Lectio Divina Workshop

1. Lectio DivinaWorkshop Rev. Randy Soto, SThD Archdiocese of Saint Louis Lay Formation Program 2013

2. I. The Human Word and Communication Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Act 8). “Do you understand what you are reading?” Same as then, we too need someone to explain to us the Sacred Text which contains God’s Revelation to his People.

3. A. Three functions of the Word

4. B. The three worlds of the Word

5. C. What is the Official Teaching of the Catholic Church on the Bible? 1. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum of Vatican II, 1965. 2. The Reading of the Bible in the Church, CDF, 1993. 3. Post-Synodal Exhortation Verbum Domini by Pope Benedict XVI, 2010.

6. II. The Bible The word ta Biblia, is the neuter plural of the Greek root to biblion which means “book." It follows, that the Bible is a collection of books and not just one book. In the Catholic Church it is also called: Sacra Pagina, Pagina Coelestis, Sacred Books, The Scriptures, The Sacred Text, Divine Revelation, or The Holy Text. It is also common to name the Bible by one of the parts in which it is divided: Old Testament and/ or New Testament.

7. III. Divine RevelationIn His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (see Eph. 1:9) (DV 2).

8. What does God reveal to us? His Identity and his Plan for Salvation of all mankind. 2. How does God reveal? Through Words (dicta) and deeds (facta). 3. How was Revelation transmitted? By means of the Apostolic Tradition. 4. Who is the Authentic Interpreter of the Bible? By Christ explicit will, the Magisterium of the Church.

9. 5. Who is the Author of Sacred Scriptures?God through the Hagiographers. 6. How were the Sacred Books put into writing?Papyri, Parchment and Scrolls

10. Leningrad Codex, 10th century A.D.

11. Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1947 Fragment of Daniel in Hebrew

12. Physical Map of Israel

13. Political Map of Israel

14. Qumram Caves

15. Isaiah’s Scroll of Qumram

16. Manuscripts of the NTPapyrus of the s II, belongs to the Gospel according to Saint John

17. Codex Vaticanus 4th Century

18. Codex Sinaiticus Complete text of the NT y de los LXX

20. Ugaritic Text

21. One common source in two different modes of transmission:Tradition and Sacred Scripture are intimately united and imbricated. For they spring forth from the same source, in a way we can say they merge and tend to the same goal

22. Saint Jerome, Patron Saintde los Biblical Scholars

23. 6 Where was the Bible written? Along the regions of the Mediterranean Sea

24. 7. When was the Bible written? It began to be written about three thousands years ago. The OT from 1800-50 BC; and the NT around 55-100 AD. There is no dogma about this dates. 8. In which Languages was the Bible written? Aramaic, Hebrew y Greek

25. IV. Inspiration Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself (DV 11)

26. What is Inspiration? how does it work? Inspiration is the Charisma by which the sacred authors (Hagiographers) wrote down what God wanted to Reveal to us. • Under his special care the Holy Spirit guides the hagiographer in his writings (1Corintios 2:13), in such a way that what they write down is considered as the Authentic Word of God.

27. V. Inspiration and Canonicity: Canonicity of Sacred Scripture.

28. VI. Inspiration and the Truth of the Scripture Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. Therefore "all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Greek text) (DV 11).

29. 1er. Criterion of Totality: The truth is found in entire Bible 2do. Criterion of Progression: Divine Revelation has always been given in a progressively and steady way. 3er. Criterion of Incarnation: God became man. 4to. Criterion of Catholicity: Read the Bible in and with the whole Church Universal 5to. Criterion of Salvation: The Truth is for our salvation 6to. Criterion Distinction between Authenticity & Canonicity • All the books of the Bible are canonical, but not all of them are authentic, some were written by Pseudoepigraphy, and others through Amanuenses or secretaries. • 7mo. Criterion : Distinction between Integrity e Historicity • 8vo. Criterion: Distinction between History y Literary Genre, that is: content and form. • 9no. Criterion of Text, Context and Pretext • 10mo. Criterion of Comprehension of a more holistic approach to Revelation and Inspiration.

30. VII. Inspiration and the Book of the Bible Papyri & Codexes Unctiales del 0T y NT. Greek Versions Latin versions or translations Syrian versions Spanish version Critical Editions • BibleWorks9, (service@bibleworks.com). • Accordance 9 (oaktree@accordancebible.com). • ISA 2.1.5 (www.scripture4all.org). • Biblia Clerus (http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerus/index_esp.html) • E-sword(http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html) & (http://esword-espanol.blogspot.com/).

31. Critical Editions of ABS

32. VII. Bible Timeline

37. IX. Christ is the center of all Scripture • After God spoke long agoin various portionsand in various waysto our ancestorsthrough the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son,whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world (Heb 1:1-2) • X. Jesus sends the 12 to preach the Word (Mt 28:20) • He climbed a mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together. He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word(Mar 3:13-14). • XI. Mary, Mother of the Word Incarnate is a model for any disciple for she put into practice God’s Word.

38. XII. Lectio Divina What is Lectio Divina? Lectio Divina is a devout and prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture. It can be done by an individual or by a group of faithful people. This inspired reading can only be done under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who moves our beings into attentive reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. Lectio Divina is done in three steps: Pray-Read-Pray. And we read in five movements: lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio, et actio.

39. 1. First step is to pray calling the Holy Spirit . [Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you] Lc 11:9 2. The second step is to read, in five movements, according to the Schema given by Pope Benedict XVI in Verbum Domini 87: A. First movement: Lectio Scripturae[Seek by reading] B. Second movement: Meditatio[Find by meditating] C. Third movement : Oratio [Knock by praying] D. Fourth movement :Contemplatio [God will open to you] E. Fifth movement : Actio [Enter joyfully to cooperate His grace] 3. Thirdstepistopraybygivingthanksto God