J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey. Boston: Little, Brown, 1961, p. 172.
The Jesus Prayer has one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ-Consciousness. Not to set up some little cozy, holier-than-thou trysting place with some sticky, adorable divine personage who’ll take you in his arms and relieve you of all your duties and make all your nasty Weltschmerzen and Professor Tuppers go away and never come back. And by God, if you have intelligence enough to see that -- and you do -- and yet you refuse to see it, then you’re misusing the prayer, you’re using it to ask for a world full of dolls and saints and no Professor Tuppers.
2 comments:
Even though I am a Christian, I often avoid using passages in this lectio divina that refer to Christ. People have so many bad associations with Jesus, who has been so abused in our culture as a symbol of intolerance and self-righteousness, that I am afraid his name will fill people with anger or shame. This week I want to remember J.D. Salinger, who died recently. In Franny and Zooey he sweeps away images of a phony, doll-like, adorable Jesus and uses surprising metaphors to try to get to the truth of Jesus. I highly recommend this novel as an attempt to reclaim Jesus from those who misuse him.
Loving Jesus, help us to sweep away all the false and distorted images of you. Help us to hear your real and living voice in scripture and in the works and words of those who truly hear your call.
Jesus, please help!
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