The Christ

Translated from the original by Ana Giménez.

Today’s post has two aims:

1.-The use of fixed images to pray.

2.-To Explain the Christ

1.-The image you are seeing belongs to the family of pictures, prints and sculptures that Teresa used in her prayers (iconostasis). In her time, to turn to images to pray was considered of lower spiritual category. Apart from her and somebody else, most masters used to consider it a low class tool. I consider them of high value for everybody.

If you want to learn to have mental hygiene and learn the art of recollection prayer, go to them; Look for an image of Christ and one of the Virgin Mary. Look at them and allow you to be looked by them when you get distracted; in a short while they will be stuck in your mind as fixed images. 

If you have compulsive or obsessive thoughts not convenient for your life, place in front of you one of these images stuck in your mind, and   surely that with a bit of determination , those thoughts will disappear or at least you may be able to control them. If you want to take a closer look, search into the Internet Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and you will find practical exercises.

 2.-The image of Christ just risen is, in my opinion, the image of spiritual marriage. It can be found in Teresa´s cell in the monastery of Las Descalzas (barefoot nuns) in Burgos. Teresa´s way of understanding the Humanity of Christ is concentrated in this image. It is a copy of a very similar one kept in Toledo. There aren´t any documents kept.

Some colleagues don´t agree with me. It was taken to Japan by the Jesuits at the end of the 16^th century. There are similar paintings in several villages in Castilla, on the door of the tabernacle. My theory is that a similar image was on the tabernacle´s door of the original Church of the Encarnación.

When it was enlarged to build a chapel where Teresa´s cell was placed, the altarpiece was removed. If it happens to be true, Teresa (and Juan de la Cruz/Saint John of the Cross, while he lived there) prayed for years while looking at a similar image.

There isn´t a better preparation for the second mansion than contemplating the Christ who loves us for a long time.