
Ignatian Contemplation
St. Ignatius knew from his conversion experience the power of the Holy Spirit, which deepened his desire to become a soldier for Christ by imagining living like the saints.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius proposes praying with the Gospel scenes and various spiritual exercises by using our imagination, thoughts, and memories. This prayer practice is called Ignatian Contemplation, and it is most useful when praying about events in the life of Jesus.
In Ignatian Contemplation, we use our active imagination to imagine a particular event in the life of Jesus. We imagine all the aspects of the scene, sights, and sounds. We allow our imagination to lead us to relate to Jesus personally. Â
St. Ignatius suggests we use three steps:Â see, listen, and consider.
First, read to understand what is going on and who is there. Construct the scene in your mind and see the different people. (SE# 106)
Read it a second time to imagine the scene. Listen to what the people are saying and hear how they interact. (SE# 107)
Read a third time and focus on the people in the passage. (See SE 108) Consider what the people are doing and where you are invited to enter the scene to relate to Jesus and all that is happening.
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