Imagine You Walked with Jesus

Book excerpt: Contemplative, or imaginative, prayer is a method of meditative prayer developed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in which you imagine yourself as a character in a Bible story, experiencing the events described in the passage as if you were actually there. In Imagine You Walked with Jesus, you'll be introduced to contemplative prayer through forty episodes from the Gospels. Each entry includes: A brief introduction to the Bible text, with vivid details to aid your imagination and place the text in a larger interpretative context An introductory prayer The full text of the Bible passage Journaling prompts As you prayerfully immerse yourself in the Bible passages in this book, you'll be invited to draw on your imagination to rewrite the story from your own perspective: what you saw and heard, your feelings and emotions, and how you interacted with Jesus and the other people present in the story. Saint Ignatius taught that the imagination can be an instrument of prayer. By imagining how we would respond to a particular biblical episode, we can respond to God's word in a deeper, more meaningful way -- and perhaps hear what God has to say to us, too. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jerry Windley-Daoust is the author of more than a dozen books on Catholic social teaching, family spirituality, and Ignatian prayer. The cofounder of Gracewatch Media, which creates print and digital resources for Catholic families, he is especially grateful for the ten years he spent as a stay-at-home dad for his five children. Find him online at windhovering.com.