Visio Divina
Visio divina invites the viewer into "divine seeing." Visio divina shares roots with the ancient practice of lectio divina. (Lectio divina calls for a slow, careful interaction with scripture through meditation and prayer, allowing a word or phrase to rise in our consciousness, a holy word to savour and examine.) Similarly, Visio Divina invites us to encounter the divine through images. A prayerful consideration of and interaction with a photograph, an icon, a piece of art, or other visual representation allows the viewers to experience the divine in a unique and powerful way.
Look at the image and let your eyes stay with the first thing you see. Focus your attention on the part of the image that first catches your eye. Try to keep your eyes from wandering to other parts of the picture. Breathe deeply and let yourself gaze at that part of the image for a minute or so. Let your eyes now gaze at the whole image. Take your time and look at every part of the photograph. See it all. Reflect on the image for a minute or so. Consider the following questions: • What emotions does this image evoke in you? • What does the image stir up in you, bring forth in you? • Does this image lead you into an attitude of prayer? If so, let these prayers take form in you. Write them down if you desire. • Ask God to speak to you through what you’ve noticed and then take time to listen. Offer your prayers to God now in a final time of silence, praying about what you have experienced through focusing on the image. You might consider printing the image on a page ( to keep like a journal page) where you can reflect back on what you learned.
Road to Emmaus by Daniel Bonnell, 2011 A.D. Luke 24:32 32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
In this Visio Divina, contemplate John Everett Millais’ Christ in the House of His Parents. This imaginative scene is not found in the Gospels, yet it’s full of meaning, illustrating the ways in which the Holy Family prepares for the ministry of Jesus. As you gaze at it, what do you notice? What do you feel? A red-haired Jesus has wounded his hand on a nail, a foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Mary consoles him and St. Anne removes the offending nail. John brings a basin of water, showing how he will prepare for the coming of Jesus by baptizing. They are all preaching without words in these acts of caring. Pray in contemplation over this image. How has this encounter helped you on your journey? Offer a prayer of thanks for the insights from this meditation.
The Baptism of Christ is a famous painting made by Leonardo da Vinci's master, Andrea del Verrochio at circa 1472 in his studio in Italy. The painting was completed by Verrochio in collaboration with his apprentice, Leonardo da Vinci who painted and finished the details of some parts of the painting, particularly the angel. The painting was an altarpiece commissioned by the monks of the San Salvi Church near Florence. The Baptism of Christ was mainly done by Verrochio using tempera on wood. The painting depicts St. John the Baptist during the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ as according to the Gospels of Luke, Mark and Matthew. Two angels on the left side of the painting complete the four figures in the artwork. The scene illustrated by the painting includes God's extended arms painted with golden rays and dove with its wings widely spread, a halo with cruciform is painted on top of Jesus' head and another halo on top of St. John the Baptist. The two angels are holding Jesus' clothes. The angel on the left side is the part done by Leonardo da Vinci. He used oil, which was at that time a new medium in painting.
"It is Finished" is an awe-inspiring print, a profound testament to the profound narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation found within Scripture. Created in 2010 as a part of the larger body of work titled "What Breathes Beneath Our Story," this masterpiece is a visual symphony that encapsulates the entire cosmic saga of human existence. In "It is Finished," the artist masterfully brings together the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ into a single, breathtaking tableau that stretches across the cosmos. This piece transcends the boundaries of time and space, rendering the story of redemption as a celestial tapestry.