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.
He Hid His Lord's Money
He Hid His Lord's Money, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57778 [retrieved November 17, 2023]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hobler/14073476777 - Roman Hobler.
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Parable of the Three Servants, or, The Talents
JESUS MAFA. Parable of the Three Servants, or, The Talents, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48297 [retrieved November 17, 2023]. Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr (contact page: https://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr/contact).
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Exploring the Text: The servant's choice
At the beginning of this parable, the man going on a long journey gives a certain amount of money to each of his three servants according to their ability. Notice that each was given according to his ability. The master trusted each of them with what he had given them. He believed in their ability to handle it even if they did not do so themselves.
After he left, each of the servants faced a decision about what to do with what their master had given them. The first and the second went and used what the master had given them to double what they had. Notice what the second servant did not do. He did not compare himself with the first one who was given more and made more. He did not bemoan the fact that he was given less or that he was not as "successful" as the first one who made five talents to his two. Instead he focused on what he was given, did the best that he could with it, and rejoiced in his masters response. The second servant is probably the best example for us to try to follow.
The third servant made an entirely different choice. He chose to to hid what the master had given him so that it would not be lost. His choice was rooted in fear. He feared that he would lose what belonged to the master, he did not believe in the master's choice to give him the talent, and he feared what the master might say or think if he lost it. The biggest issue, though, was that he did not trust the heart of the master or his relationship with the master. Consequently, he chose to hide what the master had given him instead of using it.
While the second servant is probably the best example for us to follow, we often follow the path of the third. We don't recognize what God has given us or we are so afraid of messing up that we don't use it. We don't trust the heart of God enough to recognize that our relationship with him and his love for us is not conditioned on our performance. We are afraid that if we don't do well enough God will reject us so we simply don't try.
We might identify with the third servant, but we don't have to. We can make a different decision. Like the second servant, we can recognize the gifts, talents, abilities, and resources that God has given us, not worry about comparing ourselves to others, trust the heart of the master, and simply do our best for him.
David Dalton
At the beginning of this parable, the man going on a long journey gives a certain amount of money to each of his three servants according to their ability. Notice that each was given according to his ability. The master trusted each of them with what he had given them. He believed in their ability to handle it even if they did not do so themselves.
After he left, each of the servants faced a decision about what to do with what their master had given them. The first and the second went and used what the master had given them to double what they had. Notice what the second servant did not do. He did not compare himself with the first one who was given more and made more. He did not bemoan the fact that he was given less or that he was not as "successful" as the first one who made five talents to his two. Instead he focused on what he was given, did the best that he could with it, and rejoiced in his masters response. The second servant is probably the best example for us to try to follow.
The third servant made an entirely different choice. He chose to to hid what the master had given him so that it would not be lost. His choice was rooted in fear. He feared that he would lose what belonged to the master, he did not believe in the master's choice to give him the talent, and he feared what the master might say or think if he lost it. The biggest issue, though, was that he did not trust the heart of the master or his relationship with the master. Consequently, he chose to hide what the master had given him instead of using it.
While the second servant is probably the best example for us to follow, we often follow the path of the third. We don't recognize what God has given us or we are so afraid of messing up that we don't use it. We don't trust the heart of God enough to recognize that our relationship with him and his love for us is not conditioned on our performance. We are afraid that if we don't do well enough God will reject us so we simply don't try.
We might identify with the third servant, but we don't have to. We can make a different decision. Like the second servant, we can recognize the gifts, talents, abilities, and resources that God has given us, not worry about comparing ourselves to others, trust the heart of the master, and simply do our best for him.
David Dalton