Integrity of Text refers to considering the entire Bible's consistency, stability and deepness when reading it. It means to rest with a single book of the Bible for a long time. It requires patience, attentiveness, sobriety and humility.
Here are 5 ways of reading he Bible that are NOT lectio divina:
1. The Bible as medicine chest - Flipping through the Bible and using Bible passages to "diagnose" and cure certain problems. Feeling alone? Read this passage. Limits God's word to a merely instrumental role.
2. Cutting the Bible - Letting the book of Scriptures fall open at a random page and reading the first passage that comes to your eye. The "responsibility" for what is found and read is attributed to God.
3. Grazing - Aimless meandering, flipping, skipping through the Bible. Sometimes this gives spiritual fruit, but often leads to boredom.
4. Liturgical reading - Sticking to a daily schedule of reading Biblical texts in the liturgy. Choice of passage is up to the liturgy itself, which is a good thing. Many of the same effects of lectio divina can happen through liturgical reading. A restricting aspect of liturgical reading is that only certain Biblical texts are chosen and the fluidity of scripture is missed. Liturgical reading is good, but it is not the same as lectio divina.
5. Texts in sequence - Some retreats choose texts of a specific series, often based on what the retreat participants are likely going through during the retreat. Although this too can bear spiritual fruit, it may seem manipulative for some people. Furthermore, it does not highlight the integrity of the Bible as a whole: a singly book.
Lectio Divina, by contrast, is letting yourself be led to God by the author of the particular book. You must drink the author's spirit. Spend one entire month with only one book of the Bible. The Word of God is soft and our hearts are hard. One who hears the word of God often will have his heart opened.
From "Sacred Reading - The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina" - Michael Casey
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