This book provides an in-depth treatment of this spiritual craft in the monastic tradition. The author, an Australian Cistercian monk, seeks lectio divina as a guide to finding God, discerning meaning, and as a preparation to prayer and contemplation. Casey believes that sacred reading of the Bible or spiritual classics can be enhanced by assiduity, reverence, and compunction. We learn the most from scripture when it is applied directly to our lives. That is why the art of exegesis is so important. Casey completes this fine study with a reading list of patristic texts.