Toolkit #6 Ignatian Bible Study

Last fall I had the most marvelous opportunity to walk through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with a group of dedicated women – mostly younger than me! – along with two Spiritual Directors. The purpose of the Exercises is to find the will of God for our one wild life and to receive insight and encouragement in following our personal call. We began with these assumptions:

Ignatius tells us that:
1. God can work on us when we are vulnerable
2. We need to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings and emotions that are a part of us/our days/ our journey.

We need to practice:
1. Being quiet
2. Think about what gives us life, joy and peace
3. Let go of the past as best we can

How do we do this? In our devotional life we begin with a simple prayer:
“I pray for the grace of an open and generous heart before God.”
We invest ourselves in the scripture. One of the gifts of Ignatian spirituality is that we use our imagination while we are reading scripture. We approach it with all of our senses. We place ourselves in the scripture – with the characters bringing insight into our life. (I know if you are United Methodist you might think this came from Disciple Bible Study – but really, Ignatius came up with this first somewhere between 1523 and 1541!)

So today, why not try a bit scripture Ignatian style?

Pray: “I pray for the grace of an open and generous heart before God.”
Read Prayerfully: Matthew 8:23-27 (I wish I cold hear Colleen sing, “Peace, Be Still”)
Read: Read the scripture again, imagining yourself to be in the scripture. Are you one of the disciples? Which one? Where are you sleeping? What are you wearing? What do you smell? What do you feel? What happens when the storm kicks it up a notch? What do you imagine yourself saying? Thinking?
Do you hear the invitation of Jesus to have faith in Him. To trust. Not to doubt?

Now imagine you are alone with Jesus. Speak to him of the things you have witnessed and felt. Ask Jesus to calm the storms in your life. Speak to him from your heart.

After the prayer, journal these thoughts:
What word in the scripture most spoke to you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Perhaps re-read the scripture aloud. This scripture is now part of you!

Thank the Lord for this time of prayer and presence.


Remember to pray the Examen this evening.