Teaching
Lectio
Slow reading with careful attention to the text itself.
Overview
Lectio is the "slow read" where you attend to the actual words on the page, re-read enough times to notice what grips you, and remain open to the possibility that the Holy Spirit is drawing your attention to something "for you today" that still belongs to the text itself.
Worksheet Prompts
- What passage am I praying today (book, chapter, verses, translation)?
- What is one simple sentence that summarizes what the passage is saying in its plain sense?
- As I read slowly (preferably aloud), what word, phrase, or image catches my attention?
- What in the passage itself makes that word or phrase stand out (repetition, contrast, command, promise, tone, metaphor, surprising detail)?
- If I re-read the passage two more times, does the same word or phrase keep lighting up, or does something else become more central?
- Are there any words or references I need to clarify briefly so I do not misread the text?
- What do I sense the Holy Spirit may be highlighting, and how is that still anchored to what is written (not detached from it)?
- What is one question I want to carry into the next step rather than rushing to conclusions?
Teaching Notes
These prompts are adapted from common lectio guidance emphasizing repeated slow reading, attentiveness to a word or phrase, and openness to the Spirit's illumination through Scripture.