Guigo, a monk, tells us that 4 steps: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation, make a ladder for monks by which they are lifted up from earth to heaven, it has few rungs, yet its length is immense and wonderful, for its lower end rests upon the earth, but its top pierces the clouds and touches heavenly secrets.
Lectio Divina is a prayer with the sacred scriptures, we read, we seek to understand, we ponder, we take time for stillness and we respond. It is a way of life, not just a method of prayer. Lectio: reading in a careful and focused manner. Meditatio: thorough reflecting on what emerged during the reading. (This meditation provides the language, vocabulary, and subject matter for conversing with God. Meditation leads to the dialogue of prayer. Oratio: where one expresses how the matter of mediation moves one's heart. Prayer can dispose us to the gift of contemplation. Contemplatio: which is the experience of God marked by joy and peace which transforms our lives.