Category: sacred seeing

Anniversary of thankfulness

On By dpavinatoIn Life in the Spirit, sacred seeing, Spiritual Journey, spirituality1 Comment

We were looking forward to something special, this Thanksgiving, as a family. Life had other plans and as a result we experienced a roller coaster of emotions dealing with the change in plans. It is easy to get disappointed after realizing something we desired so much can’t take place. This morning I found myself thinking of many wonderful Thanksgivings in the past. It helped me to take a fresh look at this Thanksgiving and look forward, God willing, to the many Thanksgivings in our future.

My Mom and Dad were married on Thanksgiving Day. It was November 24th, which this year is Friday, but my Dad always recalled their anniversary and celebrated on Thanksgiving Day. Well, I actually think it gave him a reason to celebrate twice, if the 24th didn’t fall on Thanksgiving Day!

My uncle Tony and aunt Marilyn were married on November 24th as well, but not on Thanksgiving Day. Gene and Stacie, my brother and sister-in-law, were married on November 28th and my niece, Maureen, and her husband, Ben, were married on November 30th. My nephew, Eugene, and his wife, Jennifer, celebrate their anniversary in December so still within the special bookends of Thanksgiving and Christmas, seasons of thanksgiving, joy and love. The holidays have always been a time to come together to celebrate as a family but then also a time to give thanks for the gift of family that continues to love and grow as a result of the commitment that is made in marriage.

So whether Thanksgiving will be a raucous family celebration or a quiet day at home, take some time to appreciate special memories and family members of Thanksgivings past. Say a prayer of blessing over those you are gathered with and especially over those you cannot gather with. Be at peace with the day, no matter how it turns out.

Wishing you abundant love and peace this Thanksgiving! Deena

Finding light in the darkness

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, praying for peace, sacred seeing, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

Sunny days like yesterday and today give me hope. I know it will stay light a little longer, perhaps until 5 or so, instead of 4:30 on dark and cloudy days. I treasure whatever moments of daylight we can get before the evening settles in.

I canceled my cable subscription a couple of months ago. I don’t miss the mindless TV and have other opportunities to catch up on news each day. I have a streaming app for $6/mo and can watch local Chicago news if I am free or something is happening that I want a quick update on. With YouTube and phone news apps, as well as ability to search for anything online, there are ways to stay informed. It is important to stay informed, but not let the news of the world consume or overwhelm us.

After reading a link to The Washington Post from Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, I was left confused reading the disagreements between United States, the United Nations, Israel and Hamas over the differences between a humanitarian pause and temporary cease-fire regarding the war in the Middle East. Neither side can agree or is willing to budge for the sake of the lives of innocent civilians. Both were viewed as “tactical pauses” that would result in the continuation of the war and continue to delay the work of those trying to get aid to those impacted by the war as well as continue to negotiate the release of hostages. It can be overwhelming to think about the pain and suffering of all the lives being ravaged by this war.

In a world that feels more and more divisive, with the wars in our world, as well as political and religious dissension looming large in the news, I found comfort in the words I saw in a post yesterday of the first African-American Nobel prize winning author Toni Morrison (1931-2019), written in 2015:

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge – even wisdom.

Like art.”

In his Angelus message today from Rome, Pope Francis also offers us words to reflect on, looking to the Gospel for today, from St. Matthew, and the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 prepared and 5 unprepared with their lantern oil, for the arrival of the bridegroom and the wedding feast. The Pope asks us to consider the many ways we are more concerned with the things of the world, our appearance and our image to others, instead of “taking care of the things that cannot be seen…caring for the heart.” He suggests we should not ignore the “oil of inner life” and take time to look at our inner lives, of God’s gaze upon us.

Let us let the chaos in our world, lead us to that time of inner reflection, listening deeply to how God might be calling us to reach out to others in our broken world.

Like Bela in my photo today, look for the light wherever you can find it. Find stories of hope and inspiration. Stay informed but pray for peace and watch for the uplifting stories of those helping others, whether in war ravaged parts of our world, like the Middle East and Ukraine, aid being given to refuges being bused to cities with no homes or job, or those seeking to help those less fortunate in our country – veterans, mentally unstable and the homeless. Keep our inner lanterns replenished with nourishing oil by dedicating time to the matters of the heart and soul, being service to others as much as we are able, and to the things that matter to our spiritual lives.

Abundant blessings, Deena

A picture paints a thousand words

On By dpavinatoIn Benedictine Oblate, sacred listening, sacred seeing, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

Last week I talked about the power of sacred reading, or Lectio Divina. This week I am going to share a few thoughts on Visio Divina, or sacred seeing. When we view a painting, sculpture, landscape, photo, or gaze at nature we can, if open to the invitation, allow our hearts and minds to view life in a new way, shift our focus from the mundane, enter a sacred silence, and allow that image to speak to us of greater realities.

As I mentioned last week, I was doing some audio recording, guided Lectio Divina and Visio Divina reflections, for an Advent retreat and I thought about my upcoming pilgrimage to Italy. I recall from my last trip to Italy, and more recently to Spain and Portugal, seeing beautiful and moving artwork. Artwork that touched me on a spiritual level. Artwork that helped me speculate about my spiritual beliefs on a deeper level. For this trip, I am especially looking forward to seeing the Fra Angelico frescos in Florence at the San Marco Museum, which was formerly a Dominican convent. Far Angelico was a monk there, then later the Prior, who painted the walls so that monks could reflect on the images of scripture as they prayed in their cells (rooms). Some of his paintings are my favorite but I have only seen most in images online. I wait in eager anticipation of seeing these frescos in person.

In a recent article written by the team at Center for Action and Contemplation, thoughts by Barbara Holmes regarding sacred art were shared in the daily email update. They quoted Barbara as saying: “Art can amplify the sacred and challenge the status quo. The arts help us to hear above the cacophony in the midst of our multitasking. The arts engage a sacred frequency that is perforated with pauses. Artists learned … there were things too full for human tongues, too alive for articulation. You can dance and rhyme and sing it, you almost reach it in the high notes, but joy unspeakable is experience and sojourn, it is the ineffable within our reach.” “This shift of focus bends us toward the universe, a cosmos of soul and spirit, bone and flesh, which constantly reaches toward divinity.”

Visio Divina can unfold in the same four steps as Lectio – read a scripture and/or gaze at the image asking what captures your attention, reflect again asking what the image might have to say to you, view it again and state a prayer that comes to mind or a grace you seek in life, then lastly sit in silence and just be in the presence of God.

While Lectio is listening with “the ear of the heart”, we can say that Visio Divina is praying with the “eyes of the heart”. During my pilgrimage I am going to share some photos of art or images along the journey. I might add a scripture or reflection based on the art we encounter. I invite you to spend some time with the images and see what it inspires for you.

This week’s image is a favorite. It is a watercolor by Corby Eisbacher entitled Jump for Joy, depicting the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. You can visit Art by Corby on Etsy here. Spend some time with the image. What speaks to you as you view it? What does the image have to say to you?

Create Joy, Deena