Spiritual Practices: Visio Divina
Visio Divina, or sacred seeing, is a type of prayer in which we allow our hearts and imaginations to enter into an image or a scene in silence to see what God might have to say to us. You can find out more about Visio Divina here. Spend some time prayerfully reflecting on the images below and listen to what God might say to you through them.
Visio Divina, or sacred seeing, is a type of prayer in which we allow our hearts and imaginations to enter into an image or a scene in silence to see what God might have to say to us. You can find out more about Visio Divina here. Spend some time prayerfully reflecting on the images below and listen to what God might say to you through them.
|
Ecce Ancilla Domini! (Behold the Lord's Servant)
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, 1828-1882. Ecce Ancilla Domini! (Behold the Lord's Servant), from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54125 [retrieved December 24, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rossetti_Annunciation.jpg.
|
|
Annunciation
Lippi, Filippo, approximately 1406-1469. Annunciation, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58364 [retrieved December 24, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fra_Filippo_Lippi_-_Annunciation_-_WGA13231.jpg.
Note: A short essay on the artistic and spiritual meaning of this artwork is available from The Visual Commentary on Scripture, https://thevcs.org/annunciation/openings.
|
|
Living Out the Text: Mary's obedience
One of my favorite things about this passage is Mary's obedience to the plan of God. Notice that it is not a blind, unquestioning obedience, but a thoughtful and committed obedience. Mary asks for clarification, she wants to know how this is going to work she she is not married, but these questions do not keep her from accepting God's plan for her life. Rather, she accepts the angel's assurance that God can do the impossible and places her life in God's hands.
Sometimes when God asks us to do something for him, we tend to respond with one of two extremes. One is to not do anything until we understand everything completely. We are afraid to trust in God and we want to have it all figured out for ourselves. The other is to blindly run off doing what we think God has said without really engaging with him and getting to know his heart and his will. Consequently, we sometimes miss a full understanding of God's will and we try to accomplish it in our own power and in our own way.
Mary doesn't fall into either one of these extremes. She asks questions, she pursues a deeper understanding of God's will and a deeper relationship with him and she placers her faith in his promises. When we believe God is asking us to do something, it would benefit us to consider Mary and her obedience to God's will and to follower her example.
David Dalton
One of my favorite things about this passage is Mary's obedience to the plan of God. Notice that it is not a blind, unquestioning obedience, but a thoughtful and committed obedience. Mary asks for clarification, she wants to know how this is going to work she she is not married, but these questions do not keep her from accepting God's plan for her life. Rather, she accepts the angel's assurance that God can do the impossible and places her life in God's hands.
Sometimes when God asks us to do something for him, we tend to respond with one of two extremes. One is to not do anything until we understand everything completely. We are afraid to trust in God and we want to have it all figured out for ourselves. The other is to blindly run off doing what we think God has said without really engaging with him and getting to know his heart and his will. Consequently, we sometimes miss a full understanding of God's will and we try to accomplish it in our own power and in our own way.
Mary doesn't fall into either one of these extremes. She asks questions, she pursues a deeper understanding of God's will and a deeper relationship with him and she placers her faith in his promises. When we believe God is asking us to do something, it would benefit us to consider Mary and her obedience to God's will and to follower her example.
David Dalton