Praying with Scripture – Getting Started

“Praying with Scripture – can a layperson like me can expect to do this? Is this like meditation? Seems that it requires a lot of time every day, and a long span of time to pick it up. I’m not a cloistered religious, you know—and I sure am not a holy person like St. Teresa of Avila or St. Therese of Lisieux.”

People Pray with Scripture and So Can You

Many of the laity pray with scripture, and so can you if you aren’t already! Praying with Scripture, or what’s also called “meditation,” “mental prayer,” or “relational prayer,” is something you, and I, and anyone else can do, if we want to. We are all called to be saints—that is, to get to heaven, to enjoy eternal beatitude with Our Lord. The Church officially recognizes some as saints through the canonization process, but sainthood isn’t just for the canonized. Besides, how do you think they got to be recognized for lives of extraordinary holiness that led to canonization in the first place?

In fact, a good reason to pray with Scripture is to increase your closeness to God. If you love Jesus, you want to know Him better, and deepen your relationship with Him, consider spending time with Him in prayer. Through praying with Scripture, you get to know Him ever more intimately. In Personal Prayer, Fathers Acklin and Hicks tell us, “…the best moments of the day are the moments given to an exclusive, one-on-one relationship with the Lord.” Think about it–we don’t build any relationships without spending quality time with the other person. Why would we expect to create or deepen our relationship with God if we don’t spend time with Him?

Praying with Scripture Doesn’t Take a Lot of Time

When we read about the lives of the saints, some of their prayer practices can seem daunting. Certain religious orders had set aside time for mental prayer twice each day—once in the morning and once in the evening. Some still follow a schedule like this. But that doesn’t mean that you or I must follow a monastic prayer schedule at our homes.

Do you have 15 minutes a day you can set aside to pray with Scripture? Really, that will get you started with this wonderful practice. Start with what is doable. If 10 or 15 minutes is doable, that’s great—go for it. If you feel the urge to quickly increase your prayer time, be cautious and move slowly and prudently, with advice from your spiritual director before doing so. Don’t let your exuberance push you into an unsustainable pattern that can lead to discouragement and possibly even discontinuation.

Wait–you say you’re not sure you have 15 minutes a day for praying with Scripture? Most of us waste far more than 15 minutes every day on activities like social media, surfing the web, email forwards, watching TV, or other activities of questionable benefit. With a little introspection, I’ll bet that you can find a quarter-hour out of the 24 hours in a day for some time with Jesus and the Gospels. Try it and see.

Once you begin, you’ll find that it doesn’t require years or months to get into a prayer routine. It just takes persistence. St. Teresa of Avila tells us we “…must have a great and very determined determination to persevere…” (The Way of Perfection, 21.2). Stick with it and see what the Lord accomplishes through this prayer time with you.

Getting Started Praying with Scripture

First of all, keep it simple. Take some time away from distractions and place yourself in God’s presence. Talk to Him. Then LISTEN. Don’t make it a monologue. Give Him the opportunity to enter into a dialogue with you. Methods exist to help you get started. Many start with some form of “Lectio Divina”–Latin for “holy reading,” a form of discursive meditation:

• Place yourself in God’s presence
• Slowly read a passage of scripture.
• Think about it—what’s going on in the passage, what it means.
• Talk to the Lord about what stirs in your heart from this.
• Listen to Him.
• Based on what you told the Lord and received, make a resolution—what might you do differently today as a result of this experience?

Helping You with Structure for Your Prayer

Even if you already pray with scripture, perhaps you’ve been feeling some dryness in your prayer time. Whether you’re just starting or have been praying with Scripture for a while, consider using an aid to help you. For example, something like the meditations of The Flame of Love Movement may be just what you need. Many find their meditations on the daily Gospel passage very helpful. With the permission of the Flame of Love Movement, their meditation for December 9, 2020, follows. I’ve omitted some of the “thoughts” and “affections” points for brevity here:

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Help me to take up Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden.

Imagination: (Picture Jesus inviting all his disciples to come to Him.)

Context: Jesus speaks of “a burden” and “a yoke”. The burdened are those who cannot seem to get out from under. Jesus is one of them. He carries the whole world on his shoulders. Jesus’ yoke is his submission to God’s will. When we accept God’s will, our daily burdens become much lighter.

Gospel Text: (Read slowly, possibly aloud.) “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mt 11:28-30

Thoughts (Read all. Ponder the ones that attract you.)

1. 1. “Come to me” is the greatest invitation in the whole world.
   2. Jesus himself is the gift. He alone can give you rest. Come to him.
   3. To find rest, you must know Jesus and think as he does.
   4. You will find that he is gentle and humble. Your soul will experience peace.

Affections. (When one touches your heart, use your own words.)

• • Jesus, you say “Come to me.” I am coming. I am coming quickly.
  • I will rest in you and be refreshed.
  • Jesus, I will gladly carry your yoke. It is so much easier than what I now carry.
  • In the world, I find restlessness. In your Kingdom I discover peace.

Resolutions (Possibly you might want to make your own.)

+ I will examine any worldly burdens which I have foolishly assumed.

+ I will choose, instead, the tasks that Jesus has for me.

Thought for the Day (To recall your meditation): My yoke is easy and my burden light.

Other Resources to Help You Get Started

If you want to learn more about praying with Scripture, consider picking up a copy of Dan Burke’s book, Into the Deep.  It’s a short, compelling read that walks you through the process with examples. The free, daily meditations from the Flame of Love Movement, like the sample above, are a great resource to help provide you with a structure for your mental prayer. For other options, consider Fr. Bartunek’s The Better Part, or Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen’s Divine Intimacy. But, no matter how you begin, just get started. God’s graces will sustain you. And your family and friends will notice the difference in you. You’ll never look back.

“For mental prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us” (Life, 8.5)