Do you practice “divine seeing?”
We understand if not! In fact, it seems like a very odd question. However, after learning about this prayer practice you’ll understand why it may be a good thing to pursue during your busy days.
We live in a world flooded with images. Between endlessly scrolling on our phones, signs, and access to streaming media, we see more in a day than most people in history saw in a lifetime. And yet, we rarely see deeply. Most of the time, all an image gets is a quick glance from us before we forget about it entirely.
That’s where Visio Divina—“divine seeing”—comes in.
Like its sister practice, Lectio Divina, which invites us to pray with Scripture, Visio Divina invites us to pray with images. It’s the ancient art of encountering God through sacred art, slowing down and letting beauty become a doorway to His presence.
God created us to be creatures who saw. Although He may be unseen, He created our vision to be a way of encountering Him. Visio Divina helps us hone this ability and helps us to slow down and appreciate the beauty God has placed all around us.
Although the term divine seeing seems a little daunting, it is actually a very simple practice to start. Here is a short guide to getting started:
How to Practice Visio Divina
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Look. Gaze quietly at a sacred image—a crucifix, icon, or painting. Let your eyes rest and wander.
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Reflect. Notice what draws you in. A gesture, color, or face might stir something within you. Ask: What is God showing me here?
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Respond. Speak to God from the heart. Offer your thoughts, questions, or gratitude.
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Rest. Simply remain with Him, allowing silence to complete the prayer.
If this practice seems a little new fangled to you, don’t worry! It is truly an ancient practice of the Church and one beloved by many saints. Here are a few saints who regularly practiced visio divina:
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St. John of Damascus defended the use of icons, teaching that images can lead us to the invisible God by way of the visible world.
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St. Francis of Assisi saw God’s beauty reflected in every part of creation—the sun, the moon, even the humble sparrow. His heart was one long act of divine seeing.
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St. Thérèse of Lisieux prayed through holy cards and images of Jesus and Mary, letting them lift her mind to heaven when words failed.
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Bl. Fra Angelico, the Dominican friar-painter, would pray before painting and was said to weep while creating sacred images—his art was a prayer in color.
For these saints, beauty was more than decoration, it was revelation and a way to enter into conversation with our Creator.
In an age ruled by screens, Visio Divina is more than a devotional—it’s a healing.
The constant stream of images we consume often distorts our vision. Visio Divina restores our sight and helps us learn where to direct our gaze.
When practiced, it can retrain the eye to linger, not scroll—to behold, not consume.
As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “A work of art can open the eyes of the mind and heart. Perhaps sometimes, before a sculpture, a painting, a few verses of a poem or a song, you have experienced deep within an intimate emotion, a sense of joy, that is to have clearly perceived that in front of you there was not only matter, a piece of marble or bronze, a painted canvas, a series of letters or a combination of sounds, but something bigger, something that speaks, capable of touching the heart, of communicating a message; elevating the soul.”
Are you interested in starting this practice? We recommend beginning with an image of Christ or Our Lady. By meditating on these images, we are invited to contemplate the Incarnation and enter into deeper relationship with Our Lord.
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