Context for Prayer: Week 3
Let us recall the story:
We know very little about what happened in the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. We know only that he came into a world that did not make any special room for him. He was born of a young Jewish woman named Mary betrothed to a man named Joseph in an occupied country of little importance. And yet, from the vantage point of faith, this was the fullness of time - a time of grace and favor, hidden in obscurity and seeming insignificance. Jesus, whose very name means "He will save his people from their sins" (Mt. 1: 21) entered into a family of faithful people, of Mary and her husband, Joseph. Scripture tells us that in those years, "Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and men." (Lk. 2: 52).
Jesus emerged onto the stage of history at the age of 30 drawn to hear the prophet John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. In solidarity with the whole human family he received baptism from John in the river Jordan. All the gospels tell us that this act was a turning point in his life. It represented the end of a long development during which Jesus' appreciation of his relationship to his Father (whom he taught us to call "Abba") grew. His soul must have burst with joy as he experienced more fully being God's "Beloved Son." The baptism is a moment of clarity and consolation from which his entire ministry will draw its energy and direction.
The gospels also tell us that the Spirit immediately led Jesus into the desert where his belief in being God's Beloved Son and the nature of his mission to Israel were tested. He was tempted to lose sight of his identity and mission and see his giftedness as an avenue to success, honor and power. The human heart is always tempted to choose, out of a distorted sense of identity, those things for which it was not created. Jesus refuses to believe the lie, embodying God's steadfast love (Hesed) and staying true to who he was (i.e. his "core identity" as Son) and to his call. In the end he is left in intimate union with the Father as "angels appeared and looked after him." (Mt. 4: 11).
A New Vision of What God Intends:
The Jewish society in which Jesus lived was a society humiliated and constrained by Roman occupation. Most Jews divided into one of three groups: the collaborators (Herod and members of the religious elite), those who plotted their violent overthrow (the Zealots), and those who chose to live quiet lives apart (e.g. the Essenes). None of these three groups doubted that God wanted them to have their own land, sovereignty, and political freedom. They awaited a Messiah who would chase out the foreign occupiers and establish a political "kingdom" of material plenty and religious purity. Jesus aligned himself with none of these groups.
Emerging from the desert filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming a shockingly new vision of God's reign and calling men and women to conversion. In contrast to the religious elite of his day, Jesus taught a radical inclusiveness that embraced those who were "beyond salvation": the weak, the excluded, the poor and vulnerable. The Kingdom of God referred to a world in which God was directly and immediately in charge – an ideal rule that transcended all human rule. The Kingdom, for Jesus, focused on process rather than place, a way of life rather than a location on earth.
St. Luke sets the inauguration of Jesus' public life in his hometown synagogue at Nazareth (Lk. 4: 16-21). There he declares that Isaiah's prophesy (Is. 61: 1-2) has been fulfilled in him: he would bring good news to the lowly, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, release to prisoners, and the season of God's favor and grace to all by the powerful anointing of the Spirit. In this powerful opening sermon we hear the will of the Father, the hopes of the Trinity.
The Pattern of Jesus' life and ministry:
In this account by St. Luke, we also see a pattern that will be familiar throughout the gospels.
Jesus proclaims the Word of God and at first the people are astonished, thrilled, filled with anticipation. But the temptation to doubt what they were seeing and hearing crept in. "Surely this is Joseph's son?" they ask. "Who does he think he is? "He's nothing but a carpenter!" Jesus was constantly probing the meaning of the law and what it meant to be a religious person. While having great respect for God's revelation, he questioned whether the application of the law by Israel's religious elite was in the spirit of what God intended. His preaching challenged his hearers to be open to the possibility of something new and transformative beyond the "shape" of their traditional listening. But for many it was too threatening, and very early in his ministry (Mk. 3: 6) they began to plot his murder.
Daily Exercises: Week Three
The Early Life of Jesus
Preparation for Daily Prayer
Find a comfortable posture, relax, and breathe slowly and deeply.
Recall that you are in the presence of God, and consciously offer yourself to God.
Ask for the grace:
"Jesus, I ask for the grace to be attentive to the Father's call just as you were"
Read:
Soul of Christ
Jesus, may all that is you flow into me.
May your body and blood
Be my food and drink.
May your passion and death
Be my strength and life.
Jesus, with you by my side
Enough has been given.
May the shelter I seek
Be the shadow of your cross.
Let me not run from the love
Which you offer,
But hold me safe from the forces of evil.
On each of my dyings
Shed your life and your love.
Keep calling me until that day comes when,
With your saints,
I may praise you forever.
Amen.
Read through the material for the day and follow the prayer pattern for imaginative prayer where appropriate.
Imaginative Prayer
These notes are intended as a help to people who may be unfamiliar with the kind of "imaginative" praying over scripture set out in the Spiritual Exercises. It is a way of praying that allows the Holy Spirit to make full use of our imaginations, often accessing deeper parts of our unconscious.
1. Before you begin, choose a passage from scripture that you will use as material for prayer. For this kind of "contemplation", a biblical passage that tells a story is usually more helpful than a block of teaching or a psalm. Read the passage through slowly.
2. Spend a few minutes recalling that you are in the presence of God who loves you unconditionally and who is committed to you irrevocably. Once again read the biblical passage that you have chosen as the focus for your prayer.
3. As you read the passage a second time, try to place yourself in the biblical scene - as a participant in the story rather than as a remote onlooker. Take time over this. Imagine, for example, the setting of the scene. Use all your senses to imagine the people in it: how do they look? How are they dressed? What are they doing? What are they saying? What is the mood in the scene?
4. Allow the story to happen in your imagination. Look at, listen to, and take part in what is going on. You might eventually find yourself identifying closely with or taking the part of one of the characters in the scene (e.g. the woman anointing Jesus' feet, Jesus at his baptism) or of one of the bystanders (e.g. holding the baby Jesus in your arms); you might also find that you change roles in the course of the story! Allow yourself to respond naturally and spontaneously to the events and the people as the story unfolds.
5. At some point in your period of prayer consider speaking to Jesus and/or others, expressing your thoughts and your feelings and listening to what they have to say to you.
Conclusion of Daily Prayer
Thank God for this time of prayer.
Ask for the grace to come to the next prayer period with an open heart, ready to receive whatever God wants to give to you.
Say the Lord's Prayer.
Review your prayer and make any appropriate notes in your journal
Prayer Exercises
Jesus joined us fully in the opaqueness which most women and men experience in life. He was born to a simple young woman who married a carpenter. Yet, this is the center of history. By God's design, this opaque moment was the "fullness of time." In God's becoming a human person, the possibility of achieving our full destiny in an intimate sharing of life with God became a reality. Mary doesn't simply have a baby; she embodies the yearnings of humankind in saying "yes" to God's invitation to share in the divine life. Joseph takes Mary as his spouse, Mary accepts the Mystery being worked in her, and the shepherds proclaim God's coming into the world. We, in turn, are asked to respond, in the concrete circumstances of our lives, and take our part in this unfolding drama.
Prayerfully Read: Luke 2:1-20
2:1 Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world. 2This census-the first-took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, 3and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. 4So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, 5in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, 7and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space. 8In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. 9An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, 10but the angel said, "Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." 13And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: 14Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favors. 15Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us." 16So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, 18and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. 19As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.
Suggested Reflections: An Exercise in Imaginative Prayer
Read the passage several times, and imagine the details as you read.
Put the passage aside, let the story emerge in your imagination.
Consider the situation first: see Mary, about nine months pregnant and Joseph her husband preparing to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to register.
In your imagination see the road leading from Nazareth to Bethlehem, whether it is hilly or level, wide or narrow, lined with trees and bushes, busy with other travelers.
See the place where Christ will be born. Is it large or small? Is it a cave or a stable or do you imagine some other structure? Is it bright or dimly lit?
Now see the people: Mary, Joseph, the child Jesus after he is born, the shepherds who are drawn to the place. Take time to notice their faces, what they are wearing, etc.
Place yourself in the story. Consider where you will stand or sit.
Will you move into the center of activity serving their needs? Do you stay silently on the perimeter only wanting to observe?
See what they are doing and listen to what they are saying. Consider how they are participating in the plan God has for his Son.
Speak to Mary, Joseph, the child Jesus, the Shepherds.
On a trip to Jerusalem the twelve year-old Jesus stays behind in the Temple. His parents do not realize until they are well on their way home that he is not in the group they were traveling with. With great concern they rush back to look for him. When they find him, their anxiety is met with his surprise. Jesus wonders why they were searching for him since he needed to be about his Father's business. Luke poignantly describes how astonished and shaken both parents are. It is a point in Jesus' life where they recognize that there is another authority in the life of their son; one they sense is rooted in his unique relationship with God. Their task is to nurture and care for Jesus, but there is an aspect of his life that is not under their control. Jesus obediently submits to his parents, but his relationship with them has changed.
Prayerfully Read: Luke 2:41-52
2:41 Every year Jesus' parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. 42When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. 43When the days of the feast were over and they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. 44They assumed he was somewhere in the party, and it was only after a day's journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. 45When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. 46It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; 47and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. 48They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, "My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you." 49He replied, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"50But they did not understand what he meant. 51He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and with people.
Suggested Reflections: Use Imaginative Prayer or reflect on:
♦ How is God forming me in the unique relationship we share, and how is this a gift to the wider community?
♦ How do I experience the tension between the authority of family and tradition, and that of my personal call rooted in my unique relationship with God?
In this gospel story we are told that as Jesus comes up out of the water the heavens open, the Spirit descends on him, and a voice comes from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." (Mk. 1:11) This is a high point in Jesus' life - a moment of deep joy when he is affirmed in his identity as Son and given great clarity as to his mission in life. Be with Jesus in this moment of joy and deep intimacy with his Father. When have you had such moments of affirmation?
Prayerfully Read: Mark 1:9-11
1:9 It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10And at once, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you."
Suggested Reflection: Use Imaginative Prayer.
John is always trying to draw out the deeper meaning in the stories of Jesus' ministry, and in Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well, he gives us a deep insight into the meaning of Christian baptism. This woman is full of passion and deep desiring, and yet she has tried to satisfy those desires in ways that do not bring her the fullness of life. Step by step Jesus focuses her desiring on "living water", the answer to the thirsting of every human heart. St. Ignatius believed that our deepest most genuine desires are a reflection of the purpose for which we were created. When we are most genuine, our longings direct us to the praise, reverence and service of the One who made us. It is in living out such desires, discerned by attentive listening and framed by Church teaching that we, like this Samaritan woman, discover our identity and mission in the world.
Prayerfully Read: John 4: 5-15
4:5 On the way Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Give me something to drink." 8His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?" Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans. 10Jesus replied to her: "If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you, Give me something to drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water". 11"You have no bucket, sir," she answered, "and the well is deep: how do you get this living water? 12Are you a greater man than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?13 Jesus replied: Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14but no one who drinks the water that I shall give will ever be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will become a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life. 15 "Sir," said the woman, "give me some of that water, so that I may never be thirsty or come here again to draw water."
Suggested Reflections:
♦ What does my baptismal identity mean to me? What difference does it make in my choices?
♦ What desires are emerging for me in this retreat? Do these desires suggest anything new about who I am and what I want in life?
In this gospel story there is a stark contrast between the plan God has set forth in Christ and the plan offered by the Tempter. Jesus is not swayed by the lies that would lead from riches and honor to pride. He does not fall into pride's trap of believing that he has no need of God. Instead, he centers his whole being on his deep affection for the Father whose will he has come to serve. The temptations serve only to bring out, with startling clarity, the truth of his core identity as Beloved Son.
St. Ignatius' view of the strategy of the Tempter (Spiritual Exercises [142]) was that first Satan tempts me to claim my riches (i.e. my talents, possessions, power) as my own rather than understanding all as gift. This invariably leads to my valuing self and others based on the honor that accrues to possessing riches. Finally, I lose any sense of dependence or gratitude, and live life as if everything and everyone exists to do my biding.
Prayerfully Read: Luke 4:1-13
4:1 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, 2for forty days being put to the test by the devil. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. 3Then the devil said to him, "If you are Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf."4But Jesus replied, "Scripture says: Human beings live not on bread alone." 5Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world 6and said to him, "I will give you all this power and their splendor, for it has been handed over to me, for me to give it to anyone I choose. 7Do homage, then, to me, and it shall all be yours." 8But Jesus answered him, "Scripture says: You must do homage to the Lord your God, him alone you must serve." 9Then he led him to Jerusalem and set him on the parapet of the Temple. "If you are Son of God," he said to him, "throw yourself down from here, 10for scripture says: He has given his angels orders about you, to guard you, and again: 11They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone." 12But Jesus answered him, "Scripture says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test." 13Having exhausted every way of putting him to the test, the devil left him, until the opportune moment.
Suggested Reflection:
♦ What are those things that sway me from following the will of the God I was made to serve?
♦ How has my weakness and sin revealed to me my core identity as Beloved of God?
Many years after his experience of being lost in the Temple, we find Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth. With the same spirit of utter submission to the will of his Father, he speaks of the Spirit of the Lord being upon him and reads from the prophet Isaiah. In doing so, he identifies himself directly with God's word telling the assembly, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." (Lk. 4:21) Here is the Son expressing in his whole being the will of the one who sent him.
Prayerfully Read: Luke 4:16-22
4:16Jesus came to Nazarath, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, 17and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: 18The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. *[Is 61:1-2] 20He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to speak to them, "This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening." 22And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, "This is Joseph's son, surely?"
Suggested Reflection:
♦ Have I ever felt the Spirit of the Lord upon me, and the kind of graced energy and clarity of purpose that Jesus demonstrates in his first public sermon?
♦ Mary is in the congregation. How does she feel about Jesus' sermon? How does she feel about her neighbors, as she sits with them?
Review your journal entries for this week.
There are many ways of keeping a journal to review your prayer. Journals are not a task that must be accomplished, but a tool that will only be helpful to the extent that we are free enough to be our truthful self in them. Honesty with oneself is a prime factor in journal keeping. If your journal records only joys or peace or happiness – take note. If it only records pain or trouble or worries – likewise be attentive.
Here are some questions that might be good to keep in mind as you begin:
♦ How was God present to me in this prayer period?
♦ How did I respond?
♦ What is my basic stance before God? One of love? Hope? Tiredness? Restlessness? Anger?
♦ Which of my deepest desires for truth and holiness is God inviting me to pray?
Try to keep an eye out for broader patterns or inclinations that emerge:
♦ What is the image of God that shows forth in my writing?
♦ What are the underlying motivations and broad assumptions that govern my
daily living?
♦ Do I live as if God loves me and cares passionately for me?
♦ Are there issues that keep recurring and need to be addressed either in prayer or
in my daily living?
Be sure to date your journal entry and the time and place where you prayed.
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations –
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice,
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do –
Determined to save
the only life you could save.
Mary Oliver, Dream Work (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986), p. 38
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Inspiration 
