"Lectio is a slow, reflective process that takes us down below the preoccupations of the moment, the distractions of the day to that place where the soul holds the residue of life." —from The Illuminated Life by Joan D. Chittister, OSB

Lectio divina is the art of sacred reading. "This is so different form the sort of reading we do to obtain information that some re-education is essential. Lectio divina is more than the pious perusal of "spiritual books." Lectio divina is a technique of prayer and a guide to living. It is a means of descending to the level of the heart and of finding God." —from Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey, OSCO

Women in the initial monastic formation process gather regularly for shared lectio.

Read an article by novice Sister Colleen Vogt, "Reclaiming the Prayer of Lament," published in the most recent issue of Review for Religious. The article addresses the loss of lament and suggests how lectio divina can show how one might “inhabit the psalms of lament."

Sister Colleen shares a paragraph from her lectio that focuses on shared life in community:
The common life is a place of support and encouragement. Benedict speaks of sleepy monks encouraging one another, racing to obey the call to prayer (Rule of Benedict 22). The presence of others provides some healthy competition to “be the first to show respect” (RB 72:4). It also hopefully provides the monastic with love and respect from the others that will encourage her to reach out in turn to others. She can come to know the love of God mediated to her by the community. Gifted with this glimpse of God though the common life, she makes a return through prayer and ministry to the community and the world. The monastic promise of stability sets up a climate that enables supportive relationships to deepen over time. Call to Life* affirms:
“By sharing deeply on human and spiritual levels, the members of the cenobitic community sustain one another in celibate love. The Benedictine way provides a form of community life in which members can maintain supportive and loving relationships over a long period of time in an atmosphere of faith, affirmation and healing.”

* Call to Life is the Constitution of the Federation of St. Scholastica, a federation of 22 Benedictine monasteries to which Mount St. Benedict Monastery belongs.