The Transformative Power of Group Lectio Divina: Christ at the Heart of Shared Reflection

By Brother Theophan

I’d like to offer a few observations on our practice of group Scripture sharing at the monastery. Rooted in ancient monastic traditions, lectio divina—meaning “divine reading”—involves reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating sacred Scripture in a manner that allows the text to speak directly to the heart of the believer. While often practiced individually, group lectio divina offers a unique opportunity for communal transformation, where the presence of Christ becomes central to the practice, and the relational dynamics of the group help to deepen the understanding of God’s Word. This collective engagement with Scripture mirrors the early Christian communities, where the shared experience of Christ through the Word was foundational to their lives and growth.

            Imagine a group of people gathered around a flickering campfire. As they each share their stories and listen carefully to one another, the firelight seems to grow brighter and warmer, not just from the flames themselves but from the way the group’s shared stories and insights feed the light. The warmth doesn’t come from any one person alone, but from the collective energy and presence in the circle. This is much like what the practice of group lectio divina can feel like. As practiced by us, it is not focused on a detailed exegesis of a piece of text but reflects a much more spontaneous and heartfelt reflection. We bring our personal context to the sharing; sometimes the sharing can elicit long-forgotten memories and stir old emotions that we may not have felt in a long time—or ones we have avoided feeling. Like a magnet, the Scripture can draw to the surface that inside of us which needs to be recognized and then, hopefully, exposed to the light of healing and integration.

            At the heart of group lectio divina is the belief that Scripture is not merely a text to be analyzed intellectually but a living Word that reveals Christ to those who approach it with open hearts. The practice becomes a communal act of listening to the text and to one another. Each member of the group brings their own perspective, background, and experience, yet through the collective engagement, the group as a whole is drawn closer to the heart of God’s Word. The practice of group lectio divina highlights the importance of mutual attunement—an attentive listening to both the Scriptures and to one another, allowing for something unexpected and wondrous to occur: the group co-creates a deeper understanding of the text.

            As members reflect on the passage they not only share personal insights but allow themselves to be open to this deeper communal wisdom that arises. Christ, as the living Word, becomes present in this relational process, illuminating the Scriptures in ways that transcend individual interpretations. The group enters into a living conversation with the divine, allowing Christ to speak through both the words of Scripture and the reflections of those gathered. As Christ promised, “where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20), and in the communal space of lectio divina, Christ is not only the subject of the text but the active presence that shapes and transforms the group. The group becomes a living body of Christ, where individual insights and revelations are woven together into a richer tapestry of understanding and assimilating the Wisdom of Scripture. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts slowly begin to burn within us as we glimpse and feel our way into a deeper and more sacred reality.

            The philosopher John Vervaeke’s concept of dialectic into dialogos offers a helpful framework for understanding the relational dynamic and shared meaning-making that plays out in the group practice of lectio divina. Dialectic into dialogos describes a process where participants engage in deep, meaningful dialogue where the goal is not debate or persuasion but mutual discovery.  The famous Socratic dialogues were one example of this phenomenon. A willing entry into this style of dialogue can shift participants from an individualistic way of thinking into a participatory mode of being. The shared flow of thought becomes its own entity—a living conversation that helps uncover wisdom neither party could have accessed alone. There is a feeling of “being in the zone,” which psychologists call flow: attention is heightened, and our participation in the world, including the subjectivity of others, is enhanced. New meanings are uncovered. This emergent meaning is not static but evolves as the dialogue deepens and as one’s understanding of self, others, and reality clarifies. At its best, such a practice can lead to the emergence of what Vervaeke calls the Geist—a third “presence” or force field that is intersubjective and charged with a sense of wonder and awe.

            The concept of the "invisible third" from psychotherapy provides another lens through which to understand group lectio divina. In therapy, the "invisible third" refers to the unspoken relational dynamic that exists between the therapist and client, shaping their interactions in subtle but powerful ways. This "third" is not something that can be easily pinpointed, but it plays a crucial role in the therapeutic process, revealing deeper truths and facilitating emotional and psychological healing. The psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion courageously referred to this mysterious force as the ultimate source of transformation in effective psychotherapy; Nevile Symington has alluded to it as an elusive “lifegiver,” which must be willingly engaged with to actualize our full aliveness.

            For those immersed daily in the lifegiving mysteries of our faith, the benign and numinous intelligence in our midst reveals itself as neither abstract nor impersonal. Instead, it comes to us as intensely personal, with a face and a name. The warmth in the shared space feels tantalizingly familiar. Christ Himself stands palpably among us, guiding the shared process of Scriptural reflection and transforming us as we listen, reflect, and grow together.