We walked down the stairs to the basement room where the TC meeting was going to be
held already expectant and feeling lighter, our problems and the madness of the world left
behind if only for a short while.

A few days earlier, we had received a copy of an 18th century painting of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus by Pompeo Batoni together with two questions to reflect on its meaning and the
effect it had on us:
What feeling(s) or realisation(s) did the image stir in me?
How might the Lord be speaking to me OR what might he want to show me?
As usual, we were noisy at the beginning, talking to each other, but the atmosphere soon
changed as Fr David began, leading us in a mixture of prayer and meditation (Visio
Divina). We looked at the picture of Jesus projected on the wall and listened to peaceful
music while Father spoke.
He told us about his own experience of prayer and shared some very powerful quotes, most
of which preached a common message: we mustn’t worry too much if we don’t pray
perfectly, there is always room for improvement. Prayer has more to do with God than with
us, and God is always going to reach out and offer his love unconditionally.
Afterwards, Father told us to exchange opinions about how the image made us feel in small
groups. And finally, some of us also shared in front of the whole group. It was very
interesting to listen to what others thought of the painting as it helped us understand some
very valuable perspectives.
Father’s kindness and approachability made the experience one of a kind and we are
thankful for that.
I have to say I left the room with a renewed sensation of happiness, feeling refreshed and
invigorated by the prayer, and I can only assume all the others experienced similar
emotions.

-Maria Jose