Joy Luk Pat is a multi-faceted, dynamic catholic woman of faith. She is a wife and the mother of two boys who believes that she is called to use her art to make a difference in the world. “ I  also want to teach my children that it is ok to follow your passion and dream.  I want them to see me try and understand the value of trying, and  to show them that if you fail you  can get up and try again”

Joy is married to popular local photographer Damian Luk Pat and actually belongs to two parishes,  St Finbars in Diego Martin and Holy Cross in Santa Cruz.  Like most other Catholics, the ties to the church of their first communion and confirmation seem unbreakable.  “St Finbars is home, it’s where my mother is, it’s where I  made my confirmation,  got married, and baptized my two children.

She admits that she had to make some changes due to the pandemic, “Two unvaccinated children under the age of 12  have not made it easy but we find our way” She said, rosary nights with the school, watching the mass online, listening to music in the car and praying together as a family is all ways in which she continues to instill the tenets of catholicism to her sons.

It is that deep-rooted faith in God that allowed Joy to leave her Management level job at a major manufacturing company in March 2021 to take a leap of faith and become a full-time artist.  “I chose to take a chance on myself”.  Then she said, “Many people live a life of regret. I  don’t want to be one of those people”

Joy said that she had been drawing and painting her whole life but after secondary school, she decided to further her career in Business instead.  “The art came out in Graphic design and interior decor and in other ways”. In 2016 she started exhibiting and in March she went full time into art.  “It is my passion “.  She admits that it was a brave move to make in the midst of a pandemic but she said, “My Purpose in life is to use art as a message for good and to bring positive change to the world through her art” Her work is presently on display at Thinkartworktt studios, Smile Dental Clinic and the Rotunda Gallery.

Joy said,” I have a gift and I think it’s my responsibility to share it with the world”.

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 prayer 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, the 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 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