“What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!'” -Mark 13:37
Advent is upon us! In my last post, I put together some prayer resources for families to use during Advent. As I mentioned there, I want to include lectio divina in our family devotional time during Advent. Lectio divina is an old monastic form of meditation on a passage from scripture. Four stages (or movements) in lectio take you deeper into contemplating the scripture passage.
Why would we want to pray with scripture? Because it is the living word of God and one of the ways he communicates with us. Scripture is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Lectio includes moments of quiet reflection, which calms our minds so we become more aware of God’s presence. Praying with scripture helps us to listen to God during our prayers; so we learn to converse with God rather than always talking at him.
Is it possible to pray lectio with kids? Yes! I have prayed lectio with my kids before, and I can tell you that it is a wonderful way to guide children in contemplative prayer and the beauty of Sacred Scripture. I find that my older children, in particular, benefit from this habit of meditation. Younger children won’t always comprehend intellectually the scripture passages, and this is okay. They will still experience the graces of the Holy Spirit and their hearts will begin to be shaped by what they hear. My basic suggestion for praying lectio with children of any age: help them find some connection between the passage and their own lives. The reflection questions in my guides should give you a place to start.
I prayed lectio divina with all of my children during the summer a few times, but never during Advent. After searching high and low for a lectio divina resource that is 1) tied to Advent and 2) family-friendly, I couldn’t find anything that would work for my family. So, I decided to put one together myself.
Over the next four weeks of Advent, I will post four separate lectio guides for families to use during each of the four weeks.
I’m adapting resources that I found on the USCCB’s website; I’m using the scripture verses that you’ll hear at Mass on the next four Sundays of Advent, but you can pray with your children at any time during the week (you aren’t limited to praying lectio on Sundays). I’ve included an explanation of lectio, a snapshot of the four stages of lectio, reflection questions, and prayers.
Here is a free printable copy of my Advent lectio guide for WEEK ONE of Advent!
Visio Divina: I’ve also included a full-page image that you can use for visio divina. As I explained it here, visio divina is a twist on lectio divina: you use an image for your contemplation instead of the scripture passage, or you can use both scripture and the image. I really enjoy leading children in visio divina; they are very responsive to visual beauty.
The image I chose for this week is the beautiful icon “Three Angels” (also known as “The Trinity”) by Andrei Rublev. You might do lectio on one day, then visio later in the week.
God bless you as you begin your Advent journey with your children. O Come, Emmanuel!