Contemplating Creation is a significant way to open our hearts to God’s revelation of love. Through letting your exterior senses and imagination become absorbed in something in Creation, you create the interior space to be attentive to God’s presence.
· Spend time praying with Creation. Ask God to reveal divine love to your through the gifts of creation.
Become Absorbed in Creation
· Take a walk or just sit and look. Notice the various aspects of creation – the sky, the sun, the clouds, trees, plants, flowers, grass, sand, rocks – whatever is there.
· Let yourself be attracted to one reality of creation, maybe a tree, or the sky or the wind, or a rock or a plant.
· Spend time noticing various little things about it. Touch it or listen to it, if you can. (e.g. you attention might be drawn to a tree: notice the leaves, the branches, the bark. Feel the leaves and the bark. Listen to the leaves rustling in the breeze.)
· Reflect on St. Ignatius’ words: “Reflect how God dwells in creatures: in elements giving them existence, in the plants giving them life, in the animals conferring about them sensation, in human beings bestowing understanding.”
· Ask God to reveal God’s presence to you in and through the reality of creation you are contemplating:
1. What does God reveal to you about God?
2. About God’s love?
3. About creation?
4. About you?
· Thank God for whatever is revealed or whatever happens for you during this time.
· Journal – jot a few notes about what occurred during your prayer time. (see notes below)
Try this way of contemplating/praying for a few days….
when you are ready…
Pray with Psalm 104
· Slowly read through this psalm. Let your imagination become involved in the rich imagery, “seeing,” “smelling,” “listening to,” and “touching” the various realities the psalmist describes.
· Slowly read through this psalm again, lingering with one stanza or verse that attracts you.
1. What feelings are evoked in you through that section – peace, awe, gratitude, excitement, fear?
2. What strikes you about God – God’s greatness, God’s self-giving, God’s active involvement, God’s care?
· Share your reactions with God, as the psalmist does (e.g. the psalmist says, “How manifold are your works, O Lord” or “I will sing to the Lord all my life: I will sing praise to my God while I live.”). Let God know your feelings and notice if/how God responds in return.
· Linger with this psalm as long as you feel engage by it. What is important in prayer is not quantity of insight but depth of relating with God.
· Thank God for this time together.
· Journal what occurred.
Maybe you want to pray with Psalm 104 a second day
· Return to the verse or stanza that was affecting you yesterday in Psalm 104.
· Linger and stay with the verse or stanza.
· Share your feelings with God and listen for God’s response (could be a memory, an image, a song, knowing, peace, words…)
· Thank God for this time together.
· Journal what occurred.
Helps
Awareness of Creation – during the week whenever you are outside, try to be aware of creation. Try to go outside as much as you can. Notice the various realities of creation – the sky, the sun, the stars, the moon, trees, grass, water, clouds, the wind etc..
· Look at, listen, smell touch, taste. Let your senses become aware and involved.
· Thank God for the gifts of creation.
Journal – Review of your Prayer
After your time of prayer, in your journal write what happened in you during prayer. The following questions might help:
· What aspect of creation am I attracted to? What am I noticing about it today?
· What is this reality of creation revealing to me about itself, myself, my life and/or God?
· How did I feel as I contemplated?
· What was God’s presence like?
These prayer exercises are adapted from the first chapter of God’s Tremendous Love by Maureen Conroy, RSM and the Pre-Practicum in Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats Student Handbook of the Creighton University Christian Spirituality Program also written by Sr. Maureen.