"The soul ought to listen to God more than speak to Him — and it does this by reading the holy Scriptures with great attention and with a heart disposed to receive what God wills to give."
— St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life
Begin with Today's Reading ↓Lectio Divina — sacred reading — is a method of prayerful engagement with Scripture that the Church has practiced since the Desert Fathers of the third century. It was given its classic four-movement structure by the Carthusian monk Guigo II in the twelfth century and has been recommended by popes, councils, and spiritual directors ever since.
It is not a technique for extracting information from a text. It is a way of allowing God to speak through His Word — slowly, personally, and transformatively. The goal is not understanding alone but encounter: a meeting with the living Christ who speaks through Scripture.
The Church has already chosen a Scripture passage for you today. Begin your Lectio Divina with the Gospel from this morning's Mass.
Move through each stage at your own pace. There is no hurry. God is not in a hurry.
A daily examination of conscience in five movements, taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Best prayed at day's end — fifteen minutes that can transform a life.
The Examen is not primarily about cataloguing sins. It is a prayer of awareness — of learning to notice where God was present in your day and where you turned away. St. Ignatius considered it the most important of all the spiritual exercises and asked that even those who had given up other forms of prayer not abandon it. It is the daily practice of finding God in all things.
"It is not the one who has many talents but the one who gives himself with great love who is most pleasing to God." — St. Ignatius of Loyola