Played a short podcast and prayed while a sage
Relayed the finer points of meditative
Prayer. Proposed rather recently, a response
While seeking spiritual direction: the
Exciting of the imagination. Citing
Saints who draw union: picture; feel the warm
Hands of Jesus Christ pressing against either
Side; face cupped by soft palms and fingers that
Caress. Yet, why should I recoil? But I do!
I’m a man. The only way I can imagine
This love of Jesus is to imitate,
Image His identity; a mere moment:
To place and press my hands on either side of
Veronica’s face. Ah, it’s then love flows.
Gary Edward Geraci
Moved with pity, Veronica wipes the face of Jesus Christ as he carries his cross along the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha. The Sixth Station of the Cross
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Author:
Gary Edward Geraci (
Offline) - Published: July 27th, 2019 10:50
- Comment from author about the poem: Love your neighbor in need. I enjoyed weaving in and out of this one with the concept of “face.” Does the title “Veronica’s Face” imply ownership of the face imprint that Christ left on Veronica’s veil? Catholic tradition speaks of a woman named Veronica and such a veil. Indeed, this would have become a treasured keepsake of Veronica’s, something her family, friends, and community would have highly esteemed, i.e. Veronica’s face (the veil owned by Veronica with a face imprint on it: the face of Jesus Christ!). Or does “face” simply imply the face that we manifest when we become Jesus to others, like Veronica did when she recognized our beaten Lord laboring under the weight of His heavy cross? Finally, in “face”, an alternative “face” to imagine, a face no less important, and a face that men are encouraged to see in others: the face of their fellow Christians, the Church, the bride so loved by Christ and so, in imitating Christ (read “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas A. Kempis) - a face loved by us: yes, a woman’s face. This is a shout out here to other men whom, regardless the source of the defect or frailty as the field of psychology might describe it, find it difficult to imagine a loving union with another man, a divine man at that, even if its just a face caress. Ladies this can’t be trivialized. Have you ever wondered why there are more women attending Mass than men? Through no fault of Christ, some if not many, men are uncomfortable with relinquishing themselves to priests, deacons, or other male lay leaders. Try it: imagine yourself as priest in the image of Christ and approach your bride Veronica, or Mary, or Martha, or Teresa, or Catherine. Or men, we can always choose to hold Jesus as a baby, our Lord gives us that as an alternative too. Because he is eternal and infinite he could manifest himself in any number of ways that would fit our psychological state when the time comes. Let us be prepared and let us not be afraid to use our imaginations to draw closer to the Lord - the whole point of the “sage”(aka “priest”) and his “podcast” by the way.
- Category: Love
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Comments1
A fine write Gary.
Thank you Orchidee!
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