INTRODUCING CLICK AND LISTEN IMAGERY

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

NOW YOU CAN HEAR THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR IMAGERY FEATURED IN BARBARA’S BLOG.   

This new Click & Listen Feature does exactly what it says: You Click the icon and Listen  to an Imagery exercise or other messages that are announced.

Click Here And Listen 

Instructions for Imagery Using Click and Listen

As always,  make yourself comfortable…feet uncrossed and flat on the floor or resting on a footstool or cushion…body upright..arms and hands on armrests or hands in your lap, uncrossed.  Read the blog and watch for the Click and Listen icons.

Breathing for Imagery

Click & Listen will usually instruct you to breathe out three times; however, sometimes you’ll hear an instruction to breathe out two times or one time.  The emphasis is always on the outbreath, in which you exhale through your mouth longer and more slowly than usual and follow this with a regular inbreath through your nose.  Practice the outbreath/ inbreath cycle several times.  It will soon feel comfortable.

Click & Listen gives you 9 seconds of silence after the instruction to breathe out usually three, though sometimes two times or one..  The exercise instruction follows, including 15 seconds of silence for your Imagery to reveal itself.  You’ll then be instructed to breathe out one time and open your eyes.

If there are several Imagery exercises in series, the first instruction will be to Close your eyes and breathe out three times (infrequently this may be two times or one).  At the end of the exercise, you’ll be instructed to Breathe out one time, keeping your eyes closed.  After 5 seconds, you’ll receive instructions for the next exercise.  A series may include two or more exercises.

What Occurs In An Imagery Experience?

Imagery usually expresses itself in symbols or pictures; however, it can also occur as sounds; senses felt in the body; feelings, which are emotions; or a combination of these. If you get no response in the 15 seconds left on the tape for Imagery, come back to the exercise later in the day or at your next Imagery session. In the meantime, complete the exercises on the tape.  Have patience.  Developing a rich Imagery life is worth the effort. 

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JESUS RESURRECTION; ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome to Barbarahs Blog!  

Today is the last story in our Lent/Easter series, The Appearances of the Risen Jesus Christ and His Ascension into heaven.  

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Narrative

The Risen Jesus Christ Appears

The gospel stories of the events after Easter make a clear distinction between the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus Christ.  In Resurrection, Jesus Christ dies on the cross, is buried in a tomb and on the next morning, is gone.  He remains on earth in an expanded state of physical being, where He is flesh and bone*, yet invisible except to those whose eyes He opens so they might see Him.

Early on the the third day, Sunday, Jesus Christ appears to Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb and by evening He appears to all the apostles deepening their understanding of His teachings.

*From Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Ascension of Jesus Christ

Knowing the time is coming for His return to the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ leads the apostles to Bethany.  He tells them to remain in nearby Jerusalem awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit.

“I was with you as your Master; now I go to the Father, so that I may be in you as the Father is in me….You will know the power of the Holy Spirit which will come to you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to earth’s remotest end. 

“As He said this He was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took Him from their sight.  They were still staring at the sky as He went when suddenly two men in white were standing beside them, and they said, “Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky?  This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go to heaven. –Acts of the Apostles Prologue

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Imagery Exercise – The Risen Jesus Christ

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know how it is to be in the presence of the Risen Jesus for the first time.  Wait a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise, The Risen Jesus Christ 

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Imagery Exercises –  The Ascension of Jesus Christ

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  Feel, sense and know how it is to see Jesus Christ lifted up to the heavens.  Wait a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise, The Ascension of Jesus Christ 

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Imagery Exercise: Ascension

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know how it is for you to raise your arms and be lifted up toward the heavens.   Wait a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

 Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise, Ascension 
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JOIN ME ON MAY 15TH FOR THE DIVINE FEMININE.  WE’LL LOOK AT THE LIVES OF THOSE WOMEN WHO CARRY THIS ASPECT OF THE DIVINE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME–AND DO IMAGERY EXERCISES TO BRING THEM INTO OUR OWN LIVES.    

COMMENT, PLEASE – I’m especially interested in how the Audio Imagery feature is working for you and to get feedback on your Imagery.  Let me know by Clicking on the Comment box.

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THE BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome To Barbarahs Blog

Today we continue our story with the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But before we go on, let’s look at the death of Jesus Christ as told in the Gospel of Peter 12.5-13.57.

“And they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid Him upon the earth.  And the whole earth was shaken and there came a great fear.  Then the sun rose and it was found to be the ninth hour.  And the Jews rejoiced and released His body to Joseph of Arimethea.”  (Joseph was a wealthy member of the Temple Council who believed in Jesus and did not support their actions against Him.)  “And he took the Lord and washed Him and wrapped Him in a linen shroud and brought Him to a tomb.”  (This tomb was purchased by Joseph so Jesus Christ would lay where no one else ever had, a mark of respect.)

IMAGERY EXERCISE: Joseph of Arimathea Prepares and Buries the Body of Jesus Christ

Breathe out one time.  Feel the love and devotion of Joseph as he washes Jesus Christ’s wounds.  Wait a long moment and breathe out one time without opening your eyes.  

Breathe out one time. Put your hand on Joseph’s hand and together tenderly anoint Jesus Christ’s body with spices and ointment.  Wait a long moment and breathe out one time without opening your eyes.

Breathe out one time.  Now wrap Jesus in a shroud of linen made from a single unbroken thread to honor Him as king.  Wait a long moment and breathe out one time without opening your eyes.

Breathe out one time.  Say a short prayer for the departed.  Wait a long moment and breathe out one time without opening your eyes.

Breathe out one time.  See, feel, sense and know the freedom from sin that is yours through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Say a prayer of thanksgiving for this gift.  Wait a long moment and breathe out and open your eyes. 

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

The Empty Tomb

Now we’ll see that Mary Magdalene is the first to meet Jesus Christ after he has risen. This teaching helps us understand the difference between meeting Jesus Christ in the flesh,  and meeting him after the Resurrection, as the Risen Lord.  The quote is from Jesus of Nazareth written this year (2011) by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI,(2013 Pope Emeritus) pages 285-286.

“After being addressed by the two angels in white garments, Mary Magdalene turns around and sees Jesus, but she does not recognize him.  Now he calls her by name: “Mary!”  Once again she has to turn, and now she joyfully recognizes the risen Lord, whom she addresses as Rabbuni, Teacher.  She wants to touch him, to hold him, but the Lord says to her: “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father (John 20:17).

“This surprises us.  We would have thought that now, while he is standing before her, she can indeed touch him and hold him.  When he has ascended to the Father this will no longer be possible.  But the Lord says the opposite…”It is the same phenomena Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17.  Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if any one is in Christ he is a new creation”…Now we can touch him only by ascending.  Touching Christ and ascending belong together.”

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May the joy of the Resurrection be with you!

Barbarah

Next Sunday Barbarahs Blog  presents the appearances of Jesus Christ after the Resurrection.  I hope you’ll join me.

COMMENT PLEASE through the Comment Section at the end of this blog, or by e-mailing me at <fedzie@ptd.net>

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Breathe out one time.  Make a joyful sound of thanksgiving.  Wait a long moment and open your eyes.

 

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FROM AGONY TO RESURRECTION

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome to Barbarahs Blog!  

Today we continue with the epical events that are central to Christianity; the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Narrative Imagery exercises, accompanied by Audio Imagery, complement the telling of these events.  To listen to the Imagery, just click the icon and hear the exercises as you would in a class.  I’d love your feedback on this new Audio feature.

THE PASSION NARRATIVE (CONT’D)

The Road to Golgotha (also called Calvary)

“Then the soldiers…took Jesus into the palace.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, a crown of thorns they put on his head…And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.”       (Matthew 27:27-31)

After the rigors of trials by both Herod and Pilate and abuse by Pilate’s battalion, Jesus Christ is exhausted and weak.  And so a man called Simon from Cyrene is commandeered to help carry the cross.

Imagery Exercise: Carrying The Cross

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See, feel, sense and know the agony of Jesus Christ as he walks with the cross toward Golgotha.  Breathe out and open your eyes.

 Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise

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Veronica’s Compassion

As Jesus Christ struggles toward Golgotha, the women of Jerusalem mourn and lament Him.  One among them is a brave, compassionate woman who pushes through the crowd to offer Jesus Christ comfort by wiping the sweat from His face with her veil.  Touched by her empathy, Jesus Christ leaves His image on the veil.  This is said to be the only authentic picture of the face of Jesus Christ.  This woman’s true name is not known; but over time she becomes Veronica from “vera icon, true image” and is canonized Saint Veronica by the Catholic Church.

Imagery Exercise: Veronica Ministers To Jesus Christ

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know how Veronica empathizes with every step Jesus Christ takes.  Feel her courage as she pushes through the crowd to comfort him.  In a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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Jesus Christ Acknowledges Compassion

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know how Jesus Christ honors your acts of love and compassion.  Keep this close to your heart.  In a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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The Crucifixion

As our story continues, Jesus Christ and the crowd following Him reach Golgotha, where “they crucified him and divided his garments among them…It was the third hour when they crucified him.  And the inscription of the charge against Him read The King of the Jews.”  (Mark 15:33-41)

His mother, Mary, her sister, Mary; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Salome and the other women from Galilee watch from a distance and pray.

Imagery Exercise – The Women Pray For Jesus Christ

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Pray with all the women who ask for God the Father’s compassion to end Jesus Christ’s agony.  In a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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Imagery Exercise: Jesus Christ Dies On The Cross

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.   “There is darkness over all the land when Jesus Christ cries with a loud voice, ‘My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”..And He cries again with a loud voice saying, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Having said this, He breathed his last breath. Know how at that moment Jesus Christ died for our sins and promised us eternal life.  (Quote from Matthew 27-45.56 and Luke 23:46)

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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Imagery Exercise –  The Will Of The Father Is Fulfilled By The Son

Breathe out three times.  At the moment Jesus Christ dies, an earthquake shakes the land splitting rocks, opening tombs and raising saints who had fallen asleep. The will of The Father has been fulfilled by The Son.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 
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Please join me tomorrow for The Burial of Jesus and The Empty Tomb.





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JESUS CHRIST IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff


INTRODUCING AUDIO IMAGERY ON BARBARAHS BLOG!

For your ease in doing Imagery, each exercise has been recorded in our  Audio Imagery feature.  Under the printed Imagery exercises you’ll find an icon.  Just click on it and listen to the Imagery as you would in a class.  The audio has quiet spaces for the out/in Imagery breathing as indicated in the instructions (Breathe out three times, one time or whatever)  and quiet time after you hear the exercise for your personal Imagery experience.

Note:  The women’s names have been updated in italics the narrative, but not yet on the audio.  Please remember them in your Imagery: Mary, wife of Cloepus and sister of Mary, Jesus mother; Susanna and Salome, mother of Zebedee’s two sons.  

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THE PASSION NARRATIVE

Conspiracy Against Jesus

“Now the feast of the Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and scribes were seeking how to put him (Jesus Christ) to death; for they feared the people.  (Luke 22:1-2)

The Passover Meal

This celebration is traditionally attended by family and extended family. Surely Mary mother of Jesus, and Mary, wife of Cloepus, Mary’s sister; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, wife of Herod’s chief steward, Susanna and Salome, mother of Zebedee’s sons and other devoted disciples/benefactors are invited, but they are not mentioned.  Let’s correct that oversight.

Imagery Exercise

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know the presence of Mary mother of Jesus, Mary, her sister, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Salome and all the women at this Passover meal.  After a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here To Listen To The Imagery Exercise

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Narrative

Actions are moving rapidly toward the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  During the Passover meal he prophesies that Judas, acting as an instrument of Satan, will betray him…and Simon Peter, who can speak on his behalf, will deny knowing him three times.  Jesus Christ tells this to the apostles who, like him, are filled with sadness.  “I shall not eat this Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God,” he tells them.  (From Matthew 26:20-25)

Imagery Exercise

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know how prophesies of treachery toward Jesus Christ represent any treachery in our lives.  Note how you feel.  After a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

The Last Supper: Institution Of The Holy Eucharist

Before the Passover meal ends, Jesus takes a cup, gives thanks and tells the apostles to “divide it among yourselves for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.  And he takes bread, gives thanks and says, “This is my body which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  And likewise with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”  (From Matthew 26-20-25)

Imagery Exercise

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, sense and know how you may receive the body and blood of Christ once a day after reversing your errors.  Understand how this brings solace.  In a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes 

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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Treachery and  Trial

Afterward, Jesus Christ and the apostles go to Gethsemane where Jesus prays.  When he rises from prayer, he finds the apostles sleeping for sorrow.  “Why do you sleep?” he asks them.  “Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

While Jesus Christ is still speaking, Judas Iscariot leans forward to kiss him, a signal to the on-looking priests and captains Judas has led to this quiet place of prayer in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.  They bring Jesus Christ to the high priest’s house, followed by Simon Peter, who denies knowing him three times, as prophesied.  The accusers find no corroborating testimony against Jesus, so when morning comes, they bind him and take him to Pilate, the governor.  (From Luke 22:47-53)

Imagery Exercise

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know how Mary, Jesus mother, Mary Magdalene and the devoted women with them hear that Jesus Christ has been captured.  Consider with them what to do next.

Click Here To Listen To The Imagery Exercise 

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Judas Takes His Life

“When Judas saw that Jesus Christ was condemned, he repented and tried to return the thirty pieces of silver, saying, ‘I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us? See to it yourself.,’ they reply.  And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, Judas departed; and he went and hanged himself.  (Matthew 27:3-10)

The Trial Before Pilate

After questioning, Pilate finds no crime against Jesus Christ and is in a quandary over what to do, especially since his wife has had a prophetic dream that she shares with him. “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream.”  So when Pilate discovers that Jesus Christ lives in Herod’s jurisdiction, he quickly sends him to Herod.  Upon questioning, Herod, too, can find no crime against Jesus Christ and returns him to Pilate.  This now puts Jesus Christ’s life in Pilate’s hands; but he doesn’t  believe that Jesus Christ is guilty of a crime, nor does he have the will to make a decision against the demands of the priests and elders.

Pilate Relinquishes His Power To The Crowd

On Passover it is the governor’s custom to release a prisoner of the crowd’s choice.  Pilate extends this custom.  Among the prisoners is the notorious rebel, Barrabas.  At the persuasion of the chief priests and elders, the crowd overwhelmingly calls for Barrabas’ release. Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is sealed.

Imagery Exercise

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know how Mary mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Salome and their devoted companions expand their consciousness to accept that Jesus Christ is to be crucified.  Be one of them in this act of devotion and know how it is necessary.  In a minute breathe out and open your eyes.

Click Here And Listen To The Imagery Exercise

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A Note on the Eucharist from the Encyclopedia of Catholicism    

“The Eucharist is the sacramental celebration of the Paschal Mystery,  Christ’s dying and rising for humankind, in a context of praise and thanks for all God has done and continues to do.  During the Eucharist the Holy Spirit is called down on the assembly that it might become the Body of Christ and the people of God.”

“As a Jew, Jesus was formed and influenced by the prayer and worship tradition of his people. The Last Supper is described as a Passover meal, which traditionally celebrates God’s liberation of the Jewish people and the continuing covenant with them.  Such a model offers understanding of Christ’s liberation of the world from sin through his death. The ways in which Jews prayed to God in the Temple and synagogue were also a rich heritage that influenced Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper.  The bread and cup in the religious meals of Jews are accompanied by a berakah (Hebrew) a blessing and thanksgiving for all the benefits received.”

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CELEBRATING PALM SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2011

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

Welcome! And thank you for joining me to celebrate Palm Sunday, the first day of the Christian Holy Week.

Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem for the coming Passover, a day of tribute to the freedom of the Jews from their bondage in Egypt.  The days following Palm Sunday commemorate equally epic events that are central to the Christian faith: the Passion (acts leading up to Jesus Christ being condemned to death); the Crucifixion; and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man. Through these phenomena, God the Father sacrificed his only son to save humankind from its sins, promising us eternal life.

Traveling with Jesus Christ are his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and nine women who are believers of his heart-centered teachings.  Referred to in the gospels as “the women who followed Jesus” they are women of independent means committed to supporting Jesus Christ and the apostles as they travel and teach “the word.”  In our time they would be called benefactors, a term that more accurately defines their mission.

Mary Magdalene is no longer a women in the shadows.  Books based on historic fact validate her standing as an apostle who grasped the many levels of Jesus’ teachings and who became a source of strength and wisdom to the others after the Resurrection.  (At the end of the blog for Easter Sunday there will be a list of the books I have used as sources of information.)

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Palm Sunday: The Entry Into Jerusalem

Narrative, Day One  It is five days before the religious holiday of Passover.  As is the custom, many Jewish families are on a pilgrimage to celebrate this day at the temple in Jerusalem and then to share the Passover meal.  The city is over-crowded with tens of thousands of pilgrims, among them Jesus Christ, his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ’s benefactors and the apostles.

Before entering the city, Jesus Christ sends two of the apostles to a location in the nearby village of Bethany, where they will find a tethered donkey and a colt.  The apostles are instructed to untie the animals and bring them to Jesus Christ.  The gospel tells us that these animals are needed to fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah, “Look, your king is approaching, humble and riding on a donkey.”  (Isaiah 62:11)

The two animals are draped with the clothing of the apostles and Jesus Christ, who rides the donkey toward Jerusalem.   The road is lined with crowds who know or have heard of Jesus Christ’s teachings and miracles, especially the raising of Lazarus from the dead. They lay palms on the roadway as he approaches, while chanting “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest heavens.”  (Matthew 21:1-11)

Mary mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the benefactors follow at a distance.

(Note:  Rites using palms are still practiced in Christian churches on Palm Sunday to remind us of Jesus Christ’s procession into Jerusalem.)

Imagery

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know how it is to be riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowd spreading palms on the ground before you. Recognize that this fulfills the prophesy of Isaiah of a king approaching, humble and riding a donkey.  After a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Close your eyes and breathe out one time.  Know and feel how in fulfilling this prophesy, Jesus Christ moves toward a certain death.  After a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel and sense yourself as a women traveling with Jesus Christ  on this journey to Jerusalem.  Experience the life you have chosen and expand your intuition of what is to come.  After a minute breathe out one time and open your eyes.

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Jesus In The Temple

Narrative Day Two – After the procession, the women leave Jerusalem for nearby Bethany and the Mount of Olivet, where they will lodge through Passover.  Jesus Christ and the apostles stay behind and go to the temple in Jerusalem.  “When they enter the temple of God, he drove out those who sold and bought…and overturned the tables of the money-changers…It is written, he said, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you make it a den of robbers.  And the chief priests and scribes heard this and sought a way to destroy him because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.” (Mark 11:15-19)

Imagery

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, sense, feel and know how it is to drive the merchants and money-changers out of the temple.  After a minute, breath out one time and open your eyes.  

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel and sense any changes in the temple as it is cleared of merchants and money-changers. After a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

Close your eyes and breathe out one time.  Know how to clear the temple within you.

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Narrative Day Three

“And the blind and the lame came to him and he healed them.  But when the priests and scibes saw the wonderful things he did, and heard the children crying out Hosanna, to the Son of David they were indignant.”  (Matthew 21: 14-16)

Imagery

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know where you need healing.  Ask Jesus Christ for his perfect healing, naming what you have identified.  After a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.  

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – Hear “Hosannah, to the Son of David” ringing from the children’s voices. Resonate with these sounds.  After a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

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Narrative Day Three – Jesus Prepare The Apostles

For the next three mornings Jesus travels to the temple to teach the crowds. In the evenings he returns to his lodging in Bethany and  brings the apostles to the nearby Mount of Olivet, where he prays and prepares them for what is to come.  (Luke 21: 37-38)

Imagery

Close your eyes and breathe out three times – See, feel, sense and know how Jesus’ mother Mary handles the news of all that has occurred in the temple and prepares herself and the other women for what may come. After a minute, breathe out one time and open your eyes.

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 On Thursday, I’ll publish a blog for Jesus trial and Crucifixion and on Saturday, one for the Resurrection.  

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THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST III

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

WELCOME TO BARBARAHS BLOG!

When we began our journey through the Easter season, we talked about focusing on the value of fasting, especially during the first twenty days of Lent.  After that, it was recommended by the Sisters of Carmel that we shift our focus toward the Passion of Jesus Christ.

My earliest recollections of the Passion are being in church with a catechism class.  We were there to see the Stations of the Cross, fourteen wooden plaques depicting the sorrowful events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  The church, usually very comforting with sun streaming through its stained glass windows, felt very somber.  As is the custom during Lent, all the statues were draped with purple and the church was darkened.

The Stations of the Cross are on the walls surrounding the large sitting area of the church and are usually designed to complement its architecture.  I’ve seen them as wood carvings, plaster-castes, large free-standing statuary, paintings and stained glass windows.

When meditating on the stations in a church, the practice is to stand before the first station, on the left wall as you face the altar near the front pews. Focus on the event depicted and move toward the back of the church a few pews to each station.  The second half of the stations are on the opposite wall with the fourteenth being opposite the first.

Many churches lead a full ceremony of the Stations of the Cross once a week during Lent. The power of the group energy at the devotion before each station, the music and prayers is a special experience that can be carried into a meditation at home.

When in Jerusalem I walked the Way of the Cross, the path that Jesus Christ followed to his crucifixion.  In the dark, narrow passageways of the Old City there remains a sense of the agony and pain experienced by Jesus Christ as he and compassionate helpers carried the cross–and the weeping of his followers.  These are the feelings we seek to embrace when meditating  on the Stations of the Cross.

You’ll find a beautiful presentation of the Stations of the Cross at http://fisheaters.com/stations.html

fish eaters Stations of the Cross meditation includes background on this practice, prayers and pictures of each of the stations.  The presentation is 14 pages, but don’t be daunted by its size.   You can tailor a meditation by selecting one or two stations that resonate with you or commit to do all of them.  At least one time, try to do the Stations of the Cross in a church.  The experience is worth the effort.  You’ll notice that the Stations of the Cross do not include the resurrection.

On Palm Sunday, April 17th, our blog will feature the “Women of Jerusalem,”  those who were among the dedicated followers of Jesus Christ: Mary, his mother; Mary Magdalene; and Veronica and a description of their role at the resurrection.

Have a prayerful Lent,

Barbarah

P.S.  Please refer to the article by the Pope in the last blog. It clarifies a long-held misinterpretation of the language used in the gospels that refer to the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

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PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, II

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

PREFACE TO THIS SECOND EASTER SEASON BLOG – March 12, 2011

In the blog published earlier this week we focused on having a spiritual attitude when fasting, as described by the Sisters of Carmel.  The Sisters also remind us that the Gospels teach how to fast and pray and give alms, all these actions being enlivened by the spirit of mortification. This week, Pope Benedict XVI released a new book that seems to be enlivened by this spirit of mortification.

On March 10th during this first week of Lent, Pope Benedict’s book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week – From the Entrance of Jerusalem to the Resurrection, was released, correcting a long-held belief of some Christians that ‘the Jews’ killed Jesus, multiplying the actions of a few to the whole Jewish community.  By holding onto this exaggeration, an attitude of divisiveness and antiSemitism is perpetuated that is at odds with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Here is a quote about the book from an article by Joseph Sievers, Professor of Jewish history at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.  “In excerpts provided to the press this week, the Pope walks the reader through the gospels to explore who Jesus’ accusers were. Noting that the Gospel of John describes them as ‘the Jews,’ Benedict explains there’s no way the writer meant the entire population of Israel.  After all, he notes, John himself was a Jew as were Jesus and the rest of his followers.  “This expression has a precise and rigorously limited meaning,” Benedict concludes: “the temple aristocracy.” The Gospel of Mark expands the circle of accusers to ‘the masses,’ who Benedict explains were supporters of Barabbas, the brigand chosen by the crowd to be released instead of Jesus.

“In [the Second Vatican Council’s text], this was all said in one sentence, but here it’s spelled out and worked out in great detail,” says Sievers.

The Gospel of John presented below does not contain any such references, though they are obvious as the gospel moves toward Jesus’ passion and death.

The Fourth Gospel: The Gospel of the Apostle John

The New Jerusalem Bible’s introduction to this gospel tells us that it is the Apostle John’s intention “to preserve the message that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus soon after the baptism in the Jordan.  John the Baptist points Jesus out as the Messiah in 1:31-34.  This gospel also points out that Christ’s glory is manifested in his work and his word (1:35-12:50) and describes his death, resurrection and subsequent apparitions (13:1-20:20).”

A.  A Reading from the Gospel of John, The Apostle 1:29-32

The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.  It was of him that I said, behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.  I did not know him myself, yet my purpose in coming to baptize with water was so he might be revealed to Israel.”

Imagery Exercise A

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and know yourself as John the Baptist watching Jesus come towards you.  Open your eyes for a few moments.

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. Feel and imagine yourself as John the Baptist saying, “My purpose in coming to baptize with water was so that he, Jesus, might be revealed to Israel.”  Open your eyes.

_____________________

B.  A Reading from the Gospel of John the Apostle 1:32-34

And John the Baptist declared, I saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.  I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

Imagery Exercise B

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel, sense and imagine yourself as a disciple of John the Baptist.  Hear him say, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him.  What is your reaction?

Breathe out one time.  See, feel, sense and hear yourself as John the Baptist saying to your disciples, “He who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen and testify that he is the Chosen One.”  Open your eyes.

_____________________

C.  A Reading from the Gospel of John the Apostle 1:35-39

The next day as John the Baptist stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past and John looked towards him and said, “Look, there is the lamb of God.”  And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.  Jesus turned around, saw them following and said, “What do you want?”  They answered, “Rabbi”–which means Teacher-“where do you live?”  He replied, “Come and see; so they went and saw where he lived and stayed with him that day.

Imagery Exercise C

Close your eyes and breathe out three times.  See, feel and imagine yourself as John the Baptist with two of your disciples.  Look towards Jesus and say to your disciples, “Look, there is the lamb of God.”

Breathe out one time.  See, feel and sense the reaction of your disciples as they look toward Jesus after hearing that he is the Chosen One.  Open your eyes.

_____________________

The Spiritual Value of the Psalms

In the New Jerusalem Bible the psalms are described as “the prayers of the Old Testament in which God inspired the feeling that his children ought to have towards him and the words they ought to use when speaking to him.  These psalms were recited by Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the apostles and the early martyrs.  The Christian Church has adopted them unchanged for her official prayer.”

The First Three Verses and the Last Verse of Psalm 31:

Prayer in Time of Ordeal

In you, Yahwah, I have taken refuge, let me never be put to shame.                                           In your saving justice deliver me, rescue me, turn your ear to me, make haste.

Be for me a rock-fastness, a fortified citadel to save me.                                                             You are my rock, my rampart, true to your name, lead me and guide me!

Draw me out of the net they have spread for me, for you are my refuge.                                 To your hands I commit my spirit, by you have I been redeemed.

Love Yahweh, all his faithful:                                                                                               Yahweh protects his loyal servants, but he repays the arrogant with interest.                         Be brave, take heart, all who put your hope in Yahweh.

These psalms are often chanted.

Thank you for joining me.  Watch for the third Easter Season blog on Friday, March 18.  I hope you’ll join me then!

Note:  Reading A of  the Gospel of the Apostle John presented above, you’ll find the statement of John the Baptist, “It was of him that I said behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.”   Give these lines some thought, if you will.  We’ll look at them next week from the perspective of Valentin Tomberg regarding the preparations made in two epochs,  for Christ to descend to earth.

May your spiritual journey through Lent lead you to a joyous Easter.

Barbarah

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THE PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, I

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

These are mysterious events that are difficult to grasp.  They speak of the incomprehensible suffering of Jesus Christ–and call upon us to cleanse the hidden places within our souls.  Beyond our mourning at these events is the essential message of Jesus Christ–love–the love of a Father so concerned for our safe return to the heavenly kingdom that He sacrificed His son to bring us the ultimate message of love.

Let us reach out and take the hand of Jesus Christ each morning of the Easter Season so we may feel the loving intent of His journey–and the pure exchange of that love flowing between us.

WELCOME!

This Lenten Series is an invitation to a spiritual journey through the events at the heart of Christianity: The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our journey will be divided into two 20-day periods as described by the Sisters of Carmel, a Catholic Carmelite Order.  “The first 20 days focus on the purification of our souls through acts of fasting, repenting for our sins (errors) and giving alms–while the second 20 days are for looking outside of ourselves toward Jesus Christ as He endures His passion and death.”  Then, on Easter, we will share the joy and wonder of His resurrection.

“The Gospels show us the true spirit of penance,” note the Sisters.  “They teach us how to fast and pray and give alms, all of these actions enlivened by the spirit of mortification.*”   (*1.To cause or experience shame, humiliation or wounded pride 2.To discipline one’s body and appetites by self-denial or self-inflicted privation. The New Webster Dictionary)

Fasting During Lent

Since the end of the first century, fasting and penance have been observed before Easter.  These fasting rules were very strict; one meal a day was allowed in the evening and meat, fish, eggs and butter were forbidden.  Strict fasting laws were dispensed with during the Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church and are left up to the discretion of the individual in Protestant Churches.  They have also become less rigid in the Eastern Churches.

What Are The Benefits Of Fasting?

The world’s major religions see fasting as a means of reaching elevated states of consciousness as well as strengthening member’s fortitude to live in union with their religion. For those unaffiliated with a church or spiritual group, fasting is often chosen to achieve these same goals.

The Sisters of Carmel remind us that fasting and praying will put us in the proper spirit required of a penitent, if practiced with the proper attitude.  The Sisters point to the Gospel of Luke 18:9-14, which I had not seen from this point of view.  Let’s look at this Gospel from the Sister’s viewpoint.

The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

“He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else. Two men went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee               the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly this tax collector here.  I fast twice a week.  I pay tithes on all I get.

“The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven, but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  This man I tell you went home again justified, the other did not.  For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.”

When applied to fasting: to fast with the intention of  identifying personal errors; to use the discomfort of fasting as a reminder of the pain endured by Jesus Christ; to fast without seeking attention ; and to have no expectation other than what God chooses is to fast with the silent humility of the tax collector.

The Significance Of Ashes On The First Day of Lent

The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday.  There is no reference to this day in the Bible.  What we learn from Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions is that “In Rome penitents began their period of public penance on this day. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth and obliged to remain apart until they reconciled with the Christian community on the Thursday before Easter.  When these practices fell into disuse between the eighth and tenth centuries, they were symbolized by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation on the first day of Lent.   In Catholic Churches this practice continues.   The ashes are the remains of burned palms from the prior year’s Palm Sunday.  Worship services are also held on Ash Wednesday in the Anglican Communion in Lutheran Churches and in some Protestant Churches.

Psalm 130 of the Old Testament, a reading for Ash Wednesday, will puts us in a spiritual attitude for this season.   “From the depths I call to you, Yahweh, Lord, hear my cry. Listen attentively to the sound of my pleading!  If you kept a record of our sins, Lord, who could stand their ground?…My whole being hopes in the Lord, more than watchmen for daybreak.  More than watchmen for daybreak, let Israel hope in Yahweh for with Yahweh is faithful love, with him generous ransom.  And he will ransom Israel from all sins.”

This psalm is indicative of the attitude of humble reverence to God that has been practiced by Christians during Lent since the beginning of the faith.

Establishing A Spiritual Practice For Lent

Many find it easier to maintain their spiritual practice if they reserve a time when they are not likely to be interrupted.   Praying, imaging or contemplating in a quiet, comfortable space with a spiritual focal point as simple as a candle can center us for the day or help us transition from our daily routines to bedtime.

Blessings, Barbarah

Comment, please.  If you have any questions, contact me by going to the Comment section at the end of this blog or by e-mailing me at <fedzie@ptd.net>.

P.S.  (Updated for 2012) Important Dates in 2012:  Lent begins in Western Churches on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 and Easter is celebrated on April 8th.   In the Eastern churches Lent began 8 weeks before Easter. 






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IMAGERY INSTRUCTIONS

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Barbara Fedoroff

1.  Read through the blog first, including the Imagery exercises.  To ensure that the Imagery flows, re-read it several times, committing it to memory – OR – record the Imagery exercises, including the instruction “Close your eyes and breathe out three times.”  (The number of breaths may change for individual exercises.)  Leave about two minutes of unrecorded tape at the end of each exercise for your Imagery experience.  Then record the instruction “Close you eyes and breathe out…” and next exercise.

2.  If you choose, align yourself with the Divine in a short prayer.

2.  Always state an intention for your Imagery. E.g.  I do this Imagery to heal my (whatever); or I do this Imagery in preparation for (name a holiday, special event); I do this Imagery to bring peace to my family…

3.  You’ll notice that the breathing is specific for Imagery.  It may seem unusual to begin with a long, slow out-breath, followed by a natural in-breath, but it takes very little practice to get it.  Both out and in-breaths are through the mouth.  Repeat this breathing cycle three times or whatever number is indicated for the exercise,  then go back to your regular breathing pattern.

4.  Allow yourself a few minutes to have an Imagery experience.  Imagery is a quick process.  Do not stay in the Imagery Exercise for more than two minutes.  The Imagery is finished as soon as you get the picture, sound, feeling or sense.  To conclude your Imagery, breathe out one time and open your eyes.  Remember, for Imagery, less is more.  Do not get into the habit of staying in your images longer than two minutes.  Beyond that you are no longer doing Imagery.

Notes:  Imagery usually expresses itself in symbols or pictures; however, Imagery can also come as  sounds, senses or feelings.  All these responses are valid (visual pictures; sounds; feelings, which are emotions; senses, which are physical).  If you get no response to an Imagery exercise, repeat it the next two days, then move on to another exercise.

Consider describing your Imagery experiences in a notebook.  When you’ve completed a series of Imagery, you’ll be able to see how Imagery either repeats itself (usually until we get its message) or goes through a progression.

May your Imagery be a guide to understanding and wisdom!

Barbarah

 

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