Deborah Torley Stephan
Benner, Juliette. Contemplative Vision: A Guide to Christian Art and Prayer. Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.
493 words
“What images and inner associations form for you when you think of contemplative prayer . . . nuns sitting in prayerful stillness . . . monks in a monastery walking in silence in a cloister . . . Can you see yourself in the picture that forms for you?” (Benner,11)
“Contemplative prayer is for all Christians. It is our response to God’s invitation to relational intimacy . . . a receptive form of prayer . . . “ ( “ )
“Teresa of Avila has described it as the gaze of faith that is fixed on Jesus –– sharing time alone with a good friend . . . Regular practice of this type of prayer is not merely a discipline but is a way of moving prayer from the closet to the rest of your life.” (12)
“My training as a visual artist first oriented me to the priority of careful noticing . . . docent in an art gallery . . . teaching people how to really see what they were looking at. This translated well into my subsequent work as a spiritual director . . . physical seeing a doorway to spiritual seeing . . . Judeo-Christian art . . . as an aid to contemplative prayer.” (13)
“These great works of art . . . were central to the way churches proclaimed the Word.” (15)
“It opens us to the mystery of that which cannot be reduced to thoughts or beliefs. It helps us love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul and all of our strength.” (16)
“As we carefully gaze on the painting, we enter the world it depicts –– into its time and place. When we do this, all time becomes present time, and we are led into the eternal presence –– into the One who is ever present to us. Such openness allows us to be filled more completely with the Spirit and drawn into a deeper relationship with God.” (19)
“Becoming attuned to the Spirit of God through the practice of contemplative prayer, we find that we also more attuned to others.” (20)
“We will examine how transformed vision will shape the way we live in and relate to the world.” (21)
“The questions are intended to provide you with an opportunity for deeper engagement with both the paintings and the biblical texts they are based on. Use them as a way of noticing and responding to the gifts and invitations that you may have received from the Spirit of God.” (23)
“We are so used to being busy that we treat it as an essential characteristic of the good life.” (27)
“Rather than thinking of prayer as communicating with God, think of it as an openness to God. Unceasing prayer is, then, unceasing openness to God. ” (55)
“Jesus created a close-knit community of followers bound strongly together in love.” (121)
“Journal about your experience . . . “ (173)
ShellseekerReflections 