Product Description

This book is about lectio divina. It is not easy to give a literal translation of the term which has its roots in the Benedictine tradition and spirituality. Literally it means the reading of the Sacred Scriptures; the particularity of which is in the attitudes, goals of the reader and the manner in which it is done — prayerful and listening attitudes. The purpose is not to engage in scholarly pursuits or read for information, but attentiveness to God and prayer.

Lectio divina has a vital and existential purpose — it seeks to nourish faith, to aid the deepening of a personal relationship with God. The inner disposition with which one engages in lectio divina is the heart’s thirst to drink from the living waters of the Word, to satisfy the vital need for happiness and salvation. Thus the term lectio divina means an attentive listening to Scripture that leads to personal reflection, prayer and contemplation.
In Like the Deer That Yearns a team of well-known masters of spirituality initiate and guide to the listening of Scripture through this age-old method those who do not live in monasteries and yet would like to “be graced” by intimate contact with the Word of God.