Praying with the Bible: Ignatian Meditation
For more detail about Ignatian Meditation see here.
Be still and quiet. Thank God for being with you as you pray.
Read the Bible passage through a couple of times.
Close your eyes if this helps you to imagine the scene.
Ask yourself:
What can I see? Look around in your imagination- what is straight ahead of you, to the right, to the left? What are you standing or sitting on? What can you hear? What can you feel? What is the weather like? Imagine the scene as vividly as you can.
Then imagine the events of the story unfolding.
Where and who are you in this story? Are you a bystander? A disciple? At the heart of events or on the margins?
What do you say or do in response to the events of the story?
What does Jesus say or do?
How do you feel?
Allow yourself time to imagine the scene. If you find it difficult to let your imagination run free, try imagining yourself telling someone else what is happening.
Ponder your reactions and share them with God in prayer, saying whatever it is you need to say, and listening for his response.
Read: Luke 6.6-11
On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Thank you Anne - I had not heard of Ignatius Meditation and as a person who finds it very difficult to imagine myself as anyone but myself I have found the hints and notes very helpful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Molehill, and good to hear from you again. I have always found this particular technique very useful, but then I am an inveterate daydreamer... It has often helped me to hear things I really needed to and see my own situation, as well as the Bible stories concerned, from a new perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't for everyone, but the aim of these Lenten posts is to give people a range of different ways to pray in the hopes that they might find something that will help them to get closer to God, so I am glad that you have discovered something new for you.