Have you ever seen this iconic piece on the walls of the offices of the Catholic News? You may not know it, but it is done by Jo-ann Taylor-Smith whom we feature again this week. You may remember that Jo ann hails from the parish of Our Lady of Assumption in South Oropuche. She is also a beautiful wife and mother and her story reminds us to bloom where we are planted.
With a lack of formal training in art, the Covid 19 lockdown of 2020 became a period of rejuvenation for Jo Ann. She finally had enough time between work and taking care of her family to sit down and paint. And paint she did! With the help of the right YouTube tutorials Jo Ann was able to develop new techniques and suddenly she saw herself blossoming.
She said, “ My art just poured out like a secret I was dying to share. It became my stress relief, I reconnected with nature, once again looking at colors, shades and it made me reflective that God often bring us full circle to where we need to be”.
In the midst of Covid 19 one of the things that challenged me was the attack on catholics by the now “woke” people who questioned our loyalty to a “white” Jesus. Today we present to you the Trini Jesus and we would love to get your feedback on this Visio Divina piece;
Visio Divina (Latin for “divine seeing”) is a method for praying with images. Through Visio Divina we invite you to see beyond first and second impressions, and even beyond your initial ideas, judgments, or understandings. Our hope is to create a connection to the divine through local art.
So here is how we are going to do it.
Set aside 15 minutes in the day for the guided prayer experience
As you begin to prayer take a few minutes to open your heart and mind to God.
When you are ready, slowly look and notice the image, taking your time to let feelings and thoughts come to you as you take in forms, figures, colors, lines, textures, and shapes. What does it look like, or remind you of? What are your initial thoughts? What feelings are evoked?
Now, return to the image with an open heart and mind again. You may now experience new thoughts, meanings, and feelings. Start, exploring new meanings and feeling that come to you associated with the image. Be aware of any assumptions or expectations that you bring to the image. Regardless of your response to the image — delight, disgust, indifference, and confusion — contemplate prayerfully the reason for your response and what these responses might mean for and about you.
As you go deeper in this prayer, open yourself to what the image might reveal to you. What does the Spirit want to say, evoke, make known, or express to you in quiet meditation? What are your feelings, thoughts, desires, and meanings evoked by the image and how they are directly connected to your life?
Now, take the time to respond to God. Jot down in a journal the insights you want to remember, actions you are invited to take, wisdom you hope to embody, or any feelings or thoughts you wish to express. Bring your prayer to a close by resting in God’s grace and love.
Source info: https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2009/07/praying-with-art-visio-divina