“I know who I am”
October 28, 2021
Would I have said Yes?
October 28, 2021
Bernadette Hospedales is a parishioner from Tunapuna RC Church. She is an art teacher by day but an unbelievably talented artist and Sculptor by night.
Bernadette is known for her impressionistic type of art and her heavy brushwork, she is also known for her focus on aspects of the Trinidad and Tobago culture although her most recent pieces focus on the flora and fauna that make up the Trinidad and Tobago landscape.
Bernadette, who paints with acrylics, is also well known for her sculpture pieces and the amazing work she does on textiles.
Bernadette said, “Every time I paint I see the connection with God, he gave me the gift to be an artist! He is the inspiration behind everything I do”.
This piece that she shares with us is called the Dance the Bele
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 feelings 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, 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.
