The Ancients and the Cows

Whenever I watch the cows chewing their cud, I think of the way the Lectio Divina  invites us to chew on the Word.  The Lectio Divina is an ancient monastic spiritual practice which enables us in reading the Word as well as in praying.  There are four basic movements within this spiritual discipline.  The first is reading the Word.  It does not call for reading big chunks of Scripture, but reading slowly and allowing a verse, or a few words, or even a single one to take root in our soul.  The second part is the cow part which is reflecting on the Word or Words which have called to our spirit.  I am convinced that rumination is just another word for contemplation.     

While the first two movements with the Lectio Divina are Scripture centered, the final two are centered in prayer.  The third part involves responding to the Word which has been digested, or received with spontaneous prayer.  And, the fourth part is for some the hardest part in that it is a call to rest in God's presence.  The resting may seem unnecessary to our hurried spirits, but it is the part which enables us to listen and to hear what it is that God might be saying to us through the Word which He has put in our heart.    

To be honest is to acknowledge that such a prayer discipline requires more than the few minutes many of us are prepared to invest in prayer.  Another thing to be considered is the way such praying might take us out of our regular patterns of reading the Word and praying.  And finally, it is important to lay aside any expectations of spiritual benefits which might come through this discipline of prayer for -Lectio Divina is not about spiritual benefits, but experiencing the presence of God.