Praying with Art

Recently I attended a Visio Divina retreat offered by Sr. Judith Sutera at Sophia Center. The retreat focused on how we can pray with art, which is a new concept for me. However, asking what God may be saying to us through a painting, sculpture, or stained glass window is merely another way of following St. Benedict’s directive to listen and incline the ear of our heart.

During the retreat, we had the opportunity to choose one of the many pieces of art that grace Sophia Center and spend time praying with it. I was drawn to a painting of a stone bridge that formed an arch over a stream; the arch and its reflection formed a perfect circle in the center of the painting. The thought occurred to me, “What if that circle is the eye of God?” If so, it would mean that the eye of God/the watchful presence of God provides a support for us to get from one side of a bridge to the other. It would also mean that God is not watching us from afar but is in the very midst of our lives. Furthermore, in this painting, a person standing on the bridge would not be able to see the eye of God; rather, it would be necessary to step to the edge of the bridge or even outside the frame to see be able to see God’s presence.

I was surprised at the insights generated by my time with this painting and hope that this experience will change the way I interact with art in the future.