What is lectio divina?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2708, “Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.” The five steps of lectio divina include:

• Reading. Read a passage slowly and carefully within the bible.
• Meditation. Thinking deeply or dwelling upon a spiritual reality within a text.
• Prayer. Having a loving encounter with God by seeking to understand God’s character and word.
• Contemplation. Resting in God’s presence.
• Action. Go and do likewise.

From Sunday, May 10, 2026, we have the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Here is a summary of the Gospel, which will help doing Lectio Divina, following the above steps.

Gospel Reading – John 14: 15-21. These verses lead us to the holy place where Jesus celebrates the last supper with his disciples. We too are invited to sit at table with Jesus preparing ourselves to enter with Him into his Passion and Resurrection. After the passage of 13: 1-30, which tells us of the actions, words and feelings of Jesus and of those with him during the Paschal in 13: 31 we hear the words of the great last discourse of Jesus, which ends with the prayer of chapter 17. In 14: 1-14 Jesus presented and offered himself as the way to the Father, whereas in these few verses he introduces the promise to send the Holy Spirit, as Consoler, as presence, and also the promise of the coming of the Father and of himself through faith.