The Nativity; an exercise of the imagination according to St. Ignatius. (How to Pray with Art)
1. Read Lk 2:1-7 The Birth of Jesus
2. Name your desire:
- To know what Christ is doing for me.
- To love Him more.
- To choose to follow him in everyday choices.
3. Imagine the scene:
- What does the place look like?
- Listen to the people along the journey, in Bethlehem, at the stable.
- Become "a poor, little and unworthy slave, gazing at them, contemplating them and serving them in their needs, just as if I were there."(Sp.Ex.n.114)
- Use all your senses, i.e., smell, taste and touch to 'savor' and deepen your contact with God in such a human event.
- If you want, try to recreate the scene with art materials.
4. Notice consolations, desolations or insights.
5. What would you or an observer want to say to the figures in the scene? How do they feel about your presence with them?
6. Reflect on what moved you interiorly closer to God or away from God.
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