One of the aspects I (Vanessa) love about Lectio Divina is that over time the practice becomes a natural rhythm to the way you move and have your being. You begin to "lectio" the songs you hear and the faces, works of fiction, or sunsets you see.
Today I’ve chosen a poem by Langston Hughes for our time of divine reading. Hughes was a prolific novelist, playwright, fiction writer, and poet "whose voice provided insightful portrayals of black life in America” (poets.org) from the 1920s until his death in 1967.
Both his life and writing contributed to shaping the artistic movement of the Harlem Renaissance, during which Hughes maintained a focus on telling the stories of black American life in a way that highlighted a love of music, laughter, and language alongside suffering.
If you've recently joined NOURISH, Lectio Divina has four parts — lectio (read), meditatio (reflect), oratio (respond), and contemplatio (rest) — and involves the reading of a passage, poem, or prayer four times with periods of silence between each reading.
If you’re new to this practice, you may find it helpful to move through each part in order. Or you may find the stages to be as Fr. Thomas Keating describes: compass points around a circle wherein the Holy Spirit moves you seamlessly between each part.
I will guide you in this 8-minute audio meditation on Tired by Langston Hughes. To listen, click the link in the box below.
