I stumbled upon this 18th-19th century icon recently and felt drawn to it immediately because Jesus is a little tilted. Has he stopped along the way, seeing me in the crowd? His eyes are bright; he seems to be smiling. He understands. His head is large because it's filled with us and with heavenly ideas. His hair reminds me of nature's lines and folds — a palm frond, tree rings, the underside of a mushroom, a tilled field, a striated rock, the ripples of water. The icon is called, Christ of the Fiery Eye.
Here are some possible Prayer-Starters as we sit or stand before this icon which seems to invite contemplation (seeing beyond or beneath the outer thing.)
Jesus,
you have revealed yourself as
light of the world.
Would you shine brightly
into the life of
_____________
who seems to be
bumping around in darkness these days.
Jesus,
you welcomed,
gathered and blessed the little children.
Bless ___________________
the youngest member of my family.
Bless all the children of
______________.
Jesus,
you didn't give material gifts to people —
money or possessions,
but the gift of your presence.
_________________
needs to feel your presence today.
Jesus,
your fiery eye is not a scary eye,
not a suspicious
nor evil eye,
but an all-seeing eye.
Look deeply within
where I've got a lot on my mind.
Look into my heart where I am feeling
_____________so deeply.
Jesus,
you provided an abundance of wine
for the wedding guests at Cana,
and bread and fish for the
crowds in the wilderness.
Thank you for the abundance of my life,
especially the abundance which fills my heart.
________________________
Jesus,
joy was restored to the family
in the room where you
raised up the little girl to life.
Thank you for the joy I feel
in my own life,
especially the joy of
________________.