Last time we were introduced to Ignatius of Loyola and his belief in the power of imaginative contemplation. This time we’ll explore what it can look like when applied to reading Scripture. Perhaps the first thing to do is to rethink what Scripture is, so that, in addition to seeing it as a collection of writings that teaches us about God, we enter into it as a Living Story where Jesus himself ever dwells under the ink. Then the Scriptures become not just a place where we can learn about God; they become a place where we can meet and experience God.

There is no one right way to implement imaginative contemplation, although it is frequently helpful to begin with Gospel stories or Jesus’ parables. Try following these steps:

• Choose a parable or Gospel story.
• Become still and quiet before you begin to read, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you.
• Take time to fully imagine the scene.
• Apply all five senses: What can you see? Hear? Smell? Feel? Taste?
• Remember that it will be the Voice of Love that speaks (never condemnation or shame).
• Enter into the story as one of the participants, or as a close observer, allowing the scene to play out with you in it.
• Pay attention both to how Jesus is throughout this encounter and to how he affects you.
• Be open to it being a personal experience.

If you do try imaginative contemplation, I would love to hear how the experience is for you, whether it is amazingly wonderful or amazingly disappointing. There is invitation in every kind of experience, because God never ceases calling us into deeper relationship. Let’s walk together.

Welcome to The Emmaus Way! The Road to Emmaus story in Luke 24 is one of my favorites in the gospels. Along with other things, it reveals the transformation that can happen when Jesus shows up alongside people walking together, exploring questions of faith. As we move through 2024, join me each week as we consider thoughts, issues, and questions regarding the things we experience as we journey through this life. Let’s walk together.

Sit for a few minutes with this quote from Christian author, philosopher, and teacher Evelyn Underhill:
“Our spiritual life depends on his perpetual coming to us, far more than on our going to him. Every time a channel is made for him he comes; every time our hearts are open to him he enters, bringing a fresh gift of his very life, and on that life we depend. We should think of the whole power and splendor of God as always pressing in upon our small souls.”

How does it strike you to think of the infinite, eternal God as always coming to you, as always giving a fresh gift of his life to you, as always pressing in on your “small” and precious soul? Is it refreshing? Hard to believe? Something else? Can you picture Jesus coming to you, as to the disciples on the Emmaus Road, revealing who he is to your heart? If you’ve never tried imaginative contemplation, perhaps this is a place to start, this place of walking and sharing and asking and listening. For the next few minutes, try closing your eyes and imagining Jesus coming and walking alongside you on your favorite Colorado walk, trusting that as you make a “channel” for him, he will come. What is that experience like? If you’d like to share, or if you have questions about imaginative contemplation, I’d love to talk with you. Let’s walk together.

Week 5: Feb. 19

Imaginative contemplation has come up in the last couple of posts. I find myself wondering, what are your thoughts on imaginative contemplation? Is it something you’re familiar with? Is it something you’ve never heard of? If you have heard of it, is it something you’re wary about? All responses are understandable and valid. Let’s explore it a bit.

One of the champions of imaginative contemplation was Ignatius of Loyola, an early-16th-century Catholic priest who desired to foster spiritual renewal in his Church. He and his Spiritual Exercises were a part of the Catholic Church’s counter-reformation after that one guy posted 95 Theses on a door. J An active imagination had informed his own life, both before and after becoming a priest, and he believed that everything in this world is a created gift of God, for us, to be means by which we can come to know, love, and serve God more deeply. Ignatius understood that the imagination is a powerful God-given force that, when surrendered to and guided by the Holy Spirit, can have a positive effect on our life with God.

We already use our imaginations every day, such as when we replay memories or think about and picture future events. Imagination becomes unhealthy when it leads to worry or obsession, but it can also be joyous and freeing when employed to deepen relationship with God. What might it look like to use it in that way? Come back next time to find out.