Day 24 Breakfasted

"Breakfast," Henri Matisse 1920

                             (see also Books - a life with, Bread, By degrees,)

“Having found the book which has a message for us, let us not be guilty of the folly of saying we have read it. We might as well say we have breakfasted, as if breakfasting on one day should last us for every day! The book that helps us deserves many readings, for assimilation comes by slow degrees.”

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“In other words, we end up having to figure out what’s really stopping us. Why do we tend to back off at a certain depth? I assumed it was simply because it’s always easier to spread out and enjoy the rapid progress at the beginning of something else, than it is to tough it out with irregular French verbs or tricky guitar chords.
Presumably, it is sometimes only that. But I think more often we stop digging because we find something extremely painful about working past a certain point, and we don’t want to sort it out. We don’t want to run into our limits, we don’t want to feel dumb, we don’t want to get rejected. We don’t want to put our hearts on the line if we don’t have to, and all the important things involve our hearts.”              
   
                                                   ~ David Cain

                                                   
“THE READING or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally – not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God’s word for us this day….
 
     IN THE ancient tradition lectio divina was understood as being one of the most important ways in which Christians experience God in creation. After all, the Scriptures are part of creation! If one is daily growing in the art of finding Christ in the pages of the Bible, one naturally begins to discover Him more clearly in aspects of the other things He has made. This includes, of course, our own personal history.”

                                                   ~ St. Andrew’s Abbey
 
 
Examen:  Can I name a book or thing which has had “a message” for me recently?  How does my understanding of reading the world help my students?  Am I courting novelty in my classroom?

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Having found the book: Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:11 Bk.II.
In other words: “Why the Depth Year Was My Best Year,” Raptitude.com, December 30, 2018, https://www.raptitude.com/2018/12/why-the-depth-year-was-my-best-year/.
The reading or listening: “Accepting the Embrace of God: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina,” Saint Andrew’s Abbey, The reading or:, accessed June 7, 2024, https://saintandrewsabbey.com/our-daily-life/accepting-the-embrace-of-god-the-ancient-art-of-lectio-divina/.

Day 24 Breakfasted meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025

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