About
I’m writing on Lectio & Life for one reason: to help people listen for the voice of God in the words of Scripture and in the “stuff” of life. In other words, I’m writing to help people encounter God, to pray. You learn lectio divina by doing it and not by studying it. With lectio, then, we really are pushing into the realm of spirituality. Spirituality doesn’t have to do so much with knowing things about God but with knowing God.
That said, I do suppose there’s a secondary reason. I believe a recovery of lectio divina offers something that’s often missing in contemporary theology, namely a mystical core. I hope to make some scholarly contributions in this regard and Lectio & Life can house some of these efforts.
In truth, Lectio & Life serves as a critical piece of a much larger project. Over the 17 years or so that I’ve been in active ministry, lectio divina has played a central role in just about all of it. This is beginning to coalesce in my work at Stella Maris. My pursuit of Benedictine oblation has undoubtedly played a role as well. I’ve developed two distinct mini-courses on lectio, I run a weekly Bible study called (not surprisingly) Lectio and Life, and in 2027, Cascade will be publishing my latest book: From Lectio to Life: A Guidebook for Listening to God in a Noisy World. The book will certainly be the flagship of all these efforts, but a book is fixed in time as soon as it’s printed. Hence the reason for this Substack. It will allow me to continue developing thought around this topic and make relevant conversations about lectio even more accessible.
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Supporting My Work
I’ve hesitated to launch this effort on Substack for two reasons. First, I believe there’s already enough noise (Catholic and otherwise) out there, and I don’t want to add to the cacophony. I believe I can resolve this first tension by making this website a place of prayer — desiring God and loving learning. It may be intentionally boring. There will be no clickbait and I’ll probably avoid commenting on push-button issues. There’s plenty of that already, and by far smarter people than myself. With all that said, I hope this is a quiet site with a large reach, and Substack is the best tool out there to help with reach (especially for someone who has no social media presence).
Second, I don’t want to utilize a paid subscription model for my content. I want it to be free and as widely accessible as possible because all I’m really doing is sharing the Gospel. Not to mention, I have a lot going on in my life and a boatload of projects. I don’t want to feel beholden to paid subscribers and become another cog in the content machine.
Now, I do have eight children and they do eat a lot of food. And working on Lectio & Life takes time and attention. So, I’m leaving all of this up to the good graces of my readers. If at any point in time you feel compelled to become a benefactor by making a gift, I would be deeply grateful. Your generosity will allow this to grow and, God-willing, help more and more people encounter Christ.
Brad Bursa’s Biography
I was born and raised in Tiffin, Ohio, a small town in the northwest part of the state. I attended Catholic grade school and high school before completing my undergraduate studies in English and Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. My wife (Katie) and I met at Franciscan University and got married upon graduating. We have eight children and live in Cincinnati.
Since 2008, I’ve held various positions in parish ministry, directed an archdiocesan office, and taught at the secondary and collegiate levels. Outside of ministry, I spent a year working as a client leader at a digital marketing agency. During my time in ministry, I completed an MA in Theology and Christian Ministry at Franciscan University, and earned a PhD in Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia where I studied under Dr. Gerard O’Shea and Dr. Tracey Rowland. My dissertation focused on the theological developments after Vatican II that led to the present catechetical crisis and the evaporating of Catholic culture within the Church. I propose a renewal effort along the lines of Joseph Ratzinger’s theology. This work has now been published as Because He Has Spoken to Us: Structures of Proclamation from Rahner to Ratzinger (Pickwick, 2022). My second book, Surviving Catholic Ministry (Cascade, 2025) aims to help lay ministers and volunteers avoid burnout and the spiritual death trap known as “becoming jaded.” I frequently contribute to The Catechetical Review and the Eucharistic Revival blog.
I am currently the director of evangelization at the Stella Maris family of parishes east of Cincinnati. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, strumming on the guitar, and playing and watching sports with my family.
Contact
I’m happy to speak at schools and parishes. I’ve been doing it for years. Reach out at bradbursa.com.
