Lord, inspire me to read your Scriptures
and to meditate upon them day and night.
I beg you to give me real understanding of what I read,
that I in turn may put its precepts into practice.
Yet, I know that understanding and good intentions are worthless,
unless rooted in your graceful love.
So I ask that the words of Scripture may also be not just signs on a page.
but channels of grace into my heart. Amen.

(Origen, AD c.184-c.254)

Praying with Scripture - a few simple steps

1. Start with stillness and quietening down; then gently read the passage, noticing any feelings and associations from your own experience.

2. Read the passage again and spend time noticing what you don’t readily understand. The notes in your Bible or here may be of help at this point.

3. Read the passage a third time - wondering how you yourself might pray the text over the next few days.
4. Over the next week, set aside times to come back more than once to the passage. You could read it all or part of it again, slowly. Perhaps there is a special word for you in this passage of Scripture?

5. Finally, come back to the text to conclude: a prayer of thanksgiving for the good news in the passage. End in quiet prayer.

In practice, it might make sense to begin with no. five each week; take a short break and then open up the next week’s reading by taking steps 1, 2 and 3.
Other resources

Lectio Divina by James Swetnam SJ
Lectio Divina Benedictine resources
Introduction to Lectio Brendan Clifford OP
Lectio Divina Home Page Richard McCambley OCSO