How Do You Pray with the Bible?

Monday, May 18 at 8 PM ET, Father Mike will answer your questions LIVE, for the first time ever on Ascension Presents! Whether your question is about why Catholics do the weird things they do, how you can overcome a specific challenge, or what Father’s favorite meal is, tune into the Ascension Presents YouTube channel to ask Father Mike live!

You know you should be praying. But do you ever wish someone would show you how? Fr. Mike starts by showing us how to pray with the Bible with a time-honored method called lectio divina. Typically it consists of five steps:

1) Read a short snippet of Scripture, a few verses. (This is the “lectio” part.)
2) Meditate on those verses. Think about what you read. Is there any hidden meaning, anything you didn’t notice at first?
3) Pray about what you read. Talk with God about the passage.
4) Meditate again and maybe read the passage again in light of what God spoke to you.
5) Contemplate. Rest with what you just prayed about. Ask God what you should take away from the passage. Ask him what he’s telling you to do next.

Fr. Mike walks us through a Scripture passage involving John the Baptist where he employs the steps of lectio divina.

Now, Fr. Mike points out that when we pray with the Bible, it’s not always mind-blowing. But don’t be discouraged. Here’s his analogy.

Where Father is from in Minnesota, smooth rocks on the lakeshore are called “skippers” because the smoother the stone, the farther the skip. Sometimes when we’re walking along the lakeshore we find the perfect rock for skipping across the water. Other times we don’t, but we find a rock that’s good enough. Sometimes that’s how lectio divina works. Sometimes a verse really jumps out at you, but other times there may be a verse that’s just good enough. God will still speak to you through it if you use the “good enough” verse in your lectio divina. So don’t be discouraged if a verse doesn’t jump out at you.

More resources on prayer and lectio divina:

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[jfcmanalo]

Okay I seriously can’t get over how good the timing is of when these videos drop. I was just having trouble reading my bible the past few days and literally just finished reading when this video dropped. Gonna jump back in it - thank you fathermike!

[AnnaKoehnArt]

Hi, Fr. Mike! Thank you for sharing! I love lectio divina! When my brother died 7 years ago I began praying with the scriptures every day. I am a Catholic artist, wife, and mom. I have a youtube channel on which I share my art and my catholic faith. I cling to this practice daily and it has transformed my life. Jesus is my best friend now!

[reginag]

I'm just about to head out to adoration, so perfect timing, thank you!

[mobiledragon]

Thank you so much! You’re very nice and you explain it in a very kind, friendly way! I will make sure to do this because I’m thirteen and have realized that following Jesus is the way to go.

[Smoothbluehero]

Haunted! I just watched this video as a guide and then I looked at my liturgical calendar for this Sunday’s New Testament reading and it was Mt 3:1-12!!!

[paulduffy]

We call them skimmers it skims across the lake father Mike I loved this terminology I'm Paul from Scotland, Glasgow thanks father Mike I'm 51 I'm learning all the time 😅Amen...

[Richie]

simpler than academic Examinations! thanks Fr. Mike

[onetallgirl]

Perfect timing! I started this thing yesterday where I was going to pray with a bible verse every day for the next 10 days. God must have seen me struggling last night! lol!

[marvinmansueto]

Waw! What a down-to-earth practical way to describe Lectio Divina. Indeed, at times the shorter the text the more impact it may have in our heart. At times, a tiny phrase dwells with me all through the day.
Thank you Fr Mike.

[ronrodriguez]

Father Mike talks just as fast as us Hispanics 😂 Praise God! Thanks again Father Mike

[kathylawson]

Thanks for the reminder to not put so much pressure on myself to find the perfect verse to meditate on, but to just give that time to the Lord in prayer and trust he will meet me there. Peace

[sustainingsubrina]

this morning was the first time i ever tried lectio divina on my own and what a surprise it was to see that this was uploaded the same day! God is good :))

[leonardstefanyshyn]

Have read the lectio divina study bible many times. Am now reading the orthodox study bible as I am Byzantine Catholic. It is very good too. More traditional.

[Thesleepypoet]

Thank you so much for that analogy Fr Mike.


A few days ago, I was in a lot of emotional pain and committed to praying and reading the Bible daily (which I hadn't done well in years).

My steps are:
1. Listen to 1-2 worship songs
2. Pray about my day and everything on my mind
3. Read a small section of the Bible (been reading 2 Corinthians)
4. Pray about what I read, applying it to my life. At the end I say a few Catholic prayers in rotation.

The first three days, the sections I picked at random were perfect. Then, two days ago, I couldn't relate and was discouraged. I did pick something else, but began questioning whether I was on the right track. This message really does inspire me to continue. Thanks once again.

[ziziscorsese]

Hello Fr . Mike best wishes from the cold white north -Toronto .

[keaganwalker]

I have always struggled with lectio, thanks for explaining it so simply and straight forwardly. God Bless!

[marier]

Thank you Father. I was struggling with my Lectio Davina today. This really helped. Thank you

[meanmom]

Thank you for defining it and explaining the Lectio Divina. God bless you!!

[angelasimpson]

Thank you Fr Mike! You removed the pressure I have been putting on myself about the Holy Spirit not making a phrase stand out sometimes. I do Lectio Divina most nights before I go to bed and the Holy Spirit might not have made something stand out, but now I know I can choose something as that point

[elavandra]

Fr Mike, you always give the best analogies 🙌🏼 Loved this