The Five Loaves ™     2014                                                                                                           

Lent & Easter       (7 Sessions)  $39 

 

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Notes on the Spiritual Practice of Visio Divina

 

The practice of meditating on visual images has recently been identified as Visio Divina or Divine Seeing. This form of meditation relies on the visual arts as a source of divine revelation, which the viewer approaches in a meditative way in order to glean inspiration and insight.

 

Lectio Divina differs from Visio Divina in that the object of meditation of the former i.e. the Bible is considered to be divinely inspired and thus communicates divine truth and will directly. This is somewhat different when it comes to art. Sacred art today is commonly understood as a human interpretation of the divine truth, revealed in sacred scripture but enlightened by two millennia of human experience. In a sense, sacred art then is not a ‘primary source’ but rather a ‘secondary source’ for the knowledge of God’s truth. In this way, sacred art can be compared to the homily or sermon, which is a textual interpretation of the Bible, with the intent to make the readings more accessible to 21st century Christians.

 

The Church embraces sacred art as an “echo of the mystery of Creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate” artists. (John Paul II, Letter to Artists, 1.)  In other words, even though contemporary Christian art is not understood to be the direct result of Divine inspiration, there is a clear recognition of the fact that sacred artists connect with the creative power of God.

 

Visio Divina then, is the meditation on a visual interpretation of the Word of God. The art is created out of a meeting between the Word of God and the creativity of a particular artist. Once created, the work of art begins its own existence freed from the meaning giving control of the artist. In the encounter between the art and the beholder, new levels of meaning are born. No one comes to art with a clear heart, soul and mind free from the events of the day. All beholders approach the art from their own history, their fears and joys, their sorrows and pain. It is often through the hues of these realities that the art appears before the beholder.

 

Indeed, despite some misconceptions, this age is a tremendously fertile age in terms of sacred art in general and Christian art in particular. The Church continues to be graced with artists who provide food for Visio Divina, including video art forms.

 

 

 

 

Faith Sharing Group Resources for Advent and Lent

 

Between Sundays In Season™ includes:

  • Complete session plan for small group leaders, or a large group format with breakouts
  • ​Ready-to-print participant handouts
  • ​Direct link to each Between Sundays Visio Divina  weekly video reflection

We are a visual generation now - using our eyes to engage information and thousands of images for work or recreation throughout the day. 

 

In Season™ adds a visual dimension to small group scripture study.

It engages the eyes for prayer, reflection and faith-sharing. In addition to ready-to-print leader guides and participate handouts, In Season™ provides a link to each week's reflection video, adding the element of Visio Divina to your experience.