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Bishop's Schedule
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January 26
St. Paul's Cathedral
Installation and Reception of
The Very Rev. Justin Lindstrom
Oklahoma City
January 27
St. Luke's
Idabel
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Save the Date
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April 15 - 16
Retired Clergy and Spouses Retreat
St. Crispin's
April 26 -28, 2013
Altered (formerly Vocare)
St. Crispin's
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Upcoming Diocese Events
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To register or for more inforamtion please go onto the Dicoesan Web Site below or call the local congregation:
February 2-3
New Beginnings
St. Crispin's
February 7
Safeguarding God's People
Train the Trainer
Diocesan Offices
10 - 4
February 26
Safeguarding God's Children
Diocesan Offices
10 - 12:30
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Companion Diocese Uruguay
Holy God, source of healing and of peace, bless with your grace the companion dioceses of Oklahoma and Uruguay. Through our partnership one with another may we grow in mutual affection and communion, seek a more profound experience of truth, build up the Church in unity and give glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
New Web site:
http://uruguay.anglican.org/
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The Next Issue of this Newsletter will be on Friday,
February 1, 2013.
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We Are Epiok.org
January 25, 2013
Issue 4
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 News, Events, and Offerings |
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Diocese Welcomes Interim at All Saints', Miami
We are pleased to announce that The Rev. Ally Perry as Interim at All Saints', Miami. Ally began this past Sunday, just in time to be a part of the Parish Meeting!
Raised in Alexandria,VA, she attended Franconia College in New Hampshire and Yale Divinity School. She has an MBA from Graduate Theological Foundation.
Ally is married to Lowry Perry, a professional Lighting designer for film and video. Her 4 grandchildren live in Edmond,Ok. Her hobbies include the study of Modern Hebrew and giving large dinner parties.
She has been serving ten years in the Diocese of Dallas and previously served 13 years in the Diocese of Iowa. In both of these cures she was able to assist the churches in building their first permanent church buildings. |
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The 26th Annual Knippa Interfaith Ecumenical Lecture Series
The Rev. Peter W. Marty
Author and Senior Pastor,
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa
"The Limits of Tolerance" Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 7 p.m. An informal reception will follow in Knippa Hall Grace Lutheran Church 2331 East 5th Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma 918-592-2999 Parking Shuttle Service Available from Educare Center and Kendall Whittier Elementary School at 5th Pl. and S. Atlanta Ave. ______________________ In recognition of the distinguished ministry of the Rev. Dr. Clarence W. Knippa, an endowment fund for a lecture series was established on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of his ordination. The purpose of the Knippa Interfaith/Ecumenical Lecture Series is to foster and promote understanding, respect, and appreciation for the religious and ethical traditions and concerns of others.
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UCO to Host Suicide Prevention Summit
On Saturday February 16th UCO will be hosting a suicide prevention summit. This free event is open to the UCO community and the larger Edmond/OKC community. Two session times will be offered: 9:30-11:30 and another session at 1:30-3:30. Community members will first meet in Pegasus Theater for welcoming remarks and an overview of the summit. From there a number of small breakout sessions will be available for participants to attend.
These breakout sessions include:
* Parent Talk: A place for parents to gain support and learn ways to talk with their own children about suicide.
* Teacher Talk: A place for public and private school teachers to gather and gain support in addressing their needs in meeting the increase in youth suicide.
* Faith Talk: A place for concerned community members to go and visit with a panel of local faith leaders on suicide and faith/religious questions. This very supportive environment will include compassionate leaders from various faith traditions.
* QPR (Question Persuade Refer): Learn ways to talk with and help someone thinking about suicide. This is for participants 18 years and older.
* HELP for Teens: Parents/guardians may bring and drop their teenagers off at this preventative and supportive learning experience for adolescents and teenagers. This is an all teen group (sorry no adult on lookers) facilitated by trained/certified staff. Youth will learn ways to recognize and get help for peer youth contemplating suicide.
* GLBTQ: Participants will gain support and learn ways to reach out to the GLBTQ youth community.
This summit represents one of many suicide prevention efforts initiated by the Edmond Suicide Prevention Task Force, UCO and other community partners. Please contact Ken Elliott at 974-2387 or kelliott@uco.edu for detailed questions regarding the summit.
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Celebrate Summer Camp in the Middle of Winter!
Sing camp songs - make camp crafts - participate in a youth led Eucharist - share lunch with your friends.
February 3, St. John's, Tulsa, 10 a.m.
February 10, St. John's, Norman, 10:30 a.m.
Wear your favorite camp t-shirt!
Please RSVP to stcrispinsdirector@gmail.com so we may have sufficient food for lunch.
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Centennial Celebration - Holdenville
 St. Paul's Episcopal Church is having a Centennial Celebration on February 9th and 10th to celebrate our founding in Holdenville in February, 1913. We are reaching out to invite all our former parishioners and clergy families now located around the state to come to our Centennial Celebration beginning Saturday, February 9th, at 6:30 p.m. with a spaghetti dinner. During the evening, we will have time to recall St. Paul's journey through its 100 years of service to the people of Holdenville. Sunday morning, Bishop Ed will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. We will have another feast following the service for all those in attendance. Please call Beverly Rodgers, (405) 308-2284 for further information. If you are unable to attend, we would love for you to email us a story or memory you recall about an event at St. Paul's. Send your emails to brjd54@yahoo.com. Come join the celebration as we begin our next 100 years!!
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Pre-Valentine Dinner
Come join St. Luke's, Tulsa, at their
Pre-Valentine Mexican Dinner
on Saturday, February 9, 2013, from 5 - 9 p.m.
Come and learn the Art of Salsa Dancing.
A Love Offering of at least $5 would be appreciated
to defray cost.
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Bell Lecture in Episcopal Studies
The Rita and William H. Bell Distinguished Lectureship in Anglican and Episcopal Studies presents
Resisting Affinities: The Visual Arts and the Church of England since the Reformation
Dr. Clare Haynes, The University of Edinburgh,
Rita and William H. Bell Visiting Processor in Anglican and Episcopal Studies
February 7, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Tyrell Hall Auditorium
The University of Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
For more information, contact the Department of Philosophy and Religion, 918 631 2279.
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Become an ECF Fellow
Since 1964, the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) http://www.episcopalfoundation.org/ has provided financial support to emerging scholars and ministry leaders - both lay and clergy - throughout the Episcopal Church.
Through its Fellowship Partners Program, ECF helps these individuals share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with the wider Church in practical ways.
The application process for the 2013 Fellowships is now open. Here are three points to consider in making a decision to apply:
* ECF is deeply committed to strengthening the leadership capability of the Episcopal Church. Applicants to the academic and ministry tracks are asked to describe their commitment to developing the next generation of leaders for the Episcopal Church, whether this is in the context of a seminary, a local congregation, through a church-wide network, or in another context.
* An ECF Fellowship provides both financial support and networking opportunities. ECF has typically awarded three to four Fellowships per year. New awards range up to $15,000 for the first year and are renewable for an additional two years. In addition to this financial support, new Fellows join a wide network of past Fellows and are empowered to share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with the wider Church.
* The application requires a significant commitment of time and effort and is due on March 15, 2013. The selection process for an ECF Fellowship is highly competitive and a strong application requires a significant investment of time and effort. We encourage all applicants to begin this process early.
The Fellowship Partners Program is one of the most exciting ways that ECF supports innovative scholars and ministry leaders throughout the Episcopal Church. Please email Miguel Escobar mescobar@episcopalfoundation.org or Brendon Hunter bhunter@episcopalfoundation.org if you have any questions about the ECF Fellowship Partners Program.
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Mind, Body, and Spirit in the 2nd Half of Life II
We're doing it again. The Diocese of Oklahoma and the Senior Ministries Committee is offering a great opportunity to gather with your friends to learn about issues specifically tailored for those in the 2nd Half of Life. The date is April 4, 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and will be held at Church of the Resurrection Episcopal Church, 13112 North Rockwell, OKC. Program will include: Plenary Panel Session "Getting It All Together: The Messy Paperwork of Life." The Rev. Michael A. Jasper, Rector at Church of the Resurrection and Shirley Cox, Legal Services Developer, OK Department of Human Services will share their knowledge and the session will be mediated by The Rev. John Belzer. Four workshops will be offered, of which you may choose two: Laughter Yoga, Driving Safely and Safety, Scripture, Aging, and Lectio Divina, and Being a Grandparent in Today's Society. For Registration forms Click here . If you have questions now, contact Sabrina Evans, sevans@epiok.org, or call 405 232 4820.
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Summer Camper Registration Forms Now On-Line
Yes, everything you need to register for Summer Camp 2013 is now on-line. Camp sessions are as follows: May 31 - June 1 ABC (overnight camp for children who have finished Kindergarten through 2nd grade) and a parent/guardian. This gives the child and parent a taste of the camp experience. Campers stay in cabins with other campers, swim, make crafts, and play like big campers! June 2 - 8 Sr. High (10th - 12th graders)
June 9 - 15 8th and 9th graders
June 16 - 22 3rd - 5th graders
June 23 - 29 6th and 7th graders
June 30 - July 6 8th and 9th graders
July 7 - 13 3rd - 5th graders
July 14 - 20 6th and 7th graders
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St. Mary's Episcopal School Pen Pal Ministry
When Bishop Gilbertao Porcal, Bishop Suffragan of Uruguay was visiting, Father Mark brought him to visit St. Mary's School. Since that time we have become pen pals with St. Michael's school in Salto. We received letters from them in English & Spanish. Our Spanish teacher, Margaret Massar, made this a special project with her students, second grade through seventh graders to write back in English and Spanish. They enclosed a flag, and we too are sending them a flag from our state. We are mailing them off today with notes also from me (unfortunately not in Spanish) and Senora Massar to the principal/head of the school Mrs. Irene Perez Jones.Father Mark blessed their work last week in chapel, and we are excited to send it their way.
Nancy Hetherington
Head of School
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Save the Date for Interfaith Youth Tour 2013
Interfaith Youth Tour 2013 will be Sunday, September 22, from 1 - 5 p.m. The group will visit three different houses of worship in the OKC metro area.
A special Adult Interfaith Tour is being offered March 3.
You can register now for the Adult tour or get more information regarding the Youth tour at www.okchurches.org.
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Congregational Development Officer Kicks Off New Blog
Kevin Martin, Diocesan Congregational Development Officer, has started a new blog. Why? "As a leader who has had the privilege of teaching other leaders, I like to point out three areas for growth and awareness: personality, style, and skills. You can read about this in my new blog Kevin on Congregations at www.kevinoncong.blogspot.com."
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Whole Creation Community - Climb the Mountain of Faith
The following meditation written by Steven Charleston was posted the week of January 13, 2012 on the Whole Creation Community Facebook page. Please continue to join Whole Creation Community in daily devotion http://stpaulsokc.org/whole-creation.
My family has always had a close connection to the Dine' People, the Navajo. During all that time we have come to respect the Four Sacred Mountains that mark the holy geography of their nation. You can find those points on the map as Mount Taylor, San Francisco Peaks, Blanca Peak and La Plata. They are the blue, yellow, white, and black colors that emerged at creation. They are harmony embodied. Mountains are witnesses to the Blessing Way. Steven
Focus Story
At convention this year, a resolution was passed that supports the goals and mandate adopted by the General Convention of reducing the carbon footprint of ECUSA through environmental stewardship. It directly supports the fifth Mark of Mission that our Convention adopted in Indianapolis.
The resolution encourages each parish or mission to develop a plan that fosters change. By sharing action plans, local communities learn from one another and build a common resource bank to continue growing together in environmental stewardship.
The Diocese of Oklahoma already has a network to help bring support and resources for planning to the local level, and to assist in sharing information throughout Oklahoma: the Whole Creation Community (WCC). Parishes and missions are encouraged to call on the WCC to help them conduct a self-assessment and draft an effective action plan.
The first step is to create a Green Team. Recently St. Paul's Cathedral formed the St. Paul's Cathedral Green Team (SPCGT). Our first meeting was held in January 2013. It was decided at our first meeting that we will keep the name "Green Team" because it describes what we are trying to accomplish. Our mission is to foster a healthy environment for all of God's creation by serving in an advisory capacity and facilitating the implementation of environmentally sustainable activities.
Forming a Green Team
GreenFaith http://greenfaith.org/ suggests a Green Team is a critical first step; green teams help keep your congregation's environmental efforts strong, focused and continually moving forward. For tips about creating a strong Green Team, see the guidelines for building an effective green team. I have listed the tips below.
Tip #1 Identify diverse, motivated and influential members to be part of your green team;
Tip #2 Share the work;
Tip #3 Meet regularly;
Tip #4 Go for quick wins, publicity, and then planning. In other words, start with small projects that can be attained quickly and share your success with the congregation and community. This will help jump start your momentum.
Please share your plans for forming a green team. If your congregation already has an active team, please share your experience. Please send your responses to Ferrella March at Ferrella@hotmail.com.
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Raising a Child with ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know
A free five-session overview of ADHD for parents raising children with ADHD will be held in the Deaconess Medical Building North, 5701 North Portland, just north of Deaconess Hospital. They are offered by Central Oklahoma CHADD, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. Each session starts at 7 and is over at 8:30 p.m.
February 11 How ADHD is diagnosed, treated, and the role of medication March 11 Managing ADHD at Home, Parenting that Works April 8 Helping Your Child at School May 13 Other Conditions and Other Treatments for ADHD June 10 ADHD in Adolescence and Looking at Your Child's Future
Questions, call Lois Pokorny 728-0832. |
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Make My Mission - St. Crispin's - 2013 Mission Camp
 Mission Camp is looking for a few good young men to help serve as leader's at this year's event. We will be at St. Crispin's starting Sunday, March 17 - Tuesday, March 19. Lots of projects to make St. Crispin's a better place for all. College students who are interested in serving as staff, please contact me at sevans@epiok.org.
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New Beginnings Registration Close on Monday
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New Beginnings is a series of talks given by youth and adults, films, tapes, small group discussions, and activities. These presentations focus on such subjects as self, friends, parents, siblings, school, God's love, prayer, the Church, and "Who is Jesus?" In addition, there is time for fun, creating, and sharing. Participants not only learn and grow but have a wonderful time. Clergy are present to assist with Spiritual Direction.
The Rector for NB#39 is John Tygret.
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Episcopal Men's Retreat
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The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
Men's Retreat
St. Crispin's Conference Center
May 2-4, 2013
Thursday Supper-Saturday Lunch
The Right Reverend Dr. Edward Konieczny
Retreat Chaplain
2 nights/6 meals
$135 double $170 single
Click here for Registration form
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Episcopal Church Women Sponsors Women's Retreat
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February 22 - 23
God Bless the Work of our Hands:
an Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality
St. Crispin's Camp and Conference Center
Facilitator: The Rev. Debora L. Jennings
Click here for Registration Form.
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 Safeguarding God's Children
Diocesan Offices
10 a.m.
email sevans@epiok.org to register.
February 26, 2013
Diocesan Offices
10 a.m.
email sevans@epiok.org to register.
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Safeguarding God's People - Train the Trainer Event
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We will offer our first training session for trainers on February 7, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. here at the Diocesan Offices. If you are interested in becoming a trainer, please contact Sabrina Evans (sevans@epiok.org) or call 405 232 4820.
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Oklahoma Episcopal Youth Events
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Important Dates for Youth - Diocese of OK
Mission Camp - March 17-19, 2013. NOTE CHANGE OF DATES!
Make our Mission - St. Crispin's! Several changes are being made to this year's mission camp. (1) It will be held at St. Crispin's; (2) It will be Sunday - Tuesday; (3) It will be open for 6th - 12th graders; (4) You will be one of the first groups to use the new ropes course! Mike and Joanne Roberts will direct us to meaningful work projects to help make the place we all love so much that much better! Registration forms can be found here!
Province VII Mission Week in Dallas - July 8 - 13. Arriving on Monday, Mission Service will be Tuesday - Friday, with a closing service on Friday night. Mission service can be with children, the elderly, in food (food bank, soup kitchen, etc.) or the environment.Then, Saturday morning - 6 Flags! Back to OK Saturday night. More information coming soon.
Happening - 10th - 12th graders - August 2 - 4, All Souls' Episcopal Church, OKC.
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Christian Formation Resources |
More About the New EfM Texts
The new EfM curriculum to be int  roduced in September 2013 retains the current pattern of 36 meetings over a nine-month period, as well as the four-year course of readings in the Christian tradition. An EfM Reading and Reflection Guide will outline the group's work for the year, providing a suggested format for each meeting with reflection and focus questions for both individual and group responses. The year is divided into five six-week units, along with two interlude sessions during which all year levels read and respond to a common text.
* Sharing and listening to spiritual autobiographies
* Thinking theologically
* Interlude
* Developing a sustaining spirituality
* Integrating belief and behavior
* Interlude
* Vocation: hearing and responding to God's call
Each of the four Reading and Reflection Guides (Volumes A-D) will provide a theme to be explored through the year: ministry in your context, ministry in a global context, Christian maturity, and the journey into God. As with the Common Lessons in the current curriculum, the reading and reflection guides are offered in a cycle so that the work of the group as a community centers on the theme of the reading and reflection guide, even as individual group members are studying different topics according to their year levels in the course.
The EfM Reading and Reflection Guide
* Volume A: Living Faithfully in Your World
The guide for 2013-2014 centers on the theme of ministry in a particular context.
Readings in the Christian Tradition Those who enroll in the program begin their readings in the Christian tradition with the Hebrew Bible in Year One and read in the following sequence. Learners in years One and Two also read the Bible alongside their survey texts.
* Year One: The Hebrew Bible
A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible by John J.Collins (Fortress Press, 2007)
* Year Two: The New Testament
Introducing the New Testament by Mark Allan Powell (Baker Academic, 2009)
* Year Three: Church History
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch (Penguin Books, 2009)
* Year Four: Theology, Ethics, and Interfaith Encounters
Theology for a Troubled Believer: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Diogenes Allen (Westminster John Knox, 2010)
The Christian Moral Life: Practices of Piety by Timothy F. Sedgwick (Seabury Books, 2008) My Neighbor's Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation by Jennifer Howe Peace, Or N. Rose, and Gregory Mobley (Orbis Books, 2012) Interlude Books
Interlude readings vary according to the theme set by the Reading and Reflection Guide. For 2013-2014 the interlude books consider how we understand the authority of the Bible and how we understand the collaborative nature of lay and ordained ministry.
And God Spoke by Christopher Bryan (Cowley Publications, 2002)
Living on the Border of the Holy: Renewing the Priesthood of All by L. William Countryman (Morehouse Publishing, 1999) |
Resource Ideas for Lent
Have you visited Pinterest? If not, it might become your next favorite web site!
http://pinterest.com/revmaryhawes/lent-holy-week-and-easter/ will take you to various Lent/Holy week and Easter ideas.
Wild Goose Publications offers several books that might work in your congregations for Lent:
Eggs and Ashes Practical & liturgical resources for Lent and Holy Week Ruth Burgess & Chris Polhill
The hunger for modern, relevant resources for the Christian seasons and celebrations is deep. Here is a book that will help to fill this need. Suitable for group worship or personal reflection, and with material for Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week, it is a collection to accompany readers through Lent and Easter for many years.
Stages on the Way Worship Resources for Lent, Holy Week and Easter Wild Goose Worship Group
Traces Jesus' road to the cross through Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Its prime purpose is to resource worship that enables people to sense the hope, apprehension and joy of Easter as felt by Jesus' friends. The range and diversity offers a unique source of elements for lay and clergy worship planners and enablers.
Lent and Easter Readings from Iona Neil Paynter
Lent is traditionally a time of repentance and penitence but it also allows us to see the world afresh, with a new sense of wonder. The readings in this book encourage us not only to regard ourselves with a healthy realism, so that we can accept responsibility for our shortcomings, but also recognize the nature and purposes of God and the never-ending renewal of possibility, both within ourselves and in the world.
Opening and Closing Responses for Sundays in Lent (Digital download) Worship resources Ruth Burgess
Digital download: Responses for cycles A, B and C for five Sundays of Lent, taken from the book Eggs and Ashes by Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill.
Shrove Tuesday (Digital download) Worship resources
Ruth Burgess & Judith Jessop
Digital download: Worship resources taken from the book Eggs and Ashes by Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill. Contents:
A short liturgy for Shrove Tuesday; This is an egg (reading); The desert waits (prayer).
Ash Wednesday (Digital download) Worship resources
Various
Digital download: Worship resources for Ash Wednesday taken from the book Eggs and Ashes by Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill.
Lent Discipline: Weeks 1-6 (Digital download) Chris Polhill & Various
Digital download: Making your lifestyle count: a Lent programme for Christians who care about the environment. Taken from the book Eggs and Ashes by Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill.
For information these offerings from Wild Goose, go to: http://www.ionabooks.com/
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Resource Ideas Candlemas
February 2nd is Candlemas (The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple) when we recall Simeon and Anna's meeting with the infant Jesus in the Temple. It marks the end of the Christmas season. For more information and ideas, go to: http://www.going4growth.org.uk/index.php/growth_through_the_year/candlemas/ |
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Edelman to Speak at OCU
 Civil rights activist and longtime children's advocate Marian Wright Edelman will give a free speech at Oklahoma City University. Edelman is the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund. She will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Wellness and Activity Center at OCU. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. A graduate of Yale Law School, she was the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar and Served as the director for law and education at Harvard University.
Ms. Edelman has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. Under her leadership, CDF has become the nation's strongest voice for children and families. The Children's Defense Fund's Leave No Child BehindŽ mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
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New Resources
Holy Baptism - A Guide to this Celebration of New Life - DVD and Discussion Guide - by Pastor John K. Stendahl (Lutheran Church of the Newtons - ELCA) and Father Thomas J. Scirghi, SJ (Associate Professor of Theology at Fordham University. Video is a total of 60 minutes with 16 question sessions. Book titled My Baptism Book is a collections of prayers, psalms, and Bible stories and is a perfect give for a child being baptized, could be utilized as opening or closing thoughts to your class.
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Walter Brueggemann to Speak in Norman
The Oklahoma Institute for Bible Literacy is sponsoring respected  author and world-renowned theologian Walter Brueggemann to Norman. Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary and is one of the leading interpreters of the Hebrew Bible and is the author of numerous books. He will be at hosted at First Christian Church, 2200 S. Webster, Norman, on Friday, April 19, 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. For additional information about costs and registering, click here.
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How to Practice Lectio Divina
A step-by-step guide to praying the Bible  Lectio divina is a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures. Time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm, we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. Very often our concerns, our relationships, our hopes and aspirations, naturally intertwine with our meditations on the Scriptures. We can attend "with the ear of our hearts" to our own memories, listening for God's presence in the events of our lives. We experience Christ reaching out to us through our own memories. Our own personal story becomes salvation history. How to Practice Lectio Divina
Choose a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the eucharistic liturgy for the day (find the readings here); others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of "covering" a certain amount of text. The amount of text covered is in God's hands, not yours.
Place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians focus for a few moments on their breathing; others have a beloved "prayer word" or "prayer phrase" they gently recite.. For some, the practice known as "centering prayer" makes a good, brief introduction to lectio divina. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments. Turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." Do not expect lightning or ecstasies. In lectio divina, God is teaching us to listen to him, to seek him in silence. He does not reach out and grab us; rather, he gently invites us ever more deeply into his presence. Take the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories, and ideas. Do not be afraid of distractions. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God. Speak to God. Whether you use words, ideas, or images--or all three--is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. And give to him what you have discovered during your experience of meditation. Experience God by using the word or phrase he has given you as a means of blessing and of transforming the ideas and memories that your reflection on his word has awakened. Give to God what you have found within your heart. Rest in God's embrace. And when he invites you to return to your contemplation of his word or to your inner dialogue with him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity. Sometimes in lectio divina, you may return several times to the printed text, either to savor the literary context of the word or phrase that God has given or to seek a new word or phrase to ponder. At other times, only a single word or phrase will fill the whole time set aside for lectio divina. It is not necessary to assess anxiously the quality of your lectio divina, as if you were "performing" or seeking some goal. Lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.
By: Father Luke Dysinger, O.S.B., prior of St. Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo, Calif., where he has been a monk since 1981. A priest and physician, he writes and teaches in the fields of mystical theology and biomedical ethics. |
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Contact Information
Sabrina Evans
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