Take some time to pray and reflect with Rembrandt's painting Return of the Prodigal Son.
Visio Divina may sound familiar! It follows similar steps to lectio divina which is used to pray with scripture while visio divina is instead used with art.
The steps of visio divina are provided below, which can also be used for any other form of religious art to help you enter into prayer. Also provided are some specific reflection questions for this piece.
These can be used for any piece of art. To do on your own or with others. It works well to journal with this form of prayer if you would like.
Step One: Place yourself in a quiet place with limited distractions. Relax. Open your heart and mind to God.
Step Two: A first look: what do you see? What are the basic elements of the scene?
Step Three: A second look: Look closer at what your eye is drawn to, use the questions below if you’d like. Question the image.
Step Four: Prayer: Reflect on what you see and what you feel. Try to respond to God with these thoughts and questions. Ask what the Spirit is revealing in this image. Feel free to journal some thoughts if you wish.
Step Five: Response: Feel free to journal some final thoughts on this experience of prayer. Spend time contemplating how you feel called to respond within your life to this image and time of prayer. This can also be a time to share your experience with others around you.
Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’