When God Speaks: Lectio Divina in Saint John of the Cross, the Ladder of Monks and the Rule of Carmel

Practicing lectio divina. Saint John of the Cross based his teaching of lectio divina on two major sources of spirituality: the Ladder of Monks, Guigo II's classic on the subject and the Rule of Carmel. From the first he received the structure: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation, and from the second the conditions and inspiration: "Each one of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, meditating the Lord’s law day and night (cf. Psa 1:2; Jos 1:8) and vigilant in prayer (cfr Eph 6:18)."