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.
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Jesus Appears at Emmaus
JESUS MAFA. Jesus appears at Emmaus, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48275 [retrieved April 17, 2021]. Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr (contact page: https://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr/contact).
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Liberation
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 3
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God has been met and known, even in a human life that was once a helpless infant. In a human life the limits of finitude have been broken, including the ultimate barrier of death, that is the story we have to tell….[But] we do not capture Christ. Our minds do not embrace Christ. Our words point to Christ. Our images interact with Christ….Who is Christ for our day? What images can we employ that will enable us to be the body of Christ with integrity while remaining women and men of relevance in our generation?
John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 3
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
By the time we get to this passage in Luke 24, the disciples in the room have heard the report of Peter and John from the tomb, the report of Mary that she had seen Jesus, and now the report from the two disciples that had just come back from Emmaus. In addition, they had heard all of Jesus' teaching that he would die and be resurrected. Despite all of this, they still did not understand. Jesus was not impatient with them, however. He patiently demonstrated that he was alive and helped them understand all that they had seen and experienced.
We are frequently the same way. When we are in the middle of challenging circumstances, we frequently struggle to understand. We struggle with doubt and we wonder where God is, what he is doing, or if he has abandoned us. Just as he was patient with them, he is also patient with us. If we ask, God will help us begin to understand where he is and what he is doing in our lives. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me understand
Overview
By the time we get to this passage in Luke 24, the disciples in the room have heard the report of Peter and John from the tomb, the report of Mary that she had seen Jesus, and now the report from the two disciples that had just come back from Emmaus. In addition, they had heard all of Jesus' teaching that he would die and be resurrected. Despite all of this, they still did not understand. Jesus was not impatient with them, however. He patiently demonstrated that he was alive and helped them understand all that they had seen and experienced.
We are frequently the same way. When we are in the middle of challenging circumstances, we frequently struggle to understand. We struggle with doubt and we wonder where God is, what he is doing, or if he has abandoned us. Just as he was patient with them, he is also patient with us. If we ask, God will help us begin to understand where he is and what he is doing in our lives. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me understand
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
What the disciples understood that Jesus was really back and were finally beginning to understand his mission, Jesus commissioned them as witnesses of everything they had seen and heard. In the same way, Jesus has commissioned us to be witnesses of what we have seen and heard. We shouldn't try to argue people into believing in Jesus, that is not our job. We are not the lawyers, we are the witnesses. All God has called us to do is to testify to what we have seen and heard; how we have experienced God in our lives and in the lives of others. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, make me a witness of you
Overview
What the disciples understood that Jesus was really back and were finally beginning to understand his mission, Jesus commissioned them as witnesses of everything they had seen and heard. In the same way, Jesus has commissioned us to be witnesses of what we have seen and heard. We shouldn't try to argue people into believing in Jesus, that is not our job. We are not the lawyers, we are the witnesses. All God has called us to do is to testify to what we have seen and heard; how we have experienced God in our lives and in the lives of others. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, make me a witness of you