Lectio Divina the Sacred Art: Transforming Words & Images Into Heart-Centered Prayer

by Christine Valters Paintner

Nurture your inner monk and surrender to the natural grace and rhythm of your heart's deepest longings.

"The whole world is, in fact, a text of sacred revelation. All experience has the potential to be revelatory, and God is singing one unending song seducing each of our hearts. So the call is to listen, to attune to the words God utters in the world."
--from the Afterword

Break open this ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply for God's voice in sacred texts. Drawing on her own experience as a monk in the world, Christine Valters Paintner introduces the foundations for a practice of lectio divina. She closely examines each of the four movements of lectio divina as well as the rhythm they create when practiced as a process. She then invites you to expand your practice beyond traditional sacred texts to a sacred reading of the world through image, sound, nature and life experience.

Whether you want to start a contemplative prayer practice or deepen your experience of lectio divina in new ways, you are invited to savor the gifts lectio divina has to offer your heart and spirit.

Genres: Spirituality, Prayer, Religion, Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

240 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2011

About the author

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD is the online Abbess at AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery and global community. She is the author of over 20 books on contemplative practice and creative expression including three collections of poetry. She lives in Galway, Ireland where she leads online retreats with her husband John. Christine is a Benedictine oblate, living out her commitment as a monk in the world.

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

This introduction to an ancient prayer practice felt like an article stretched into a book. There was much repetition. Maybe my familiarity with this practice caused me to be more sensitive to simple points that were over explained and repeatedly presented.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very practical guide the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina or divine reading. She takes each part step by step and makes clear how to slowly get into this ancient contemplative practice. I found the book very helpful.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extended look at Lectio that I found very useful. The author provided some interesting alternate ideas for focus of lectio practice. And she made some very good points about the practice not needing to be "perfect."

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I was led to read this book right now, at this point in my life, because of my anxiety about our conflicted world. In any event I needed its message and it has further inspired me to continue my journey into spiritual mindfulness and contemplative meditation to escape the chaos and chatter that fills our world right now. I am fortunate that I’m now retired and have the presence of mind to devote to this journey. I highly recommend this book if you are in that place now too. Also, for those that understand, it is not preachy or judgmental – just what I needed.

Favorite passages from this book:

“The great secret to interior peace is humility. It is well known that one of the sources of anguish and anxiety is to test the difference between who one pretends to be and one who really is. To be as you are, adding nothing, taking nothing away, pretending no longer, accepting your earthiness, strengths and weaknesses.”

“Daily we hear people utter all kinds of certainties about who God is,. When we enter the profound experience of unknowing we speak with much more humility about what we do and do not know about God’s nature. It is not an easy path but one that requires us to release our illusions of control and our idols of God, most of us do not even embark on the journey until life events confront us with the truth.”

“We gain wisdom from the moments of life that challenge and stretch us. Wisdom is about the way we live our ordinary lives. We are given responsibility for making choices and often have to act without complete certainty. Stability, obedience, and conversion all call us to a path of wisdom, which is about growing in spiritual maturity.”

[Skylar Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a practical, straightforward guide to practicing lectio divinia not only using Scripture, but also art, poetry, music, film, and motion. It was a good source of ideas for additional reading as well, and it provided some spiritual insights. Like many non-fiction works of its kind, however, it could have easily been condensed to a work of half the length without losing any essentials. There’s a lot of summarizing and repetition.

Notes and quotes:

“In classical theology, the contemplative journey is divided into three states: purgation, illumination, and union. The first stage of purgation is a desert experience of being stripped of all one’s comforts and securities, of all of the false hopes and visions we have for our lives. It is a purging of the ego or the false self. It is emptying ourselves of illusion. This moves us toward greater freedom. We realize that the things we cling to so tightly are not important….The desert is where God meets us as we embrace our most vulnerable selves and we realize that nothing is certain in this human existence.”

1. Lectio - reading
2. Meditatio - meditation
3. Oratio – prayer
4. Contemplatio – "a long, loving look a the real"

Kataphatic prayer – path of images vs. Apophatic prayer – path of unknowing
Chronos – linear time vs. Kairos – qualative time – God’s time

“It’s all a matter of what you are listening for.”

“Listen with the ear of your heart.”

Inspiration – Latin – to breathe in

In the Middle Ages they read aloud to hear the “voices of the pages.”

Monkey mind – distraction during meditation

“My place of importance to God is never at risk…My shortcomings won’t change God’s commitment to me.”

[Joel Cuthbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of a "book club" of sorts with a crew from my spiritual community. It is, at turns a bit "Christian-y" in a way that can cause the language to be muddlesome at points, but its earnest attempts to weave a more openness to the revelatory nature of our surroundings is profoundly good work. For those not familiar, its work is to bring one into more intentional awareness of the ways in which there might be nuggets of divine insight, wisdom and work in simple passages of scripture, poetry or any text, really. It then blossoms into passages of contemplation around sound/music and nature as well.

Honestly, the book was fine, but the journey with some really delightful others was the best. I'm not sure what capacity you participate in sacred community, dear reader, but finding some others to share in a bit of that journey is such a gift. Specifically, the ways in which a differing perspective, personal challenges, and insight can really bolster your own. The things that "didn't work" for some, and the ways in which each individual reflected and responded to the week's prompts were really special. My heart continues to grow in affection for these kind-hearted fellow pilgrims on the road to embracing the possibility of something infinite.

[Tanja Nayak · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might read a spiritual passage, or poem and find it inspiring, but Paintner teaches you how to get the most out of the experience. Everyone is rushing too and fro nowadays, but Paintner teaches you how to slow down, become centered, and really focus on the words in a meditative way.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because she included some very thoughtfully chosen and lovely extracts from spiritual literature, as well as how to read them. My copy is really dog-eared because I have marked passages I want to read time and again. Spiritual literature should connect with not only with your mind, but your heart, and soul too. Sometimes you might even find God guiding you to read a particular passage, or give you new insight into it.

The book is much more than just a practical guide about the origins of Lectio Divina, but really a spiritual "how to." It explains the steps in Lectio Divina in a clear way.

We all know God intuitively. If "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," then we really also ought to learn how to "tune in" and pay attention to words. We might just learn something about God in the process.

I would recommend any book by Christine Valters Painter.

I think the following passage sums it all up in a nutshell:

"Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue is better than gold." - Proverbs

[Neil Saltmarsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this is a highly imaginative book as to what constitutes lectio divina. While I think like that any spiritual traditions can contribute to our understanding of spirituality, I am more conservative as I find that scripture is the most nourishing bread for my soul. So this aside demonstrates my bemusement that other spiritual traditions outside of Christianity were highlighted in areas. The instructions for Lectio Divina were as traditionally taught and written about elsewhere. While I liked this book I have found others to be more helpful to me.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible intro to lectio divina with plenty of practice exercises to try.

The focus is mostly on Christian texts with a few nods to popular quotations from some of the most famous world religions. Paintner is not as interfaith as I originally thought--she does not include pagan, polytheist, or animist sources in her works.

[Kerith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent the summer with this book and it was worth every minute. I really appreciate Skylight Paths' Sacred Art series - I can highly recommend the ones on writing and discernment. They are keepers and so is this one!

[Nicholas Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice and encouraging


I feel good to read this so much insight found here. I recommend this book to everyone who are thirsty of God abundance life

[Knightgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this very helpful and instructive - a book I will come back to again & again I think.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid practice-oriented book introducing the many ways of practicing Lectio Divina.

[debbie-anne Hogarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with some encouraging ideas in how to develop your spiritual life, although as a Christian I wouldn't recommend all the ideas suggested in this book.

[Bonnie Westmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful resource for entering into contemplative prayer and lectio. This book is full of ideas to deepen your spiritual prayer practice and draw closer to God.

[Rei · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and practical guide to praying Lectio Divina. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to grow in praying with Scripture.

[Roger Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lection Divina is an ancient practice of contemplation with words and Images, that become a silent prayer. Christine Valters Painter the author, takes either the novice or the master to new levels of understanding this world as sacred text. As an evangelical Christian I have felt the demand for the quanity of spiritual intake. How many times will I read the Bible in the coming year and how many hours will I pray. Painter, demonstrated that quality not quanity is what the disciple must shoot for. This an excellant book for any disciple of Christ seeking to intensify his conection to Christ.
My criticism of the author is simple, syncriticism. I buy into the old view that all truth is God's truth, what I do not agree with is later in the book a constant use of Yogi and other eastern philosophy as my guide. I have only one Lord and Savior Jesus.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to the art of sacred reading. The author also goes into how the practice can be used with other items.

[Catherine Casey]

A really excellent work on all aspects of Lectio Divina. One to ponder again