Visio Divina for women: Thursday, Sept 2

Today we feature another piece by the super talented Dr Debra Bartholomew who belongs to two parishes St Mary’s, St James which was her original parish, and Assumption in Maraval. Debra is an Ophthalmologist by day and artist by night and between all of that she is also the most amazing singer.

Her faith journey has had many twists and turns and through it all, she has held firmly to her faith. “I did some paintings for an exhibition and I met the Apostolic Nuncio there. I was in awe”. Then but a few days later, Debra found herself in an Intensive Care Unit with bleeding in her brain. But she said, it was “through prayers I was miraculously healed” for this reason, she also said, “I owe it all the Jesus”.

Debra is the single mother of two teenaged sons, but during the pandemic lockdown of 2020 she became unemployed and began painting on masks. This eventually became a full-blown business with which she was able to support her family during the pandemic.

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.

1. Set aside 20 minutes in the day for the guided prayer experience

2. As you begin to pray take a few minutes to open your heart and mind to God.

3. 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?

4. 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.

5. 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?

6. 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. Please email us as at forwomen@catholictt.org on the impact this activity may have had on your day, and be sure to share the artist’s image on your social media feeds.

Source info: https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2009/07/praying-with-art-visio-divina