Hello.
Welcome to Methods.
This is the ninth episode of our third season,
Vision.
We've spoken about contemplation before,
And this part may be confusing.
Like many words in the English language,
A word like contemplation can mean different things depending on its context.
Contemplation can mean the inner state of union with the divine,
A type of samadhi,
Or final stage in the process of purgation,
Illumination,
And union,
As per the Desert Fathers like Evagrius Ponticus.
But there's a different usage for the term contemplation in the Jesuit tradition.
Imaginative prayer,
Also known as Ignatian contemplation,
Is the name given to prayer which helps us enter more fully into the passage of scripture we are reading,
By using our ability to form pictures or inner impressions in our minds.
We live in a rational,
Left-brain world,
Where information and analysis is the highest priority.
But as human beings,
Our soul is still captivated by experience.
Jesus called on people's imagination all the time.
He was constantly telling stories and painting word pictures.
He asked people to imagine the Kingdom of God as a mustard seed,
As yeast,
As a treasure hidden in a field,
As a lost coin.
Through imaginative prayer,
We step into a gospel story and imagine ourselves to be there in that scene.
Rather than reading the Bible abstractly,
We enter the story to more deeply experience and encounter Jesus in the scene.
In doing so,
We remain true to the biblical reading,
But more actively experience it.
We might be a disciple in the boat with Jesus,
One of the crowd at the feeding of the 5,
000,
Or the woman at the well asked by Jesus to draw up water for him.
It's important that as you hear the story,
You try and feel what it's like to actually be inside that story.
Listen.
Taste.
Smell.
Feel.
And watch what happens.
What can you see around you?
What are everyone's facial expressions?
What are you feeling?
This passage is from the Gospel of John,
Chapter 6.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed,
They began to say,
Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.
Jesus,
Knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force,
Withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came,
His disciples went down to the lake,
Where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for a cupronym.
By now it was dark,
And Jesus had not yet joined them.
A strong wind was blowing,
And the waters grew rough.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
They saw Jesus approaching the boat,
Walking on the water,
And they were frightened.
But he said to them,
It is I.
Don't be afraid.
Then they were willing to take him into the boat,
And immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
The next day,
The crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there,
And that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples,
But that they had gone away alone.
Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
They got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
Now I invite you to close your eyes and place your feet firmly on the floor beneath you.
Place your hands lightly in your lap and take a few deep breaths.
Imagine yourself as a disciple of Jesus,
Standing on a shoreline on the edge of a large lake.
The sun has been down for about a half an hour now,
And the temperature is dropping quickly.
What do you see?
It had been a while since he went up to the mountain by himself again.
After the miracle of the loaves and the fish,
The crowd had erupted into a frenzy,
Trying to take Jesus by force and make him king.
He didn't seem to like that too much,
Because he quickly retreated higher up in the mountain to get away and to pray in silence.
But it had been a few hours now and no one was sure how Jesus would find his way to Capernaum,
As there was only one boat on the shore.
Everyone was getting worried.
The other disciples are bickering amongst themselves about whether you should go across the sea in the night to Capernaum or stay and wait for Jesus to return.
What do you hear?
Everyone decides to press on,
And they wade out into the shallow water to board the small boat.
A couple men and women on each side pulled the boat closer and held it steady.
You walk out toward the boat and the water washes over your feet.
Is it cold?
A little further and the rising waves soak the bottom of your clothes.
You climb over the edge of the wooden sides of the boat and sit somewhere in the back,
Trying to shield yourself from the strong wind.
What do you feel?
You and the others row on against the current for a few miles,
And your arms start to grow tired.
You're not sure how much longer this will take,
But just as you turn to say something to the other disciples,
You see him.
About twenty feet away,
You see the rabbi walking toward the boat,
Walking on the crest of the waves.
Everyone in the boat begins to cast frightened glances at each other,
And as Jesus draws near to the boat,
He says to you,
Don't be afraid.
I am.
Thank you for participating in this episode of Methods.
