This video is the second of a course offered several years ago. The Center for Benedictine Life will update it for its current audience, but until then, you can imagine yourself on retreat with Sr. Teresa.
Silence and Listening
Reading: Sacred Rhythms: “Invitation to Prayer”; Jan Marie Richardson, “Silence”, Tim Mooney, “Praying With Art: Visio Divina”
Practices:
-Continue your practice of daily silence. If that practice is going fairly well try to increase your daily time to 15”.
- As part of your assignment this week you will receive five pictures, each based on a passage of Scripture. You can print them out or just look at them on your computer screen. Spend time each day with a different picture. Spend time just gazing at the picture, pondering it, let it speak to you. Go deeper than “I like it or I don’t like it.” Don’t analyze the picture like you are in an art class. You aren’t looking for technique, composition, etc. Just see where the picture takes you. Try to spend 10-15” a day on each picture. (The pictures are: Rembrandt, The Prodigal; Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation; Sigfried Koder, Foot Washing; Windsock (African) Visitation; Coptic icon of the Theophany (Baptism of Jesus). There are five pictures, I suggest spending time with them in the above order and then after you have spent a day with each of them you may want to go back and spend extra time with a favorite.
Reflection Questions: 1) What was your practice like this week? What helped you stay with it? What tripped you up? What are you going to commit to doing to make yourself do it? 2) What insights did you find from your practice? 3) What was it like to spend time with the pictures, what insights can you share?
Tip of the Week: Take one of the pictures that particularly struck you and put it on your desk or another place that you look at regularly. Regularly come back to that picture and let it take you back to your reflections.
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