Let the Spirit Direct You - St. Ignatius of Loyola

PRAYER GUIDE Let the Spirit Direct You - Prayer of the Imagination Lessons from Saint Ignatius of Loyola Excerpted from Beginning Contemplative Prayer by Kathryn J. Hermes, FSP Saint Ignatius gave us a form of contemplation that makes use of our imagination.

Ignatius would have us contemplate Christ in the Gospels by placing ourselves somewhere in the scene, participating in the conversation and activity, and allowing God the liberty to reveal himself to us.

For example, once I was meditating on Jesus’ call of the disciples. I went up to Jesus and told him that I wanted to come with him, too. Jesus turned around and walked away from me without a word. It took me awhile to realize the alienation I felt because of this apparent rejection by Jesus, and how the Spirit working in my heart had made me aware of it. Several years of prayer and healing passed before I realized that Jesus no longer walked away from me when I put myself in the apostles’ shoes, but instead gathered me in an embrace whenever I approached him. My experience, my feelings about myself, and my prayer came together in a contemplation that helped me find God in my life in new ways.

The steps for praying with Scripture this way are simple: 1. Prepare yourself for prayer. Quiet your mind. Ask God to reveal himself. Tell him what you desire of him in this time of prayer.

2. Talk to Jesus. Ask him to speak to you through the Scripture you are about to read.

3. Choose a story from the Gospel. For example, choose the story of the storm on the lake (see Mk 4:35~41). Read the passage slowly several times, leaving a few moments of silence between readings.

4. Imagine yourself in that Gospel scene. Smell the air, feel the water as it pounds the boat and splashes you in the face. Run your hand along the edge of the vessel so precariously thrown about in the storm. Talk to the others there. See Jesus asleep.

5. Let your feelings surface. Is there someone in the story you identify with?

Someone you feel repulsed by? Something that makes you afraid or joyful, that attracts or distracts you? Stay with the feelings and whatever seems most significant or meaningful.

Forget the rest of the story for now.

Let things happen in the scene that aren’t described in the Gospels. Let’s say you feel angry that Jesus doesn’t wake up right away. Maybe you’re so angry you go back and shake him by the shoulders and tell him to his face exactly how you feel. You can’t believe the compassion and love in Jesus’ eyes as he listens.

Or perhaps it doesn’t even occur to you to wake Jesus up. You try to solve the problem on your own. As you are trying to stabilize the vessel, Jesus comes to you and asks you a simple question. What is that question? That question will have something to do with your present life experiences, your attitude toward God, and your feelings about yourself. What is it like for you to have the storm about you calmed?

6. Remain in the scene for as long as it is nourishing your prayer. You may choose to continue your prayer until you feel a shift. Or maybe you need to repeat the meditation over several days or weeks until you come to a moment of peace and faith.

7. End your prayer time with a period of silence and the Our Father. You may find it useful to record your impressions in a journal. www.pauline.org © Daughters of St. Paul.