– Daily reading of the Bible (please click here and on the page click “Readings” to find them).

– The Gospel. Luke 24. Isaiah 53.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church. nn° 50-141.

– “Dei Verbum”, Council Vatican II.

– “Verbum Domini”, Pope Benedict XVI.

– “Scripture in the tradition”, Henri de Lubac.

– “History and the Spirit”, Henri de Lubac.

– “The theology of History in St. Bonaventure”, Joseph Ratzinger, Franciscan Herald, 1989.

– “Covenant and Communion, The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI”, Scott W. Hahn, 2009.

– “The Fathers of the Church in Christian Theology”, Michel Fedou.

– “Prophecy and Inspiration: A Commentary on the Summa Theologica II-II, questions 171-178”, Paul Synave & Pierre Benoît, 1961.

– “Aspects of Biblical Inspiration”, Pierre Benoît, 1965.

– “The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount”, Saint Augustine.

– “Saint Augustine’s Homilies on the First letter of John”.

– “Essential Expositions of the Psalms by Saint Augustine” Selected and Introduced by Michael Cameron.

– “Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends” by Carmen Joy Imes.

– “St. Augustin: Exposition on the Book of Psalms”, Philip Schaff

– “Lectio Divina at the School of Mary”, Jean Khoury (Amazon US; Amazon UK). This is the complete book. The following books are parts taken from this book.

– “Lectio Divina”, Jean Khoury CTS London (on Kindle as well)

– “Lectio Divina, Mary and the Spirit”, Jean Khoury (on Kindle)

– “Lectio Divina and daily life”, Jean Khoury (on Kindle)

– A short video presentation on Lectio Divina

– Join Jean Khoury on Lectio Twitter: @LectioDivinaUk

Advices in the Bible for the Practise Lectio Divina

– “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them” (Mt 5:1-2) “he began to teach them many things” (Mk 6:34) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” (Mt 13:55) “The crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ” (Mt 7:28-29)

– “As for what was sown on the Good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (Mt 13:23)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word […] has passed from death to life.” (Jn 5:24)

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1Th 2:13)

To love Jesus-God is to put into practice his words

– “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:15-17)

– “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (Jn 14:21)

– “If a man loves me, he will keep my word” (Jn 14:23)

– “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (Jn 15:10)

– “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.” (Mt 22:37)

– We are invited to love God, i.e. to put into practise his words “with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind”.

– “Not every one who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21) He who doesn’t put in practise Jesus’ word and do things (even spiritual things) according to his own will, doesn’t know God and God doesn’t know him: “On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'” (Mt 7:22-23)

– “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Mt 7:24-25)

– “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:50)

– “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5)

– “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Lk 1:45)

– “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68)

– “The words that I have spoken to you are [Holy] Spirit and [Divine] life.” (Jn 6:63)

[Who can put the word of God into practise?] “‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'” (Mt 19:25-26)

– “Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.” (1 Sam 3:9)

– “Is not my word like fire, says the LORD” (Jer 23:29)

– “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”(Hebrews 4:12-13)

– “Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice [Word] echoes in his depths.” (Gaudium et spes, 16)

– “He [Christ] is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church.” (Vatican II, SC7)

– “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” (James 1:22-24)

– “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.” (Ps 50:6)

– “Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.” (Jn 17:17)

– “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn 8:31-32)

– “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jn 15:14-15)

– “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (Jn 14:26)

– “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the Truth” (Jn 16:13)

– “the sword of the Spirit, […] the word of God” (Eph 6:17)

Pope Benedict XVI on Lectio Divina

“a new spiritual springtime”

“The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, whose drafting I personally witnessed as a young theologian, taking part in the lively discussions that went with it, begins with a deeply meaningful sentence: “Dei Verbum religiose audiens et fidenter proclamans, Sacrosancta Synodus…” [“Hearing the Word of God with reverence, and proclaiming it with faith, the Sacred Synod…”] (n. 1). With these words the Council points out a descriptive aspect of the Church: she is a community that listens to and proclaims the Word of God. The Church does not live on herself but on the Gospel, and in the Gospel always and ever anew finds the directions for her journey. This is a point that every Christian must understand and apply to himself or herself: only those who first listen to the Word can become preachers of it.

Indeed, they must not teach their own wisdom but the wisdom of God, which often appears to be foolishness in the eyes of the world (cf. I Cor 1: 23). The Church knows well that Christ lives in the Sacred Scriptures. For this very reason – as the Constitution stresses – she has always venerated the divine Scriptures in the same way as she venerates the Body of the Lord (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 21). In view of this, St Jerome, cited by the conciliar Document, said that ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 25).

The Church and the Word of God are inseparably linked. The Church lives on the Word of God and the Word of God echoes through the Church, in her teaching and throughout her life (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 8). The Apostle Peter, therefore, reminds us that no prophecy contained in Scripture can be subjected to a personal interpretation. “Prophecy has never been put forward by man’s willing it. It is rather that men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God’s influence” (II Pt 1: 20).

We are grateful to God that in recent times, and thanks to the impact made by the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, the fundamental importance of the Word of God has been deeply re-evaluated. From this has derived a renewal of the Church’s life, especially in her preaching, catechesis, theology and spirituality, and even in the ecumenical process. The Church must be constantly renewed and rejuvenated and the Word of God, which never ages and is never depleted, is a privileged means to achieve this goal. Indeed, it is the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, which always guides us to the whole truth (cf. Jn 16: 13).

In this context, I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of Lectio divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 25). If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church – I am convinced of it – a new spiritual springtime. As a strong point of biblical ministry, Lectio divina should therefore be increasingly encouraged, also through the use of new methods, carefully thought through and in step with the times. It should never be forgotten that the Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (cf. Ps 119[118]: 105).

In invoking God’s Blessing upon your work, your projects and the Congress in which you are taking part, I join in the hope that enlivens you: May the Word of the Lord make progress (cf. II Thes 3: 1) to the very ends of the earth, so that through the proclamation of salvation the whole world through hearing it may believe, through belief it may hope, and through hope it may come to love (cf. Dei Verbum, n. 1). I thank you with all my heart!”

(Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the participants in the international congress organized to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation “DEI VERBUM”, 16 September 2005.)