my prayer space (part one)

two weeks ago, after our claretian retreat, i revamped my personal prayer space. in a future post i will show the upper half; here is the lower portion of it now:

in the top left corner is a mini statue of st anthony claret. his intercession strengthens my commitment as a son of the immaculate heart of mary. next to him is a bible verse– maybe my all time favorite– from micah 6:8. “this is what the Lord God requires of you, only this: to do justice, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God” is my favorite version.

in the middle of the photo is the mangled body of Christ on the cross. the real suffering of jesus continues in the world and we gaze on that reality with resurrection hope. above him is st. martin de porres. i was in high school when i chose him as my confirmation saint and the older i get, the more i appreciate his humble example of service and kindness.

closest to us is my guitar. i want to live by the wisdom of psalm 49: 5. “i set my riddle to the music of the harp.” since i do not have a harp, i play my guitar in prayer. the easter candle next to it reminds me of my baptism and to strive to live as a child of the light. also, i n prayer there is something quite captivating about a dancing flame from a candle.

claretians strive to be “servants of the Word.” Jesus Christ is the Word; the scriptures enlighten us to Christ. the bible here symbolizes this for me.

above the bible are two versions of st mary. our lady of guadalupe has been so important to so many communities that i have served over the years; her prayers have helped my growth. i cannot imagine my spiritual life without her.

this painting next to OLG was a recent gift from my friend maureen valentine. i like mary’s mona lisa-type smile. it is subtle and comforting. i also really like her unusual immaculate heart– the irregular shape, the pink roses and the strong sword that can couple as a cross. being a son of mary’s immaculate heart is central to my spiritual life; i am humbled in this vocational call.

the Spirit moves me through all of these aids to my personal prayer. they are all important parts of the story of my life and are aspirational in my journey