By Tan Yee Sern
Lectio Divina is a method of reading the Bible in a reflective and contemplative manner. On a Saturday afternoon, 21 church members learned about this practice at a session conducted by Pastor Dicky Wong.
For this practice, we contemplated on the healing of the paralytic (Luke 5:17-26). Each of us had to pick one character or a relatable object from the story, from a list that included:
- Jesus
- Pharisee
- Teacher of the law
- Visitor from Galilee / Judea / Jerusalem
- Men carrying the mat
- The paralytic
- Men standing / sitting inside the house near Jesus
- Men standing / sitting at the outer fringes
- House
- Mat
- Stairway
- Roof
As we listened to an audio recording of the passage read by Annie Lam, we followed the character or object that we had chosen through the passage.
After the first reading (Lectio), we paused, and then we read the passage again, this time at a slower pace (Meditatio). We reflected on the passage and its significance on the character or object that we had chosen, and allowed God to speak to us. This was followed by a third reading (Contemplatio).
After this, we prayed silently (Oratio), and wrote down what came to our mind. In the end, we each sketched out our scene, and described it to one another.
From the sharing, I learned how different characters would experience the healing differently – for example, how unsteady the paralytic would feel as he was being carried up to the roof, what it would be like to make a hole in the roof, etc.
While the specific details are not explicitly laid out in the passage, we imagined and experienced being there in the thick of the action. The passage came alive to us. I was so thankful to God for making a way for this paralytic — a way I did not even thought existed — for forgiving and healing him so that he could carry his own mat.
I’m so glad that I attended this precious session.
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