A few months ago I did something weird. I wanted to see what it would be like to read like the monks did when lectio divina was born into the Church’s spiritual tradition. So, I stripped all the punctuation from a scripture passage, removed the spaces between words, and got rid of the margins. Chapter and verse were gone. When a line hit the edge of the page, the text continued on the next line, even if it was in the middle of the word. No hyphen to help the reader. No helps for the reader at all. Just text in all caps.
I handed this to parishioners and, as you would expect, they looked at me like I was insane. Whether or not I’m insane is debatable, but what happened was not. We fought our way through the text, each on our own. We sounded out words and got stuck in spots. Most importantly, we slowed down and we incarnated the text with our own voices. This had the cumulative effect of bringing the text to life in new ways. Words and phrases stood out. Not just one word or phrase, but often multiple. Threads of meaning. Insights. Memories. Connections to other passages. Hearing God’s voice through his word.
The first monks encountered Greek and Latin texts in a manuscript tradition known as scriptio continua (continuous script). I’ve already written one article introducing this way of writing and reading. I know it seems crazy to rid ourselves of everything we use to help us read silently, conventions that date back to the 8th or 9th century, but it makes a difference in how we pray.
For those willing to take up the challenge, I will offer the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel in continuous script. Please note that I will not be using the NABRE for this text due to copyright limitations. Instead, I will be using the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Gospel text. This is a contemporary translation by Ronald L. Conte Jr. Below the continuous script of the Gospel, I will link to the USCCB readings for Sunday should you wish to read the lectionary version of the text or have an easier time of it!
Instructions
Of course it’s impossible to simulate the original experience of early monastic lectio and continuous script, but we can try. Sound out the passage and continue mumbling the words in a repetitive manner. Go slow. As something stands out, take time with it, savor it, continue repeating it and allow it to speak to you. Meditate and pray. Then, mumble on.
To prime the pump for this exercise, I want to highlight a beautiful description of lectio from Fr. Francis Martin:
Sit down with the Bible, in reverence, quiet before God, and begin to read. After a while, if something strikes you, reflect on it. Simply and naturally begin to speak to God, allowing what you have read to console you or free you from some attachment; or perhaps have a few moments of quiet praise. It may be that God’s presence will be so perceptibly though intangibly obvious that you simply rest in unreflective silence. This awareness may not last very long before there is distraction; so resume reading again in simplicity and peace. This is a simple, organic activity, a way of prayer—not a production-oriented function, but a way of lifting all of you as a human being, mind, imagination, emotions, spirit, quietly to God.1
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You can find the lectionary readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time here. You could also look up the passage in your own Bible. It is from Matthew 18:21–35.
On Saturday, I’ll offer some of my own reflections on this passage, and hopefully others will share their own in the comments section.
Martin, “Prayerful Reading,” 14.