検索キーワード： 著者 "Arthur X Deegan" すべてのカテゴリー

Kneeling before Jesus in the tabernacle or being exposed on the altar is a magnificent gift of God. Aware of our sinfulness and the need to draw ever closer to Jesus, who did so much for us, we hope to show Him during these few minutes of prayer how much we love Him. However, being human, and despite our intent to focus on Him and nothing else, we often find our minds wandering or distracted only to suddenly realize we forgot where we were and what we wanted to do. One way of trying to maintain our attention solely on Jesus is to use a reflection prepared ahead of time in a devotional book.

The author discusses in detail each of the recorded appearances of Jesus to his followers after his resurrection, based on the text of the New Testament. He also argues that there was a special (unrecorded) appearance to the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The intent is to help the listener to see in these passages what the listener never saw before. Each appearance is followed by a conversation with Jesus, in the belief that there is no better way to develop a deeper personal relationship with anyone than intense one-on-one conversations.

Unlike many books and treatises on the hidden life of Mary, which deal with her life at Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph, the author discusses Mary’s hidden life as referring not to a period of time, but to a characteristic of her entire life as hidden in humility. He traces this virtue in 16 different periods and events in the life of Mary from her Immaculate Conception to her coronation as queen of the universe. Over each event, he offers a brief conversation with Mary in the belief that the best way to deepen any personal relationship with anyone is intense, one-on-one conversation.