Ignatian Exercises
-
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” -
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. -
3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Gospel Contemplation
Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Jesuits, ‘The Society of Jesus,’ and by all accounts, he was a bit of an eejit until his conversion in 1521. His radical conversion came about when, convalescing after a war injury. He read a book, ‘The Life of Christ’, and, as an exercise, imagined himself present in some of the gospel scenes. The transformative work of the Holy Spirit had begun deep within, and he found in the scriptures a way of dialoguing with God.
These exercises may be a pattern that could be revelatory for you.
Exercise: Zacchaeus - Gospel Contemplation
In this form of prayer we enter a gospel story about Jesus by using our imagining.
Ignatius of Loyola learnt from ‘praying the scriptures’ – a way of prayer that unites thinking, feeling, remembering and imagining.
1.Find a quiet, comfortable place and pray, ‘I quiet myself and relax in the presence of God.’
2.Read the passage through slowly several times.
3.Try and enter the story as if you were there. Look around in the story, notice the people there. Listen to what is said. Imagine you are Zacc in the story. Allow yourself to interact with the others in the story. Have a conversation with them, listen to what they say to you and each other.
Allow the event to unfold through your imagining using the narrative of the gospel.
Respond as you need to when Jesus looked up and said to YOU {Luke 19:5} When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said… “….. come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Reflect on what that ‘stay in your house today’ with Jesus was like.
Afterwards, reflect on your time of prayer. This is not about the ideas you have come up with, but about the interaction between the Lord and you. What happened inside you as you prayed? You may find it helpful to write notes from your ‘meeting’ or perhaps to make a sketch or a poem.
Read Luke 19:1-10: 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Exercise: Bartimaeus - Gospel Contemplation
In this form of prayer we enter a gospel story about Jesus by using our imagining. Ignatian spirituality is the experience of ‘praying the scriptures’ – a way of prayer that unites thinking, feeling, remembering and imagining.
1.Find a quiet, comfortable place and pray ‘I quiet myself and relax in the presence of God.’
2.Read the passage through slowly several times.
3.Try and enter the story as if you were there. Look around in the story, notice the persons there. Listen to what is said. Imagine you are Bart in the story. Allow yourself to interact with the others in the story. Have a conversation with them, listen to what they say to you and each other.
Allow the event to unfold through your imagination using the narrative of the gospel.
Respond as you need to when Jesus asks you [“What do you want me to do for you?”Mark 10:51].
Afterwards: reflect on your time of prayer. This is not about ideas you have come up with but the interaction between the Lord and you. What happened inside you as you prayed. You may find it helpful to write notes from your ‘meeting’ or perhaps to make a sketch or a poem.
Read Mark 10:46-52
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Exercise: A Beautiful Deed - Gospel Contemplation
In this form of prayer, we enter a gospel story about Jesus by using our imagining.
Ignatius of Loyola learnt from ‘praying the scriptures’ – a way of prayer that unites thinking, feeling, remembering and imagining.
1.Find a quiet, comfortable place and pray ‘I quiet myself and relax in the presence of God.’
2.Read the passage through slowly several times.
3.Try and enter the story as if you were there. Look around in the story, notice the persons there. Listen to what is said. Imagine you are the woman in the story. Allow yourself to interact with the others in the story. Listen to what they say to you and each other. Allow the event to unfold through your imagination using the narrative of the gospel.
Imagine that Jesus turns to YOU [in v6] and says ‘you have done a beautiful thing to me.’ How do you respond to the Lord?
Afterwards, reflect on your time of prayer. This is not about ideas you have come up with but the interaction between the Lord and you. What happened inside you as you prayed. You may find it helpful to write notes from your ‘meeting’ or perhaps to make a sketch or to write a poem.
Read Mark 14:3-9
3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Here are other Scriptures which can open a window of imagining and aid intimacy with the Lord Jesus:
Resurrection Scriptures
Mark 16:1-8 Jesus appears to the women at the Tomb
John 20: 11-18 Jesus meets Mary Magdalene
Luke 24: 13-35 The Road to Emmaus
John 20: 19-22 Peace be with you
John 21: 1-19 Sea of Tiberias
Philippians 1: 3-11 I thank God when I think of you
Philippians 4: -9 I want you to be happy
Intimacy with Christ Scriptures
Luke 4:14-30 Return to Nazareth
Luke 5: 1-11 Call of the Disciples
John 1: 35-39 What do you want?
John 2: 1-12 Cana Miracle
John 4:22-25 Woman at the Well
Luke 10: 38-42 Mary and Martha
John 13: 1-16 The Washing of the Feet
Ephesians 6: 10-20 Put on the Armour
God’s Love Texts
Luke 11: 1-13 Lord Teach Us to Pray
Isaiah 55: 1-3 Come to the Water
Isaiah 43: 1-7 You are Precious in my Eyes
Isaiah 49: 14-16 I will never forget you
Deuteronomy 1:29-32 Don’t be Afraid, the Lord carries you.
Forgiveness/Healing texts
Ezekiel 36: 25-29 I shall pour clean water over you
Luke: 5 12-16 Healing the Leper
Mark 2: 1-12 Healing the paralysed man
Mark 5: 21-24 and 35-43 Jairus’ daughter
Mark 5: 25-34 Woman with the bleeding disorder
Luke 15: 11-32 Lost Son and loving Father
John 5: 1-9 The paralysed man at the pool of Bethzatha
Scriptures on Trust
Psalm 46 God is our shelter and strength
Psalm 27 God is my light and my salvation
Matthew 6: 24-34 Do not Worry
Matthew 14: 22-33 Walk on Water
Mark 4: 35-41 Calming the Storm
John 15: 1-8 Apart from me you can do nothing
Jeremiah 18: 1-7 The Potter
