By Leon Bent –
What is the theology and spirituality of the Lent Season? Why do we need to understand? What do we have to do? What kind of commitment do we have to make? In order to answer these questions, we really need to return to God, in and through the Bible, in depth.
The Theology and Spirituality of the Lenten Season
The season of Lent is not an archaeological heritage from the practice of asceticism in the history of the Church of a certain era, but it is a season especially offered to enliven the role of the Church in the Easter Mystery of Christ, “only if we suffer with him, we will be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17). This is the centre of the Lenten Season where Christ fixes the Church, his beloved bride (Eph. 5:25-27). Therefore, the emphasis is more on the repentance and the sanctification in God, not only just practicing asceticism. For this to happen, we need to delve into the Bible and make the Word of God alive in our lives.
Lent is a Time to Immerse ourselves in Scripture
Lent is the perfect time to immerse ourselves in the wonderful Scripture passages that comprise the Readings of the Day. Sadly, most Catholics do not read or pray the Scriptures. For too many centuries, the clergy preferred it that way, lest the laity start getting ideas on their own. That day is over. While we can criticize the bishops for many things, we can no longer blame them for keeping the Scriptures out of the hands of the laity.
True reform will not happen in the church until the laity begin reading and praying over the Scriptures themselves. Without reflecting on the Scriptures, it is almost impossible to become an adult Christian. It is through reading the Scriptures that we open ourselves to inspiration from the Spirit.
As Pope Francis said in Evangelii Gaudium: Whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world. There is no better way to return to the source than reading and praying over the weekday Scriptures during Lent.
Learning to Pray the Lectio Divina Way
Our engagement with these Gospels creates a beautiful tapestry of prepared anticipation for the Easter season into our hearts.
This study follows the Catholic Scripture Study format, but concentrates on the Sunday lectionary readings and incorporates the ancient method of Lectio Divina (praying the scriptures). Lectio Divina is a powerful way to ‘hear’ God speaking to us personally through scripture.
Many are familiar with the traditional four steps of lectio divina:
(1) Lectio, reading the text carefully;
(2) Meditatio, ruminating over it, savoring the words;
(3) Oratio, giving voice to the prayers that well up when one meditates on the text;
(4) Contemplatio, being lifted up into the peace, wisdom, and love of the Lord, as and when it pleases Him to lift us up. The classic treatment of these four steps is found in Guigo II’s Ladder of Monks (available here for those who wish to read it; as you would expect of a Carthusian, the text is pithy).
Once we have mentioned these four steps, however, there is an immediate and important caveat: lectio divina is NOT a “technique.” Prayer is a relationship between persons; and when love is real, we do not implement a “system.” Bureaucracies, which, by definition, are not based on close personal relationships, follow systems. Do we love our dearest friends according to a technique from an instruction manual? So, it’s important to understand that in the spiritual life we are talking about a friendship with the Lord, one that needs to be developed like any other: with time, with sharing, with affection, with attention.
Lectio Divina Enriches Us: It has Four Steps
The four steps of lectio divina are not, therefore, a kind of “recipe” for making prayer happen. They are, rather, an articulation of what happens naturally when we take the Word of God seriously. We read it; we think about what we’ve read and try to apply it to ourselves; when we do that, we start to pray spontaneously; and as we pray, the Lord leads us to a new closeness to Himself, and, as it pleases Him, causes us to rest in His presence. These four degrees or steps are more like the parts of an organic living thing—the root, leaf, flower, and fruit of a plant, for example. Plants don’t have techniques; they are living things and they grow from within, as long as sunlight and water and nutrients are present. Our souls are like plants in that way: we need spiritual sunlight, water, and nutrients. Our sun is Jesus Christ; our water is His grace; our nutrients are His Words. Given these conditions, our souls will flourish.
No unusual heroism, expertise, or virtue is required to open up the Scriptures and begin to do lectio divina as a daily and fundamental part of our Christian prayer. I need three things: (1) a living faith, so that I believe God is speaking His word directly to me; (2) perseverance, so that I may continue on, whether my results are magnificent or, as they may seem to me, poor—not forgetting, however, that I tend to be a poor judge of spiritual results; (3) desire or longing for the face and the voice of the Lord, which is the very soul of lectio divina.“Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye my face.’ My heart says to thee, ‘Thy face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not thy face from me” (Ps 27:8-9). If we have faith when we take up the Scriptures, if we persevere with holy reading, and if our intention is to meet the Lord Himself, He will never fail us: He will become a fountain of living water rising up within us.
And, this final flourish! Learn the heart of God from the words of God, so that you may long more ardently for eternity; so that you may be ever more inflamed with desire for the joys of Heaven.
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.