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SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer

Prayer with fantasy

[25]For further learning (1) – Precious image of Jesus

 As a part of a series of prayers utilizing imagination…
With this prayer, we can accumulate some precious images of Jesus deep in our heart.
 We can obtain truly precious images of Jesus through the prayers utilizing the Gospels as a theme as well as through the prayers to imagine that Jesus visits a scene of our life experience, which we have discussed in previous chapters.
This image of Jesus stays present to our heart, and responds most appropriately to what our heart seeks for.
 This is an image formed through a prayer.  It appears in important moments, and consoles and encourages us.  Thus, we can experience more affinity with Jesus.
 In our daily life, we sometimes feel,
-- “At a crossroad in my life, what course should I choose?”
-- “I want encouragement because I feel down.”
-- “I cannot pray.  What should I do?”
 The image of Jesus is a great help in such occasions.
 To avoid ambiguity, I would like to describe my own important image of Jesus as an example.
 I have an experience of being treated unreasonably in my job.  It happened at the end of a long straight corridor in a large building.  When I did a meditation described in #13 of this section, I gained an image of Jesus, who is in a similar posture to that of an experienced priest who kindly gave me advice.  I sometimes meditate based on #13.  By doing it repeatedly, and when I talk to Jesus in difficult times, Jesus stands by me in that posture, and walks with me back and forth along the corridor, saying, “Let’s walk along the corridor together for a while,” and “Why don’t you talk to me what happened.”  With his back slightly hunched, and putting his hands together loosely behind his back, he walks slowly.  Calmly and gently, he walks with me, keeping pace with me, and carefully listens to me.
 To get such an “image” is not the ultimate goal of prayer.  The goal of prayer is deep unity with God, who is Spirit.  --We cannot understand God, who is Spirit, with our five senses.  But God approaches us (more accurately, God attracts us).  And we can feel that God is working on us.  How God works on me exactly fits the image described above.  When I lively feel the image, it helps me lively feel how God works on me.

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