Lectio divina.

Amy Welborn points to Pope Benedict’s encouraging us to pray the scriptures:

I want to mention the spread of the ancient practice of "lectio divina," or spiritual reading, of sacred Scripture. It consists of meditating fully on a biblical text, reading and rereading it, "ruminating it" in a certain sense, as the Fathers write, and squeezing all its "juice" so that it nourishes meditation and contemplation and, like sap, is able to irrigate concrete life.

How do you practice lectio divina?  I Googled it and looked around.  Here is an introduction.  It’s a specific technique of reading and meditation.  I’ll sum up:

1. Choose a text of the Scriptures to read and pray.
2. Sit comfortably and become silent and open.
3. Lectio:  Read the text slowly and "listen" for a word or phrase from it that speaks, to you, today.
4. Meditatio:  Memorize the word or phrase and repeat it slowly, "allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas.  Do not be afraid of ‘distractions’…. parts of yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self."
5. Oratio:  Speak to God, giving Him what you have found in your heart.
6. Contemplatio:  Rest and rejoice in God.
7. Repeat steps 3-6, if time permits.

I’m tempted to come up with a spiffy mnemonic to remember the four parts of the exercise, something like ACTS (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication) after reception of the Eucharist.    "El-moc" doesn’t seem to work very well.

This form of scripture reading has been around since a Carthusian monk came up with it in the 12th century.  It is part of the discipline of Benedictine life.