"I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of Lectio Divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart (cf. Dei Verbum- n.25) If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church - I am convinced of it - a new spiritual springtime."

- Pope Benedict XVI , September 2005

Lectio Divina is not a catechesis or a teaching but it is a prayer, a divine reading, a personal encounter with God in Sacred Scripture.

Each episode begins with a glimpse of Cardinal Collins presiding over Vespers at St. Michael's Cathedral in downtown Toronto. Lectio Divina follows immediately afterwards. In each session, Cardinal Collins slowly reads an excerpt from Scripture, offers a short reflection, and invites the congregation to quietly meditate on the passage. More than that, Lectio Divina is not intended to increase our intellectual knowledge of the Bible [though it also has that effect]; instead, it is intended to draw us closer to God, and to transform our attitudes and behaviour.

Season 14: Psalms & Canticles
2020 – 2021
The Psalms and Canticles are the songs of the Bible. For 3,000 years, they have given life to the People of God in times of sorrow and joy. On the Cross, Jesus prayed a psalm. Since the earliest days of the Church, the psalms have been at the centre of private prayer and liturgical prayer - in the Mass and in the Liturgy of the Hours prayed throughout the day by priests, deacons, religious and laity. Join us in meditating upon selected psalms during Lectio Divina in 2020-2021.

Here are the airdates for the season:

September 20, 2020 Episode 1
An invitation to Prayer (Psalm 95)
October 11, 2020 Episode 2
The Two Ways (Psalm 1)
November 8, 2020 Episode 3
Anxiety in the Night (Psalm 6)
December 13, 2020 Episode 4
How Great Is Your Name O Lord Our God (Psalm 8 & Psalm 19:1-7)
January 10, 2021 Episode 5
In Life's Struggle: Despair and Trust (Psalm 13 & Psalm 11)
February 14, 2021 Episode 6
A Life of Honour (Psalm 15 & Psalm 112)
March 14, 2021 Episode 7
My God, My God (Psalm 22)
April 18, 2021 Episode 8
With My God I Can Scale Any Wall (Psalm 18:1-30)
May 9, 2021
9pm ET/ 6pm PT
Episode 9 A Canticle of Triumph Through Sorrow (Tobit 13:1-8)
June 13, 2021
9pm ET/ 6pm PT
Episode 10 The Majesty of God (Psalm 29 & Psalm 150)


Watch it LIVE online, on ROKU, or subscribe to Salt + Light
** For more information on Lectio Divina with Cardinal Thomas Collins, including the Cathedral schedule, and archive of previous sessions, visit the Archdiocese of Toronto website.


Witness Interview - Archbishop Thomas Collins :