LECTIO DIVINA ASSIDUITY CONSTANCY In addition to fidelity another virtue requisite to lectio divina is assiduity. This virtue is one of perserverance and constancy. Fr. Casey points out four important aspects to this virtue. First, is making time. Unless you appoint a specific time for lectio divina each day odds are you will never find time serendipitously. Prioritizing your daily activities by inserting a specific and sufficient amount of time assigned to lectio divina will be a great help to ensure that you fulfill this exercise. Second, regularity in our observance helps to establish the habit which in the end allows us to bear more fruit with our use of that time through custom. Third, repition by re-reading parts of books or verses helps us to grasp something new in the text that we might have missed before. Fourth, perserverence is a form of dedication that helps us get through aridity, the dry spells in spiritual reading. Reverence is another virtue besides fidelity and assiduity. "It is this humilty that is the key to unlocking the depths of revelation" (27). Fr. Casey points out five important aspects to this virtue. First, "It is appropriate for the teacher to speak and teach; the disciple is to be silent and listen." (RB 6.6). Reverence helps us to pay attention to the text and to listen to our spiritual guide. Second, reverent attitudes in ritual with lectio divina are useful to keep the spirit alive. Reverencing the book by a kiss, use of a special ribbon or bookmark, candles, flowers, icons, prayerful posture and the like help keep the spirit of reverence afresh during lectio divina. Third, reverence for the Word of God causes us to take the text seriously, avoiding prejudgment. Reverence spurs us on to arrive at an expert opinion of the meaning of the text. Fourth, reverence brings us to cherish the Word of God and to ponder it in our hearts. Recollecting our lectio divina text during the day usually brings new insights and dialogue with the text and extends our practice beyond the assigned time. Fifth, reverence helps us to put the teaching of the text into practice. Facta non verba (deeds not words) is the ancient Latin saying that addresses our human weakness about our good intentions: "actions speak louder than words." Michael Casey, Sacred Reading. The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina. (Liguori, MO : Liguori/Triumph, 1996). 151 p.; ISBN : 0-89243-891-6. Michael Casey is a Cistercian monk and prior of Tarrawarra Abbey, Victoria, Australia. * * * ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005