Join us in praying a novena to St. Ignatius, ending on his feast day, July 31, 2021!

Day 5, July 27- Imagination

Reflect: In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius reveals how important he believes the imagination to be for conversion and contemplation. In a book on Ignatian spirituality, author Jim Manney writes, “[St. Ignatius] came to know Jesus intimately by immersing himself in Gospel stories that showed Jesus healing, teaching, casting out spirits, and walking on the roads of Palestine…Imaginative prayer makes the Jesus of the Gospels your Jesus” (Ignatian Spirituality A to Z, 123-4). St. Ignatius used his imagination, his feelings, his five senses, to creatively place himself on the scene with Jesus and His disciples. How can we follow in St. Ignatius’ lead, and place ourselves in the Gospels? Let us imagine that we ourselves are amongst the disciples following Jesus, that we ourselves are on the boat with Jesus as he calms the stormy sea, that we ourselves are at the foot of the Cross. What do we feel? What do we hear, taste, see, and smell? How are we going closer to Jesus this way?

Pray: The Suscipe

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours;
do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.