Another Way to Pray With the Scriptures: Ignatian Meditation

St. Ignatius of Loyola was the author of the Spiritual Exercises. He was a man of strong emotions and colorful imagination. Through many experiences, he realized that his God-given imagination was a path to prayer. He devised this method to enable those making the Exercises to pray through the Gospels and to draw closer to the Lord.

How to use this method:

• Find a quiet place and establish a sense of inner peace and tranquility. Put away all worries, concerns, aimless thoughts, etc.
• Pray. Ask God to be present during this time, to reveal His Word to you in a powerful way, and to remove any remaining distractions that would hinder you from fully meditating on the Scriptures.
• Select a passage of Scripture – Typically a passage from the Gospels works best. However, any Scripture passage may be chosen.
• Composition of the Place – Slowly read the passage several times with the following questions in mind so that you may experience God's Word through all of your senses.
  

  Sight–‘See the persons with the sight of the imagination, meditating and contemplating in particular the details about them.' What do you see? How tall are the people? What are the people wearing? What do they look like? What is the landscape like? Are there buildings? What do the buildings look like? What time of day is it?

  Hearing–‘Hear with the hearing what they are, or might be, talking about and reflecting oneself' What do you hear? If Jesus is in the passage, what does His voice sound like? Who is speaking? What do the character's voices sound like? Are there background noises?
  

  Smell–‘Smell the infinite fragrance and sweetness of the Divinity' What do you smell? Are there fragrances? Are there animals? If so, can you smell them? Is there food cooking? What does the countryside smell like? Are there any smells that you do not recognize?

  Taste–‘Taste the infinite fragrance and sweetness of the Divinity' What do you taste? Are you eating? If so, what does the food taste like? Is there a smell so pungent you can taste it? What does the water taste like?

  Touch–‘Embrace and kiss the places where such persons put their feet and sit.' What do you feel? What are the different textures you feel? What do the people feel like? Their clothes? Their skin? What does the ground feel like? What do the buildings feel like?

• Colloquy – Remain in the passage through your five senses and have a conversation with Jesus.
• Ask Jesus some questions. Ask any question you wish (this is a time of prayer – in prayer we can be completely honest with God), but here are some questions if you can't think of any:

  Jesus, what are you saying to me?
  What are you asking me to do?
  What does this story mean for my life personally?
  How can I follow You more closely based on my meditations?

• The Lord's Prayer – When you have completed the Colloquy, conclude with The Lord's Prayer.
• Journal your experience –It is often a good idea to take notes of what the experience was like and how you were drawn into prayer.

Tips for Ignatian Meditation

• Go back to those points in prayer that provoked the strongest reaction in order to experience the desire for intimacy with God more deeply.
• Study the geography and historical context of the passage so that you may more fully engage the senses.
• Don't just be a passive observer; interact with your surroundings in the story.
• Pick a place in the story – Are you the main character? An observer? A companion to someone in the story?