Category Archives: Praying with the Imagination
Sometimes We Want Vengeance Too
When I look at this painting of Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth by James Tissot, I see a lot of anger. I can understand why. When Jesus read those beloved words from Isaiah 61 about the Spirit of the Lord being on … Continue reading →
Right Where I Am
I looked at this drawing of an injured bird and felt tender inside. I lingered for a while with that feeling and the sense of being held. Then, in the retreat’s spacious silence, I reflected on a poem by Mary … Continue reading →
A Doorway
My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 5 Father Roshan picked up on the theme of finding the lost and assigned me the story of Zacchaeus for one of my prayers. I took the despised tax-collector’s place. However, in my story, everyone was … Continue reading →
O That You Would Vanquish My Fears
My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 3 On the fourth day of my eight-day retreat, Father Roshan asked me to pray with three “Sorrowful Mysteries.” The first memory that returned to me was the day our son, who was sixteen at the … Continue reading →
Don’t Do a Thing
My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 2 “I don’t enjoy praying for a whole hour,” I admitted to Father Roshan on the third morning of my eight-day retreat. His eyes widened for half a second. But he didn’t question me. He just … Continue reading →
God Sees Me
All of a sudden, I was the boy in the story. I heard Jesus tell the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” While they stood there perplexed, I made my way through the crowd and offered Jesus my uneaten … Continue reading →
Jesus Shows the Full Extent of His Love
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full … Continue reading →
A Glorious Thing
Two days before Christmas, I’m praying with the story of the shepherds. I imagine myself on a hillside with them, but I’m unaffected by the angels’ song. The shepherds hurry off to see this glorious thing that has happened, but I have … Continue reading →
I Shouted
I sit by the roadside in Jericho begging. A crowd goes by and I ask, “What’s happening?” They tell me, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Without thinking, I shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who … Continue reading →
Immersed in an Ocean of Love
Here’s one of my favourite posts, originally published January 17, 2014. I hope you enjoy it. I awake at 4 a.m. with an emotional heaviness and remember what caused this feeling. I got hoodwinked by fear in a legitimate disguise: I … Continue reading →
