Lectio divina
by ENZO BIANCHI
Scripture asks that we put into practice what we have read if we truly want to understand it, and it is in a community enviroment
“The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us (...) to live” (Titus 2:11-12). This New Testament passage speaks of Christ as grace personified who teaches humanity to live. If the Spirit is the great instructor in Christian life, Scripture, a sacrament of the will and the Word of God, can be seen as the element that transmits the Spirit’s teaching. Certainly, this refers to Scripture interpreted in the Holy Spirit, Scripture read in a spirit of prayer. Lectio divina, which finds its roots in the Jewish tradition of Bible reading and the patristic hermeneutic legacy, is the art of making the transition from a Biblical text to our life. Because it helps us make this transition, lectio divina is a precious tool that can help us bridge the gulf we often observe in our churches between faith and life, spirituality and daily existence. It is an existential hermeneutic of Scripture that leads us, first, to turn our gaze toward Christ and search for him through the Biblical page, and then to place our own existence in dialogue with the revealed presence of Christ and find our daily life illuminated, filled with new light.