“I think much of our hunger for spectacle and hype comes from a lack of imagination. To find ourselves captivated by the Christian life and captivated by the Scriptures requires an active mind and an engaged imagination. It’s the imagination that brings this world to life.”
- Mike Cosper in Recapturing the Wonder
Ignatius of Loyola taught his followers to read the Gospels with an active imagination. Hear the story of Jesus healing a paralytic or talking with the woman at the well, and imagine yourself in the story, encountering Jesus, hearing his healing words as if he were saying them to you. Hear it as if you were the paralytic or as if you were a bystander. Feel the heat of the sun, the weariness of a journey on a long road, the shame of sin and exposure, the judgement and condemnation from religious professionals, and imagine Jesus. What might he sound like? Does he touch you as he passes? Does he look you in the eyes? What do you hear? What do you feel?
How to practice
Create time and space to be alone
Set a timer (start with 3-5 minutes)
Start by calming down your body and mind
Pray a short breath prayer a few times
Take a short passage (a story from the Gospels, for example)
Read it a couple of times (silently or out loud)
Allow your mind to wander into that world: think of the smells, the sights, the tastes, the touches.
When the timer goes off, take another moment to pray and reflect
What struck you?
What part of the story might be worth coming back later in the day?
Repeat this practice. It gets richer.
