In the year 1521, a young Spanish soldier, Ignatius, was badly wounded in the leg while defending the city of Pamplona.  During his long convalescence, Ignatius asked for something to read.  None of his favorite books was available; Ignatius had to settle for the lives of the saints.  While reading about the saints and their sacrifices for Christ, he had an experience of peace and joy, repented of his sins, and entered into a new life of poverty and chastity.

Ignatius became the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).  As their leader, he wrote his Book of Exercises, which recommended a variety of exercises to deepen a Christian’s spiritual journey.  These exercises are widely used today, by Roman Catholic priests and monks, by spiritual directors and spiritual seekers.  The most rigorous of the exercises involves a 30-day retreat under spiritual direction, with specified exercises for each week of the retreat.

However, a 30-day retreat is beyond the capability of most 21st-century Americans.  While spiritual direction and the Ignatian Examen (the most famous of his exercises) are highly recommended spiritual exercises, the one aspect of the Ignatian method that this study will cover is the Ignatian method of meditation.

Many of us assume that meditation is a method of self-emptying and silencing, which allows a deeply accomplished spiritual master to enter into a kind of union with God.  This kind of apophatic meditation is more accurately called contemplation.  Contemplation is a gift of vision and knowledge given by God.

Meditation, on the other hand, as the word is used here, involves Ignatius’ specific method of entering into a biblical scene.  It requires the believer to use her imagination, senses and openness to God’s guidance to place herself within a biblical story.  The seeker uses his five senses to imagine how the scene looked, to hear the sounds, to smell the odors, to eat the food and finally to enter into conversation with Christ.

Is it possible that God can speak to us through our imaginations?  For some people, the sensate experience, the freedom to use their imaginations in this way, may open them up to a new realm of spiritual experience.  For others, the distractions of their present environment may prevent them from fully entering into the biblical scene.  Of course, the purpose of this study is to enable each person to experience a number of different styles of prayer, because each person will likely find that each experience affects him differently.

To do imaginative meditation on your own, first choose the passage that you would like to meditate on.  You may wish to meditate on the same passage each day of the week, noting how your experience varies and deepens each time.  Or you may prefer to meditate on a different scene each day.

To begin your meditation, read the passage through slowly and carefully, one sentence at a time.  With each sentence, imagine:

• What does the landscape look like?  What does the air feel like?  Is it hot?  Dry?  Dusty?  Is there a smell of rain in the air?  Are there trees, rivers, rocks, mountains?  Build the landscape in your mind.
• What people are present?  Is there a crowd, or just a few people?  Where are you in the scene?  What do the people look like?  Are they peaceful, angry, impatient, expectant?  Are they paying attention to Jesus, or wishing he would go away?
• What background sounds do you hear?  Is there wind, the sound of water rushing or gurgling, the sound of a crowd, footsteps, laughter, sobbing?
• What do you smell?  Are there flowers?  Are the people sweaty?  Is there a smell of dinner cooking?
• What do you feel with your sense of touch in this scene?  The wind blowing?  A hand touching yours?  Does the hand feel soft or rough, weak or strong?  Are your feet sore from walking a long way?  Are you hungry, thirsty?  Are you in pain or in need of healing?
• Finally, what conversation do you hear?  Does Jesus turn and speak directly to you?  What do you say to him?