This year during Lent we are taking part in the collective practice of Visio Divina during our Sunday worship. Visio Divina is a way to pray with our eyes, using art and images to help us talk to God. This might be a new practice for some people, so here is some more information if you are curious about this practice. Lent is a good time to try out new practices, as we often use this season of reflection to draw close to God in a new way. When we experiment with new ways of praying, it can transform us and help us to see God’s world in new ways too.
Visio Divina is an ancient practice which helps us to worship God through the beauty of created things. You might have used Lectio Divina to encounter God through scripture. With Visio Divina we use images to encounter God. If you have ever gotten caught up in a church gazing at the art, statues, stained glass, mosaics, or even the architecture, you have been doing a form of Visio Divina, perhaps without even realizing.
Our connection with the Triune God is not contained to an intellectual understand, and the practice of Visio Divina allows us to open up to another form of encounter. With Visio God can connect with us through the heart, mind, body, soul, senses and imagination. The goal is not to analyze images, but to aid in our prayer, expand our imagination, and allow the Spirit to connect with us.
Visio Divina is does not only occur in a church building, there are countless ways to engage in this practice using both divine and human creations. We can use art in a museum, gallery, photographs, or book. We can reflect on architecture, icons, or the cross itself. We can also create our own images, praying through doodling, drawing, collaging, painting, sculpting, or any other artform.
Being in creation is also a deep source for practicing Visio Divina. Beholding the beauty around us can lead us into deep conversation with God. From pondering sweeping vistas to considering earthworms and fungi, we learn to see the world with the Creator’s eyes of love.
Although the name implies vision, Visio Divina is not only about using our sense of sight. Visio can be done by holding something in your hands, listening to music, or doodling your prayers. Practicing Visio in nature is a great way to engage with multiple senses at once. We will be using images to practice Visio during Lent at Cap, however, we will pull in the other senses too.
During the six Sundays of Lent we will be experimenting with different methods and techniques for Visio, including drawing our own prayers. Some methods might work better for you than others. However, if you are talking to God using human and divine creation, there really is no wrong way to do Visio Divina.
We know this practice might not end up being everyone’s favourite way of praying, and that’s okay, experimenting with new ways of prayer can also help us to discover what we don’t like! However, there might be some individuals who take Visio up as a new practice. There are some in our community who already faithfully use this practice, so we hope to learn from them too.
During this time of Lent, as we collectively engage with Visio Divina as a group, may it be a time where we learn to draw near to God in a new way. And as we draw near to God may we be transformed and find new ways of seeing God’s world around us.
