Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 6/20

The month of June (and Fridays all year 'round) are times of special devotion to the Holy Heart of Jesus.  

 

Just as you can read, study, muse and pray over a scripture text, so you can approach a work of art as a subject for prayer. DON'T WORRY! You don't have to be a museum goer or an art historian to pray this way. You need only some time, some art, a prayerful curiosity and a desire to discover what the Lord wants to share with you through a sacred image.

We'll begin this series with one of my favorite images of Jesus: Salvador Dali's "Sacred Heart."   

 

Before you read my thoughts below (in black)

    here are some questions for your reflection...

 

• Spend some time contemplating Dali's Jesus...

    What comes to your mind?  to your heart?

        How does this image speak to you?

• When you pray, 

        how do you image the face of Jesus?

            his stature? his features?  

   What do you find Dali's Jesus?

• Departing from custom, 

   Dali, here, gives Jesus a biological organ,

    a heart that might beat - skip a beat - beat fast

        - and one day stop beating...

  Place your hand over your own heart

    and imagine Jesus' heart 

       beating in sync with your own...

• Dali wrote:

    "Heaven is to be found, neither above nor below, 

        neither to the right nor to the left, 

    heaven is to be found exactly in the center 

        of the bosom of the one who has faith!' 

    In the painting, 

        the Cross is at the center of Christ's heart,

    How does this image touch the center of your heart? 

• How might you pray, today,

      to the Jesus imaged in Dali's painting? 

 

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Dali's Sacred Heart images so clearly, so frankly

    the beauty, strength and intensity, the raw humanity 

        of Christ's divine heart.  

This isn't the meek Jesus of so much religious art:

    this is a strong, compelling, confident in-your-face, 

        I've-got-your-back Christ 

    who puts his heart out there for us, 

        who empties his own heart into ours 

            with love beyond all telling.

 

Here's a Christ at whose word simple fishermen

    might leave behind their boats and nets

        to follow where he led them...

 

Here's a Christ 

    with sinew and strength 

        to lift and carry others' burdens

            while carrying his cross.

 

Here's a Christ 

    with a strong and robust heart,

ready to pump his power and Spirit

    through a universe aching for his grace.

 

Here's a Christ of tender heart,

    a refuge, a haven for us all;

a  brave heart, ready to expose itself

    to cover and defend us;

a heart prepared to give itself away 

    in rolling, endless waves of mercy; 

a heart large enough, deep enough, real enough

        to be the very heart of God, 

    God's own heart

        made flesh for us,

    that our hearts might know his 

        and by his love, be saved... 

 

Lord, open your holy, saving heart

     and welcome us in

        to your mercy, love and peace...

 

Amen. 

 

This powerful song is titled:

   Empty Space: Prayer of the Heart of Jesus

      by Jose Mari Chan

  

As you listen to it, hear it as Jesus' word for YOU,

   Jesus' prayer for YOU, Jesus' desire for YOU!

I'm repeating the Dali image just below the video

   so that you can pray with the image

      while  listening to the song's prayer. 

 

If a video doesn't appear below, click here!

 

 

 

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