WELCOME TO THE PRACTICE OF THE WORD
Hopefully, you have managed to work through Step 1: Read and Note and are now ready to work with Step 2: Review and Select.
Accepting Providence
In Logopraxis there is an acknowledgement of the Lord’s Divine Providence at work in the process of us narrowing in on a section of Text. There is a sense of humility in the idea that it is the Lord as the Word that is reaching out to us and asking us to focus on a particular principle or truth.
As it is said in the Epistles…
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the articulations and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13)
With a Spirit of Worship
We focus now on just those portions of the reading that caught our attention in Step 1. We approach our selected portions of Text in the same way we approached the whole reading; in a spirit of worship and contemplation.
So, take your time to meditatively to go over those portions of the Text that ‘reached out to you’ when you first read through the set reading. You are seeking to narrow your selections down to something you can work with. So as you sit with what you’ve marked up, try to be sensitive to those portions of the Text that you are most strongly drawn to without analysing “why” at this stage.
Feel free to hold the selected portions of the Text in mind over a few days, perhaps reading through them whenever you get an opportunity. You may wish to record further insights, thoughts, or reflections that you are offered as you sift through the selection that you have in front of you.
The aim is to settle on something to develop a work task from in Step Three.
Helpful Advice – The Word Provides
It could be that what you need to work with presents itself in the very first reading of the Text or it might be that nothing seems to be presenting itself.
In either case, remember that the experience you’re having is a product of engaging with the Text. The Word always provides us with something to work with and in those times when nothing seems to stand out from the Text we will still have our internal responses to that experience as material to work with.
Step Two – Review & Select
- Focus on the portions of Text that “reached out” to you
- Take time to meditate over those portions
- Listen to which parts you are most strongly drawn to
- Settle on one portion of Text
Looking Forward
Our work with the Text through the lens of a task enables us to gather material in support of our awakening to spiritual life. However, just as importantly, when this material is shared with our Life Group it is able to support the spiritual lives of individuals in the group, as well as the group as a whole. We can see then that our work is not just for ourselves but is also for others. It is in this way that the Word is acknowledged as producing what’s needed for the life of the individual, as well as for the life of the group. The more aware we are of this the more we will find ourselves affirmed in the stream of the Lord’s Providence.
In Logopraxis we are constantly amazed at how often everyone’s submissions for each session dovetail together to form a unified whole. What has been worked into each member through their willingness to engage with the Text is what sustains this community; it is the bread which, when broken through being shared with others, opens our hearts, so that we might see the Lord in our very midst.
When you have decided on a portion of the Text, you can then move to Step 3.
Step Two – Review and Select
For a further exploration on working in the here and now and of the struggles to stay engaged with the Text in Step 2, click on the link below…
From the Logopraxis Handbook: Step 2: Review and Select
