Part 2, Chapter 12
Images are an important part of our prayer lives. Whether we pray with the Stations of the Cross, or look at a statue of a saint, or a crucifix, we use images to help us encounter God. Some images speak to us more than others on a given day. “Our hearts ought daily to choose some resting place” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 50). What St. Francis De Sales is getting at is that we need to each day have an image or thought that will help us continually go to the Lord to help us rely on His strength. Whether that is placing ourselves in Jesus’ side on the cross or looking at the infant Jesus, our images help us to encounter Him. They remind us that we need Him and by going to these images throughout the entire day, our hearts are raised up to Him.
It doesn’t matter where we are at, we can encounter God. We don’t just need to be in a quiet place with no one around, what we need to do is to recollect ourselves with the Lord no matter where we are. “That solitude need not be in any way hindered by crowds that surround you—they surround your body, not your soul, and your heart remains alone in the sole presence of God” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 50). We could be on a busy subway or in the midst of ballgame and we can be encountering God in a deep and profound way. (This doesn’t mean that we stop praying our daily meditation hour). Thus having an image can help us to facilitate this quiet within our soul, even in the midst of noise and commotion. What a blessing this is, and this is what God desires for us. He wants us to have this place where we can recollect ourselves at different moments throughout the day. In doing this we receive God’s peace deep in our hearts which keeps us moving in the devout life.