Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition

2023 Credo Magazine Book Awards Winner, Theological Retrieval

Holy Scripture requires holy reading.

• Encounter an ancient but fresh way of reading the Bible.
• Learn from Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, and others.
• Experience a structured and attentive way to focus on Christ, listen to the Spirit, and rest in God's love.

Christians read Scripture to encounter Christ and be conformed to his image. Jesus is the point of reading the Bible. But Scripture is no mere human text; it is God's living word. So how should we read it?

For Christians throughout the centuries, the answer has been lectio divina--"divine reading." Lectio divina is a sacramental reading. It aims to take us more deeply into the life of God. Through practicing the four movements of lectio divina--attentive reading, extended meditation, prayerful reflection, and silent resting--we focus on Christ, listen to the Spirit, and rest in God's love. We no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word.

Hans Boersma is the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House in Wisconsin, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, and the author of numerous books including Seeing God, Heavenly Participation, and Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew.