This is the time of year when retreatants making the Spiritual Exercises find themselves praying over the life of Jesus. After praying over his incarnation and early life, they enter into his public life which begins with his baptism.
"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.' Mark 1:9 -11
Mark's gospel though brief is full of energy. Jesus was baptized by John... and just as he was coming out of the water, he saw and he heard. In Ignatian Contemplation, we contemplate the gospels using our imagination, seeing who is in the scene, hearing what is being said and observing their actions. Praying using our imagination disposes each of us for Jesus' revelation of self. He reveals to us his interior life; what he saw and heard and what he is feeling and thinking as a result, so we can learn to love him more dearly and follow him more nearly. I share this with you because this is a powerful moment in his life and grounded him in his identity as the Beloved of God.
Praying with this gospel scene can also help you experience yourself as beloved of God, for you are! We are all created by God who is Love, to be loved and to love in return. Your core identity is as a child of God. This message from God is also for you. Let Jesus show you how he receives his identity as beloved, so that you too can receive this truth. You are beloved and God is well pleased with you.
If you want to learn more and experience Ignatian Contemplation (Imaginative prayer), please consider one of our Lenten Retreats.
May you receive more fully your identity as a child of God,
Susan Friedrichsen
"You are not what others, or even you, think about yourself. You are not what you do. You are not what you have. You are a full member of the human family, having been known before you were conceived and molded in your mother’s womb . . . As a spiritual practice claim and reclaim your primal identity as beloved daughter or son of a personal Creator." ~ Henri Nouwen