Rest with the Holy Family with Visio Divina

As we celebrate Christmas, we all know how easy is to get carried away with the business of the season. Maybe we are exhausted or spiritually drained. Here is the good news: when it comes to prayer, a little intention goes a long way. Taking the time to sit with the Lord in prayer can re-orient our hearts to truly enter into this Christmas season. Today, let’s pray with the Holy Family to prepare for Christ’s coming.

Praying with sacred art become a place of deep encounter, inviting us to rest where God Himself chose to dwell. Let’s spend a few moments entering into the gift of the Nativity with sacred art.

Pray with the Holy Family in “The Treasury”

We don’t need to complicate praying with sacred art. It begins with openness and noticing. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your heart, then spend time gazing at the work of sacred art. What do you see in this image?

Perhaps you notice the posture of each figure. Where are Mary and Joseph? What do you imagine they’re thinking? Observe the expressions on their faces. Notice the stillness. Let your eyes rest wherever they are drawn. What do you notice? The warm colors? The shape of a circle as the Holy Family stands close? Maybe you’re drawn to the youthfulness of these new parents, or the wonder in their eyes.

Now place yourself in this image. Where are you? How do you feel? Take some time and meet God in prayer here. What is He saying to you through this painting?

Here, Jesus allows Himself to be humble and vulnerable, resting in the arms of Mary. He is at rest, carried, held, and protected. What strikes you about this image? What do you long for this Christmas? Are there places in your life that you resist stillness? Do you believe God will meet you in the quiet, or only in productivity?

Ask God for what you need to enter into Christmas this season. Don’t be afraid to be specific:

• Ask Him for the grace to slow down
• for steady trust like Joseph
• for permission to rest without guilt
• for a posture of receptivity like Mary

Deeper contemplation

Journeying to Christmas

As you move through Christmas celebrations, perhaps you will return to this image. When the noise grows loud, recall the stillness of the Holy Family. If faced with exhaustion or urgency, remember: God is worthy of trust.

Just as Mary trusted and received Jesus in God’s timing, let us do the same entering into the Christmas liturgy. We are invited to enter deeper into the mystery of the Holy Family. Let us pray with the Holy Familyseek holiness in simple, quiet moments of love.

Experience Visio Divina in Person in the New Year!