Spring 2012 - Dominican Sisters of Peace

Ways to Pray
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, or “Sacred Reading,” is an ancient Christian practice of
scriptural reflection to promote communion with God and to increase
the knowledge of God’s Word. Instead of treating scripture as text to be
studied, it presents scripture as the Living Word. The art of Lectio Divina
encompasses four separate parts – reading (lectio), meditating (meditatio),
praying (oratio), and contemplating (contemplatio). It is through this
process that the Scripture passage is first read and then reflected upon.
This is then followed by prayer and contemplation of God’s Word.
Centering Prayer
“When I was very young, I learned from ‘junk mail’ flyers about contemplation and the
contemplative way of life. The advertisements about St. Therese of Lisieux fascinated me to
the point of wanting to go to France to join her convent! However, I eventually found the Dominicans
and was drawn to our motto: to contemplate and to share the fruits of contemplation.
“My interest has continually grown over the years and now, in retirement, I spend much
time in silent meditation and sharing the fruits in many ways, including teaching Centering
Prayer as authored by Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO. Centering Prayer is a method of silent
prayer that emphasizes the personal relationship with God. It is a way of really recognizing and experiencing God’s
presence within us, moving beyond conversation with Christ to a real communion with Him.”
Mary Otho Ballard, OP
St. Catharine, Kentucky
Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer
Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer, written by an anonymous author sometime between 1260
and 1288, are special methods of prayer used by St. Dominic during Mass, the praying of
the psalmody (singing psalms during divine worship), and at other times of personal prayer.
These methods presumed a connection between the body, soul, devotion, and prayer.
The bowing of one’s head
1 and heart with humility at the The throwing down
The welcoming of all the
beginning of prayer before the 2 and prostrating of 3 physical difficulties and the
crucifix, at the altar, in the
one’s whole body with
patient endurance of all kinds
Name of the Trinity;
tears of compunction for of bodily discomforts during
the sins of others when
prayer as part of prayer itself,
one can find no more
as a way of offering one’s body
tears for his own;
to God in praise;
4 Dominican Sisters of Peace