Ignatian Contemplation: A Catholic Bible-reading activity

 First of all, a quick disclaimer: This form of scripture reading is Catholic only in the sense that Ignatius of Loyola originally had the idea. No acceptance of any quirky Catholic beliefs is required for this!

Anyway. I haven't written much on here, not since a meme post early on during quarantine, but I'm back in a more serious light. Today I want to discuss a different take on reading God's Word that even many Catholics don't know about, simply because it is an older form of prayer.

So what is Ignatian Contemplation?

Ignatian Contemplation was developed, as I mentioned, by Ignatius of Loyola, who also founded the Society of Jesus, AKA the Jesuit Order. Ignatius believed that God can and does speak to us through our imagination as much as through anything else. The Gospels, are, in fact, littered with examples of Jesus using his listeners' imaginations to attempt to communicate ideas to them. All of His parables are fictions that use metaphors they understood much better than 'an introduction to Christian Metaphysics and Philosophy'.

Based on this belief, Ignatian Contemplation uses the Gospel as a basis for imagination, placing oneself in the story alongside the Apostles and other disciples. It allows God to speak to us not only through His Word but also simply through the scenes that His Word presents. This does not, for the record, mean that the contemplater believes the Gospels are simply metaphorical or extra detail that may not have actually happened; Catholics believe as much as anyone that the Gospels are a true, historical account. However, as God's Word, Ignatius (and those who use his methods) believed that the Gospels can also be far, far more than just a biography. 

I've used both 'prayer' and 'read' to refer to this activity so far, and this deserves some explanation. While reading the Bible is a prayerful activity, it isn't usually described as a direct conversation between God and man. In Ignatian Contemplation, however, it is exactly this. One reads a passage, then attempts to form the scene in his mind, and imagines himself in it. The purpose is to allow God to take control and to teach us through the scene, oftentimes through conversation beyond the scene itself. Successfully praying in this way often results in imagined conversations and events that aren't actually in the Gospel, and that's ok. As said before, this prayer takes the Gospel as more than just a factual story, and any revelation that comes of it is more than factually true as well. 

So how does one actually do it? 

To begin with, find a passage in the Bible that you like. The Gospels generally work well, but there are plenty of passages in the Old Testament too.
The purpose here is to 'live into' the passage. Read it through, taking note of the broad stroke of the story - where it happens, who's involved. Afterward, read it again. This time, read slowly and take note of the small details. Notice as much as you can, and try to remember it as well. You may need to read it a third time.

Now close your eyes. Visualize the scene. Feel the scene. What is the ground like? Is there a breeze? What sounds and smells are in the air? Fill it with as much detail as you can. Refer back to the passage if you need to, but feel free to fill in the blanks as well. Remember that this is imaginative; you aren't adding to the Gospel, just your prayer.
Now ask yourself the most important question. Who are you? Where are you? Place yourself in the story, and let it play out. Perhaps you are Zaccheus, and Jesus is asking to come into your house. Perhaps you are the steward, tasting what you thought was water and finding it wine instead. Find a place in the story, and let the tape roll.

The miracle of walking on water is one of my personal favorites for this activity. A recent example from my own prayer life uses it. I found myself among the Apostles, just after Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fish. He dismissed us, telling us to take a boat to the other side of the lake while he retreated to pray in the mountains. As you all know, the weather didn't like this plan, and midway out from the shore the storms began. We fought to keep the boat under control, until one man shouted and pointed back at what looked like a ghost, walking towards us on the water. 

The trick with this form of prayer, as I have said, is to immerse yourself in the story. At this point in mine, I could feel the fear of the Apostles - we could not understand it. We were exhausted from battling the waves, and the rain obscured Christ's face. I would call my immersion successful in this particular instance.

As the 'ghost' came closer, it spoke to us - told us not to be afraid, that He was Jesus. Peter, as you know, shouted back and asked Jesus to command him to come, and Jesus gave the command. All of us gasped in astonishment as Peter stepped out of the boat onto the waves and began walking. After a bit, though, he doubted and sank, and Jesus caught him, asking why he doubted. When they both got back to the boat, Jesus calmed the waves.

Then, He turned to me, gesturing at Peter. "When I called him, Peter came," He told me. "Will you be ready when I call you?"

I don't know what He plans on calling me to. As far as I can tell, He hasn't yet. But it emphasizes the point rather well. I know that Jesus never turned to a disciple on that boat and said that. But this is the power of Ignatian Contemplation. It gives us a conversation basis, something that God can actually use. How often have we sat in prayer, knowing that we need to talk to God and yet have no idea what to say? Maybe for some of you, that doesn't happen, or you managed to move beyond it and can just talk to God. But if that isn't the case, I'd recommend you try Ignatius's way.