Sacred Reading and Spiritual Direction
She opens our session in a gentle time of lectio divina, sacred reading. As she leads us in prayer, I exhale and briefly wonder which passage of Scripture she has chosen for me to engage with this month.
As I hear the familiar words of Psalm 23, I feel emotion bubbling inside as tears start to emerge. The Lord is my shepherd. He will lead me and I need not want. I don’t have to worry about the next thing – the very hard things – that Nicholas and I face, because God is my shepherd.
As we move through the words, I feel like God whispers them into my soul. I can feast at God’s table, even in the midst of my enemies, even with [Name] and [Name] there. Even them.
I am God’s beloved. He’s restoring me, ushering in the kingdom of heaven even here and now – I don’t have to wait.
Lord, you’re my shepherd. I need not want.
How do you feel about incorporating a time of lectio divina in your spiritual-direction sessions, while on either side of the table? When I’m on the receiving end, these moments of soaking in the Scripture feed me deeply. The particular passage that my director chooses always seems to speak to me right where I’m at. As one whose personal bent is more towards the affective and contemplative traditions, and as one who processes things internally, I especially value these encounters with God. Not everyone will, of course.
You’re probably familiar with this way of praying with the Scriptures. As I outline in 7 Ways to Pray, lectio has been around for centuries, when the monks would choose a passage from the Bible to ponder each day. Monasteries were known as “communities of mumblers” because they would speak out the Scripture under their breath as they went about their daily activities.
The practice helps us to digest the Scriptures in a deeper way than if we breeze through our reading. It’s traditionally a four-step process of reading, reflecting, responding, and resting. You could take your directee through this four-step process, if they agree, or you can take a more informal approach, as my director does with me. She simply reads through the passage once, then chooses words from it to highlight.
For example, here is how you could start to engage with Psalm 23:
The Lord is my shepherd.
I lack nothing.
I lack nothing; the Lord’s my shepherd.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
Beside quiet waters, he leads me.
He refreshes my sou.
The Lord is my shepherd.
Nothing I lack.
Green pastures he makes me lie in.
Quiet waters.
He refreshes my soul.
The Lord is my shepherd.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
He guides me.
Along the right paths
He guides.
The Lord is my shepherd.
May God continue to shepherd you through your journey with spiritual direction, including engaging prayerfully with the Bible.
How do you feel about incorporating lectio divina into your spiritual direction sessions, both as a spiritual director and as a directee? What are your expectations and reservations, if any?
How can the role of a spiritual director be seen as a form of shepherding, guiding individuals along their spiritual paths?
Reflect on Psalm 23, the passage mentioned in the reflection. What does this passage mean to you personally? How does it speak to your own journey and challenges?
Amy Boucher Pye
Amy Boucher Pye is a writer, speaker, and spiritual director. Her book 7 Ways to Pray (Form, 2021) has loads of prayer practice ideas. She loves to lead retreats, including at Penhurst Retreat Centre in East Sussex, Lee Abbey in Devon, and El Palmeral in Spain. Find her at amyboucherpye.com and on social media at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; you can also sign up for her monthly newsletter, which includes a prayer practice.