On Holy Reading
For students of the Bible seeking a richer, more personal engagement with scripture, Bruce G. Epperly’s The God of the Growing Edge: Whitehead and Thurman on Theology, Spirituality, and Social Change offers valuable insights into transformative spiritual practices.
The following extract, detailing one of the book’s spiritual exercises, introduces Lectio Divina, or “holy reading,” a practice rooted in the tradition of St. Benedict of Nursia. This method moves beyond mere intellectual study to help readers “personalize the scripture,” guiding them from the literal words to the “Living Word of mystical encounter.” It provides a structured approach, encouraging silent openness to the scripture’s message, reflection on its deeper meaning for one’s life, and a commitment to embodying the wisdom received. This practice, which also inspired the author’s own writing process, equips you to encounter biblical texts not just intellectually, but as a direct invitation to discern God’s word for your personal journey and active participation in social transformation.
We often come to the Bible for information, when God is meeting us there for conversation. That conversation with God leads to transformation.
St. Benedict of Nursia taught a practice of encountering scripture and other holy texts that today we identify as Lectio Divina or holy reading. The point of holy reading is to personalize the scripture moving from the words to the Living Word of mystical encounter available to each one of us. The steps of a contemporary version of Lectio Divina are as follows:
- A time of stillness.
- Prayer of openness and gratitude
- Reading the scripture twice with a time of stillness between readings.
- Silent openness to the message of the scripture, the word or phrase, hymn or image, that is addressed to you.
- In a time of silence, you may choose to sit in a comfortable chair or you might go for a walk and simply let your mind wander until an inspiration emerges.
- Reflect on the meaning of the word for you at this point in your life.
- Jot down some notes as a way of grounding and preserving your experience.
The practice of holy reading initially had its primary use in discerning the deeper personal meaning of scripture. You can, however, use this practice for any media – a poem, quote, or even a painting or piece of music.
Bruce Epperly, The God of the Growing Edge, pp. 81-82
