Tom - I really liked this one, a lot! Seriously. I've always felt a little more comfortable coming to Mary with things, too, and I never really thought hard about why, before. I think I thought "she's a woman, I'm a woman, that's why." But a lot of what you said resonated with me, so I think it was more than that all along.

And it was timely because I recently started reading the forbidden gospels compiled by Wake (that you can access through the online project Gutenberg) - not sure if I'll be excommunicated for admitting this. The first ones are about the birth and life of Mary. Actually, do you happen to know what the church's feeling about these gospels is currently? Are they taboo? Do they say they are false?

Kelly,

I posted a response to your comment (on non-canonical gospels as well as The Da Vinci Code).

Thanks for the questions. Hope you're doing well!

Sincerely,
Tom

Tom,

I wanted to start sharing my thoughts with you on your article. I have been busy this weekend and haven't been able to sit down and write my thoughts.

My thoughts on Part I:

First, I REALLY liked this section a lot. The Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary are also my favorite mysteries. When I pray them I visualize myself in the scene - the disciple that fell asleep in the Garden, the man with the whip, the man placing the crown of thorns on Jesus, the crowd of executioners, and the one nailing Jesus to the Cross.

I think of all of my sins and how each of them does what those people have done. I think of His ultimate love for me. Sometimes I retreat to my room, take my crucifix off of the wall, and just hold it. I admire His love - all the way to the end He, the Innocent Victim, opened not His mouth!

I have several crucifixes as opposed to empty crosses. The crucifix inspires hope and love in me for God. The empty cross, rather, is my cross - the one Jesus came and took from me because I was too weak to bear it. I have always been a proponet to wear and display crucifixes as opposed to empty crosses.

So, I strongly support what you've written here!

Moneybags,
Your meditative technique is fantastic, and I've learned a lot just by reading those few sentences.

I tend to think of my sins as the nails or the spear that pierces Jesus' side, but that is minor compared to your visual technique.

I love learning from others out there, which is why I love feedback. Thank you!

Everyone,
Check out Moneybags' awesome rosary site. He has some great insights (as you can tell just from reading his comments)!

Tom

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