Exploring the Trinity in Scriptureand experience

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13-14

A collaborative learning experience

Lectio Divina

Our goal: To spend time with God, through Scripture, contemplating the Trinity

Practice and contemplation: two poles of the underlying, ongoing spiritual rhythm a gentle oscillation back and forth between

spiritual “activity” and “receptivity”

Group Lectio DivinaFirst reading: Entire text by leader A period of silence allows for meditation upon

the text as a whole

Second reading: Read together as a group Leader reads the first sentence or a portion of the

first sentence In the silence, savor the words, turning them over in your

mind Listen for words or phrases that touch you, draw you

closer to God or reveal God Don’t worry about silence—recognize the presence of God in it As you feel moved by a word or phrase, repeat it aloud within

the order and context

  As you feel so moved, speak aloud the next succeeding

sentence/phrase word Listen in silence and respond aloud as stated above Repeat previously contemplated words if so moved Continue cooperatively listening, sharing and moving forward

until the end of text

Final reading : Entire text by leader Listen and ponder your new insights from the group reading,

thinking in terms of what is at the heart of the passage.

Matthew 3:13-17

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  15Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Reflection activity

Consider what is at the heart of this passage

Using pencils, crayons, markers or a combination of the above, create an illustration that reflects your conclusion.

Stick drawings, abstract art, illustrated words, realistic sketches—all are great. We’re not after fine art here!

You have 15 minutes, and then we will share the results of our labors

Visio Divina

Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 1655, Olga’s Gallery

Visio Divina

Lorenzo Scott, 1987 Smithsonian American Art

Museum

Visio Divina

El Greco, 1608

Visio Divina

Alessandro Magnasco, 1740, National Gallery of Art

Visio Divina

Cornelisza van Haarlem, 1600, CGFA