Feast of St. Luke: Lectio

Today we celebrate the witness of St. Luke the Evangelist, companion of Paul and author of the two part book including the Gospel of Luke and Acts.

In honor of his witness spend some time in Lectio Divina with a passage from Luke’s gospel.  Slowly read the passage aloud, then read it again quietly, pausing and sitting with any words or phrases that strike you.  Think of your reading as a walk through the text and your pausing as what you would do if you came across a flower or some other beautiful thing on your walk.

This passage is the Gospel reading for St. Luke’s feast day and would be a good passage to use for lectio:

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”