The Jesus Meditations: A Guide for Contemplation [With CD]

The Jesus Meditations: A Guide For Contemplation by Michael Kennedy (Pastor, Dolores Mission Parish, East Los Angeles) is a unique book enhanced an accompanying audio CD narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Martin Sheen. Simple black-and-white line drawings of Jesus administering to the needy appear in this contemplative book, divided into many meditations. Each brief section features a statement of grace for which the reader may strive, the setting and story of a given excerpt of scripture, the scripture itself, a poetic meditation, and an offering of reflective questions as to how one can better understand and improve oneself and one's soul. The Jesus Meditations are highly recommended as a profound and deeply faithful guide to offering worship and embracing Jesus Christ.

The message of this book is simple. By focusing on the stories of the Gospels and trying to visualize the original location, people, sounds, and so forth, we can bring ourselves into the stories more fully. Then we can see how being right there with Jesus, as he heals, preaches, and proclaims the Good News, changes our hearts and gives us a different way to relate to Him.This book is not the first to use this kind of visualization (which was also used by early Christians and elaborated by Ignatius Loyola), but it is the best. The author understands that visualization isn't about scholastic theology and persuasion -- it involves bringing Jesus into our hearts and being aware of -- and grateful for -- the transformation that occurs. For this reason, the appearance of actor Martin Sheen is a stroke of genius. There's a reason Sheen is always cast as the adviser, wise man, or (as in the West Wing) President of the U.S.A. -- his voice is soothing and easy to relax to, but is never gooey. He manages to convey intensity and relaxation at the same time. So on the CD accompanying the book, Sheen reads the imaginative portions, interspersed with Gospel readings and light (very unobtrusive) guitar in the background.The publisher is promoting the CD as a great one to use during a busy day -- pop it into your car while stuck in traffic and so forth. But why sell yourself short? Go all out with this book. Take an afternoon off, by yourself or with friends who are also open to the experience. Sit silently for a little while to clear your mind of anxieties, then go through one or two of the meditations, using the CD, and take several minutes afterwards to let the experience sink in. Once you finish, you might want to have everyone write down a few thoughts that come to mind about the experience -- what did they notice about the Gospel story they had never noticed before? How does the story speak to them in ways they didn't expect?However you use this book, you'll appreciate and cherish it.

Where do we find true happiness? This is probably one of the most debated questions in our lives. Father Michael Kennedy gives us in his new book, "The Jesus Meditations" a simple guide to find the answer to this fundamental question. Through this meditation book Father Kennedy introduces us a person that has always known the response: Jesus. But he does not presents us a biblical Jesus, lost in events that occurred millenniums ago, rather Father Kennedy gives us a Jesus, that is alive and working in our neighbor, in the persecuted, in the insecure, in our own selves. This Jesus is found in the hardest place, the last place we dare to look for him. Father Michael's Jesus is found in the deepest place, that place where we hide our emotions, our true selves. You can find Him in the first contemplation and become his partner, his traveling mate in the journey through his most jovial times to his most trying days. If we find and we want to become his partner, he tells us that us that now that we know the answer, our problems do not disappear -as an act of magic. Instead Jesus discloses that we will be exposed to bigger and more trying problems, but now -that we have found a truly loyal friend- we can face them with a much better resolve. The stories before each meditation describe this encounter with the real Jesus. The persons who share his or her story express, in a simple and concrete manner, how they were able to go down to that deep place and how this encounter has changed their lives. When reading this book be prepared to drift away from the text. You might find yourself smelling the rich oil that cured Sarah, gazing at the sun over the lake of Galilee, watching Jesus curing the lepers or even seen yourself helping him to heal others. Personally, I was deeply touched by the whole book, specially the meditation of a possessed man who, after talking with Jesus, is able to comprehend that his vices, his "demons" can be spelled out by recognizing them and facing them with his new friend.The CD accompanying this book is an extra reward. Martin Sheen's voice and the melodic background music soothe whatever stress is caused by the bumper to bumper traffic of Los Angeles' freeways. On the balance this is a must have book.