Derived from the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius and Erasmus before him, the so-called ‘Ignatian’ Prayer focuses on imaginative participation in a text from the Gospels. You read the given passage of Scripture repeatedly and then settle into picturing the scene described and then asking yourself questions about the form of your picturing. Why this part of the scene? Why not another? What can you notice from this position in the scene, etc. You are encouraged to notice what you might in the scene have previously overlooked. The thoroughness of the imaginative engagement with the Gospel text helps us to assimilate its content more readily into our being and so into our lives.

week one

Do this exercise at least once this coming week. You might like to keep a journal of your visualisations and reflections throughout Lent.

Read the account of the crucifixion in Mark's Gospel, in the Bible: chapter 15, verses 16-41.

Read the passage several times. Then, replay the events with your 'inner eye' - imagining or visualising the evnets as though you were there.

Use your senses - what can you see/hear/smell/taste/feel?

Put yourself in the story. Which of the people do you most identify with? Jesus, Simon of Cyrene, the soldiers, the bandits, the bypassers, the chief priests, the women, the centurion?

Let the story play out from that point of view. What insights come to you from that perspective?

If you want to, as you imagine the scene, ask a question - of Jesus, or one of the other characters. Let an answer to the question, or a dialogue, emerge.

Don't worry if as you visualise the story starts to change, or to unfold in a way different than written. Let it happen, and afterwards, reflect on what insight you have gained.

week two

Read the same passage as last week. This time, choose a different character's point of view. Ask a different question. Is the 'saying' you are basing your art on in this passage? What new insights has the meditation offered you about the meaning of that phrase?

week three

This week, read the crucifixion account in Luke: chapter 23: verses 24-49. Which of the characters: Jesus, Simon, one of the two criminals, the Daughters of Jerusalem, the crowds - do you identify with this week? Who do you want to speak to?

week four

Read the passage from Luke again. Choose a different character's point of view. Ask a different question. Is the 'saying' you are basing your art on in this passage? What new insights has the meditation offered you about the meaning of that phrase?

week five

This week, read the crucifixion account in John: chapter 19: verses 16-34. Which of the characters: Jesus, the soldiers, Jesus' mother, the other women, 'the disciple Jesus loved' - do you identify with this week? Who do you want to speak to?

week six

Read the passage from John again. Choose a different character's point of view. Ask a different question. Is the 'saying' you are basing your art on in this passage? What new insights has the meditation offered you about the meaning of that phrase?

week seven

We hope that you have found value in engaging with a prayer path through this Lenten season. As Lent draws to a close, you might like to reflect on the following questions:

- How easy/hard was it to maintain a regular meditation practice?

- What did you gain from the experience?

- What did you struggle with?

- How might you develop this practice in an ongoing way?

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