Franciscan Lectio

Reading the World Through the Living Word

De: Dan Riley

Narrado por: Dan Riley

Franciscan Lectio is for Christians who long to see the world more beautifully and deeply and become more attentive and present. An ancient tradition dating back to the third century, lectio divina has long served as an avenue of contemplative prayer, but the practice has often been systematized, intellectualized, or only practiced by monastics. Few authors have attempted to universalize lectio using contemporary language or approach it from a Franciscan perspective. St. Paul says that the Word of God is alive and active in our hearing, and if the incarnation is true, then the Word can be experienced in all places. Lectio, therefore, is not only a spiritual practice for reading sacred texts but can be applied to any felt experience. Our experiences, too, are sacred: we need only to acknowledge their depth and beauty. In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, we can see the God of all creation who has always been “hidden in plain sight”—a presence that shows forth in every created thing. In Franciscan Lectio, Fr. Dan Riley comes alongside us in our own encounters with lectio and inspires our spiritual imagination through story, art, poetry, nature, Franciscan mysticism, and Scripture—helping us to see that all of life is unitive and sacred.

©2022 The Order of Friars Minor of the Province of the Most Holy Name and Stephen Copeland (P)2023 Paraclete Press

Very beautiful and important book

I thought this was very well done. Lectio Divina seemed like a pretty inaccessible topic to a new Catholic like myself. But, this book was very easy to follow and sounds straightforward enough to implement. Essentially, we should look for God in all things and at all times, because there is always a possibility that God is communicating to us. My only very slight criticism is that Brother Dan does mention some secular forms of activism (think circa 2020-2021) as ways to act as a Franciscan. In my opinion, I think the Franciscan way would be to rather avoid mainstream and social media activism trends and instead serve the poorest of the poor. All that being said, it was a beautiful book and I’m very thankful to have it. I feel it will serve me for the rest of my life.