Here is the first talk we received on our retreat last weekend, at the Galilee retreat Centre in Arnprior. It was given by Jason who is a Jesuit seminarian.
Jason gives a great personal example of how to pray by using the structure of St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises.
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Retreat:
17-19 January 2014 at Arnprior, ON
At my
parents’ house in Scarborough, ON, there is in an album an old,
sepia photograph that I am very fond of. It was taken the year I was
born and it shows my grandmother cradling me in her arms. In her
bedroom, she is lying on a bed in that floral dress she loved so
much. Her head rests on a pillow and she holds the new born me,
swaddling clothes and all, literally close to her heart. My fleshy
face, in the photo, crinkles with confusion. The sun blazes through
an open window and, just as my grandmother cradles me, the sunlight
cradles both of us. In the photograph, my grandmother holds me so
close to her that both of us seem to be one being. She smiles broadly
and proudly, and her eyes sing songs of tenderness and gratitude. As
you can tell, this picture evokes strong feelings in me. When I look
at it, I feel comfort, gratitude and tender love for my late
grandmother, who raised me. I miss her. Even my senses react to the
photograph. I actually feel the softness of her skin against my
cheek. I smell acutely her homely scent. I feel her soft bosom in
which I am ensconced. I see her smiling eyes. There is no doubt that
images exact great power over us. Which image do you find evocative?
It could be a photograph, a scene from a film, a painting, or a
picture in a newspaper or magazine.
Ignatius
of Loyola knew that images are powerful. He, therefore, popularized
imaginative prayer, which we call Ignatian Contemplation. Ignatian
Contemplation means prayerfully
imagining yourself as a character in a scriptural story.
To properly explain how to go about this, I would like to elaborate
on the following three points. Ignatius, firstly, believed that the
Holy Spirit, through prayerful imagination, directs us into deeper
companionship or friendship with the Triune God and, in particular,
with Jesus. This deepening friendship, secondly, entails desiring and
discovering what it means to be more like Jesus. I will, thirdly,
briefly outline the structure of a typical Ignatian Contemplation.
Firstly,
the Holy Spirit guides our prayer. This is no less true when we do
Ignatian Contemplation. Since God made us to desire deeper intimacy
with Him, He gives us the grace to be intimate. Jesus says in the
gospel of John, “the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my
name, will teach you all things” (14:26). When we pray, the Holy
Spirit uses our imaginations to teach us what it means to be Jesus’
friends and companions. Trusting
the Spirit is, then, very important. Remember, it is not we who
control the dynamic of our prayer even though we might sometimes like
to do so. “We do not invite God into prayer rather God invites us
into prayer.” Our Ignatian Contemplations may not always
unfold as we like, but we must still trust
that the Holy Spirit guides us. This is the key.
Secondly,
the whole point of Ignatian Contemplation is to accompany Jesus, and
in accompanying him, to learn how to imitate him in our daily lives.
In fact, the word “image” comes from the Latin word imitari,
which means to copy or imitate. Ignatius believed that if we imagine
ourselves accompanying Jesus through his birth, ministry,
crucifixion, death and resurrection, we will not only grow closer to
Jesus but also have a better idea of what it means to imitate him
daily. If this is the whole point of Ignatian contemplation, then we
need two more key elements. One of these is desire. During each
prayer period we must tell God what grace we desire from the
contemplation. The grace we ask for, naturally, depends on the
scripture passage we are praying with, and we decide on this grace
with our spiritual director’s help. The grace usually comes out of
our desire to know more deeply Jesus’ mind and heart. The other
element is discovery. Ignatian Contemplation is all about following
Jesus like a pilgrim on a journey of discovery. We discover ourselves
as loved by God, which transforms us into more arduous messengers of
that love.
Thirdly,
a typical Ignatian Contemplation has the following structure:
I.
CHOOSE
an appropriate place
Find
a place that will best enable you to be quiet and prayerful.
Remember that, just like Moses in front of the burning bush, this
place is holy ground because it is where you will encounter Jesus in
prayer.
After
you have settled yourself, take a couple of minutes to become aware
of God’s presence with you in that room and in your heart.
II.
SEE:
Imagine the Scene
Imagine
the setting (topographical and social) of the scripture story. For
example, imagine you are actually with the baby Jesus in the manger.
What do you see, hear, smell and feel? What does the manger look
like? How does it smell? Etc.
If
it were a movie, what would this scriptural scene look like?
Who
else is in the scene with you? For example, the Virgin Mary and
Joseph might be present in the manger. The shepherds might be there
as well. Or perhaps you are alone with the baby Jesus.
III.
ASK
for a grace that leads to greater intimacy with Jesus
For
example, “Jesus draw me into the mystery of your birth”
Desiring
a grace helps you to become more involved in the story.
IV.
LISTEN
to what the characters in the story are saying
Before
entering into dialogue with Jesus, listen to the dialogue between
the characters in the story. How does the conversation affect you?
For
example, what is the Virgin Mary saying to Joseph and the baby
Jesus? What are the Shepherds discussing about? Perhaps, there is
only silence on that holy night, and that’s okay.
V.
SPEAK:
confide in Jesus
Since
you are trying to become closer friends with Jesus, have a heart to
heart conversation with Him.
What
do you talk about with Jesus? Tell him about what moved you during
your prayer. What did you like and/or dislike about your prayer?
What were your thoughts and feelings during the prayer? Ask Jesus
what he was feeling and thinking.
If
absolutely nothing moved you during prayer, this is okay. Tell Jesus
that nothing moved you and then imagine what his reply would be.
In
addition to this, you may speak to other characters in the story.
VI.
SILENCE
with Jesus
VII.
CONCLUSION
The above
structure is not meant to stifle your prayer. It is meant, rather, to
help you encounter God. An Ignatian Contemplation could last from 30
to 60 minutes. With your director’s help, decide on how long each
of your prayer periods should be. The Jesuit Anthony De Mello once
said that prayer is “all about the fire. Where is the fire?” When
I look at that photograph of my grandmother cradling me, the fire is
in my love for her and in my gratitude for her life. It is in my
sensual reaction to the photograph - the feel of my grandmother’s
skin, and her scent. The above structure is supposed to surface these
fiery movements. In Ignatian Contemplation, Jesus plays the same role
for you that my grandmother plays for me in that photograph. As you
pray with Luke
2:1-19 (found at the top left hand corner of your sheets),
I wish and pray that you may experience God’s fiery presence not
only in your prayer and during this retreat but throughout your
lives. Thank You.
