Visio Divina

Our Wednesday Contemplative Prayer, which is currently held on Zoom, used the ritual of lectio divina during the Advent season, but in addition to biblical texts, we used poems by Mary Oliver that had been chosen to accompany the scripture readings. That was extended to continue through the Epiphany season in January. Lectio Divina is what you could call a more intimate way of reading the Bible, or another text such as a poem. It is less "intellectual" and more "heart-oriented." Instead if asking, "What does this text mean," you ask, "How does this text touch me personally?" "What moves me in this text?" "How do I hear God speaking directly to me in this text?" Today we started a new kind of lectio divina which is called visio divina. Instead of reading a text we looked at an image. This first time, Pastor Elisa chose the image. This was the image:

We were invited the contemplate this image and ask essentially the same questions we would ask of a text - how does this image touch me? What do I especially notice and how does it move me? I was struck especially by the ambiguity of the image. The gender of the figure is uncertain; their ethnicity is also uncertain. It is a person of color, but are they African-Americam or Native-American? Or something else? Is that a headband or a crown of thorns? Are they clutching their robes protectively or are we being hugged in that enbrae? Do the eyes hold pain or peace? Are we being jedged by that gaze or welcomed? Are they standing in front of a window, or are they part of the window? Is that a feather or a spear? Is that globe our planet earth or the cosmos? I found this ambiguity powerful rather than confusing. If this is an image of deity, it opened into a huge space. We learned later that this is a painting created in 1999 by a Vermont artist, Janet McKenzie, shich she titled "Jesus of the People." Here is some information about it: Late in 1999 Janet McKenzie's painting "Jesus of the People" was selected winner of the National Catholic Reporter's competition for a new image of Jesus by judge, Sister Wendy Beckett, host of the PBS show "Sister Wendy's Story of Painting". In the words of Sister Wendy, "This is a haunting image of a peasant Jesus - dark, thick-lipped, looking out on us with ineffable dignity, with sadness but with confidence. Over His white robe He draws the darkness of our lack of love, holding it to Himself, prepared to transform all sorrows if we will let Him." Ms McKenzie's position as winner has been life-altering as well as humbling. Her goal was to create a work of art in keeping with her beliefs as a person and artist, and inclusive of groups previously uncelebrated in His image especially African Americans and women. She hoped "Jesus of the People" might remind that we all are created in God's likeness. The worldwide welcoming celebration of this interpretation of Jesus and the gratitude expressed to her, as well as the onslaught of negative responses, affirm her belief that this work, this particular vision of Jesus, was meant to exist now.