter people’s experience of God – a God who wants to meet us where we are. Making this available free from our website is part of our mission to help the Church engage with the Bible’s life-changing message in a meaningful and practical way."
The Lectio Divina method dates back to the fourth century, and the early Church fathers. Rooted in the Catholic Church, the four steps were first recorded by a monk, Guigo Cartujo, in 1173.
The booklet is available free as a download from www.biblesociety.org.uk/lectio
