Lectio Divina: The Practice of Praying Scripture
Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” and is a practice of slowly meditating upon, praying, and being formed by God’s word. Dating as far back as the Desert Fathers of the 4th century in Egypt, this method of engaging scripture was further developed by Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine order, in the 6th century and became central to monastic tradition.
Visio Divina: encountering God through images
Spiritual directors call meditating on a picture “Visio Divina.” Applied to a Bible passage, it’s an imaginative and refreshing form of Scripture meditation that helps us to enter into the narrative of Scripture and bring ourselves to Jesus. It’s similar to Lectio Divina, but instead of quietly listening to God through words we use a picture.