Sacred Reading

Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, is a structured way of reading the gospels that is practiced widely in religious communities and by some laypeople. Until now whenever I've considered it, it looked to much like reading Bible commentary and not like a devotion.

Everything changed for me with this book. It's designed with a gospel reading for every day of the liturgical year starting with Advent in 2015. The Introduction is short but helpful for understanding how to use the book and implement the practice. Each day begins with a short prayer. This is followed by the reading.

Instead of analyzing the text bit by bit with commentary every few words, the commentary covers the reading as a whole. This is followed by ideas for reflection.

For Christians wanting to add a daily reading of the Gospels to their lives, I highly recommend this book.

Ave Maria Press has prepared an easy-to-use, approachable, guide to daily prayer designed for anyone looking to add a bit of structure to their prayer life.

Each day begins with a guided invitation to settle into prayer, followed by a Gospel passage. After the Gospel, the authors provide a very short reflection, along with questions for the reader to pray and or think about. Each day's passage ends with a short written prayer.

The structured format will appeal to those looking for a guide that provides consistency each day. Readers seeking something more free-flowing will appreciate the questions/thoughts to pray and ponder. The prayers and questions are written simply, in modern language (no "thees" and "thous") which I think will resonate with most readers today.

While it's called The 2016 Guide, the book actually begins with the first Sunday of Advent (the start of the new church year) which is November 29, 2015.

Thank you to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been pursuing a better understanding of Lectio Divina. This ancient spiritual practice seems simple but yet complex and hard to begin. I love Sacred Reading because it takes you by the hand and walks you through the process. The steps are 1) Knowing that God is present, 2) Read the Gospel reading for the day, 3) Notice what you think or feel, 4) Pray as you are led, 5) Listen to Jesus, and 6) Ask God to show you how to live today. Starting with Advent 2015, the beginning of the Catholic Church year, the gospel readings are included for each day following the church year calendar. The Saints for each day are included as well.

The Apostleship of Prayer is an international Jesuit prayer ministry. They have a popular website Apostleshipof Prayer.org. Their organization has put together this different type of prayer book. Just as important as the content is what is not written within the pages, your prayers, thoughts and hopes. What we bring to the book, the more we can reap from the instruction in Lectio Divina. I truly believe that after using this book for a year, I will have evolved in my knowledge and practice of this ancient prayer practice. The other benefit is helping the reader tap into the life of the Church and the liturgical seasons.

I definitely recommend this book to you. I am looking forward to rereading and using Sacred Reading in my prayer life in the next church year. This book has helped me to grow closer to God’s word and enriched my prayer life and relationship of faith. If you ready to go beyond basic bible study and are ready to pray with the bible, then this book is for you. Living the bible and incorporating God’s word into your daily life is within reach using these pages as teacher and guide.