Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition

by Hans Boersma

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2023

Holy Scripture requires holy reading

2023 Credo Magazine Book Award Winner - Theological Retrieval

Jesus is the point of reading the Bible. Christians read Scripture to encounter Christ and be conformed to his image. Scripture is no mere human text; it is God’s living word. So how should we read it?

For Christians throughout the centuries, the answer has been lectio divina—“divine reading.” In Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition, Hans Boersma invites Christians to retrieve this ancient and meditative way of reading the Bible. Lectio divina is a sacramental reading. It aims to take us more deeply into the life of God. Through practicing the four movements of lectio divina—attentive reading, extended meditation, prayerful reflection, and silent resting—we have a structured and simple way to focus on Christ, listen to the Spirit, and rest in God’s love. We no longer simply read the words of Scripture; instead, we read the face of God in the eternal Word.

Drawing insights from our forefathers, such as Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, and Bernard of Clairvaux, Pierced by Love encourages Christians to join the church’s rich heritage of transformative reading.

Praise for Pierced by Love

This book is a work of spiritual instruction by one of the true spiritual masters of our time.

—Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

The early and medieval church knew that reading the Bible meant being entered into as much as entering the text. Boersma reacquaints us with the dangers and costs as well as the fruits of divine reading.

—Jessica Hooten Wilson, visiting scholar at Pepperdine University; author, The Scandal of Holiness

Love for Christ flies off every page. With gentle profundity, Hans Boersma guides his reader through the healing process of lectio divina with the skill of a master, a master wounded by the arrow of the Master of all.

—Alexis Torrance, associate professor and Archbishop Demetrios College Chair of Byzantine Theology, University of Notre Dame

Contents

• Divine Reading of Divine Scripture
• Transfiguration
• Acrophobia
• Paying Attention
• Swirling Thoughts
• Chewing and Belching
• Trees
• Bread of Tears
• The Better Part
• Into Great Silence

Product Details

• Title: Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition
• Author: Hans Boersma
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2023
• Pages: 280
• Format: Logos Digital, Hardcover
• Trim Size: 5.5x8.25
• ISBN: 9781683596776

About Hans Boersma

Hans Boersma (PhD, University of Utrecht) is the Order of St. Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House. He is the author of several books, including Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition, Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church, Sacramental Preaching: Sermons on the Hidden Presence of Christ, and Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry. He previously taught at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, and he is an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church in North America.