Lectio Divina is a prayerful reading of Scripture. The monk listens carefully to the Word and tries to hear Jesus speaking to him in his heart. When the resonance is heard, the monk dwells with the Word, ponders it, and turns it into prayer. The motivation for Lectio Divina is expressed in this prayer of Saint Bede the Venerable:
I pray you good Jesus that as you have given me the grace to drink in with joy the word that gives knowledge of you, so in your goodness you will grant me to come at length to yourself, the source of all wisdom, to stand before your face forever.