Recognizing Him, pt. 2...

As I sit with my beads I am constantly racking my brain to come up with new ways to meditate on the Mysteries...sometimes I read a prayer book with or without illustrations. Sometimes I go to a favorite website and use the suggestions there, again, with or without pictures. Like a small child, I have to admit that the pictures do help alot! (Being an Artist, I am visually-oriented...therefore, visually stimulated, as well.)

So, when I came upon the idea of recognition of Our dearest Lord each time He comes to us in His least and poorest, I thought I had hit paydirt! What I didn't think of at the time was the fact that it would lead me down a road of soul-searching and revelation. More on all that in a later post...

It is a common custom to take what others have written or painted and use it as our own; meditating on the story of His life ~ and that of His Mother ~ we are accustomed to having others do all the work for us, as far as coming up with ideas and images already set forth. To come up with our own is sometimes hard, but always worth the effort...just as my good friend Jen P remarked in my comments page earlier ~ to enter into the Mysteries in person, can often bring tears of joy and love to the person who is so immersed that he or she cannot stop for fear of losing momentum!

And this is exactly what has been happening to me.

I don't know if that is good or bad, but there it is...

I do realize that emotions playing a part in prayer can be misleading ~ Our Lord tells us that our dry moments are many times our most fruitful. One must NOT look to the emotions as a measure of devotion, to be sure! And I know that whether or not I feel emotion as I pray is not the measure of the value of my prayers. But I cannot help thinking that to "see" Him all bloodied and torn apart would bring spiritual tears of remorse and horror to anyone with a loving heart, a heart that is moved by knowing and recognizing the Savior.

Or to be present @ the Transfiguration, "seeing" Him in His most glorious and beatific form...now that, my friends, would do nothing if not take our breath away, would it not?!?

So, as I meditate, I must keep my own emotions in check...but I have to admit to shedding a heartfelt (and silent) tear or two of my own.

I can't help myself.