Aug 20, 2019
For so many of us whose religious world views have begun to
shift, and previous ways of viewing various elements of what we had
been taking for granted start to become less stable, scripture is
one of the components for which we can easily lose affection and
appreciation. But rather than abandon our reading and study
practices altogether, there are approaches to it that
match well with what our journeys have prepared us be able to
engage. One such method is the focus of this episode, an Ignacian
spiritual practice/approach to scripture. (We’d already introduced
another practice, lectio divina in Episode 014, but the
Ignacian method is quite different from that.)
Our guide into this practice is Mark Crego, a
regular guest on Latter-day Faith podcast as well as Mormon
Matters. In this discussion with host Dan
Wotherspoon, Mark briefly introduces us to Ignatius of
Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, which came to be known
as Jesuits and that is a recognized monastic order in Catholicism,
one that places high value on education, scholarship, and science
while at the same time nurturing deep self-reflection and enlivened
spirituality. (The current pope, Francis, is the first Jesuit to
receive that ordination.) Mark then takes us into a few more
elements of the Jesuit worldview and what they hold as the highest
goal of a human life, but his main focus in the Ignacian practice
of imaginatively entering into scriptural stories (settings,
persons, what and who else is there that the scripture isn’t
mentioning) that can lead into insights and personal transformation
that can gained through a practice of this type. In the course of
the conversation, he and Dan briefly reflect on ways we might shift
our understandings of the Adam and Eve story, and then Mark shares
a powerful piece he wrote about his experiences and transformations
of insight and how he came to understand himself differently as he
practices this approach during Holy Week 2017. It is gorgeous,
rich, emotional, discerning, and not to be missed. From it and a
closing few minutes that re-introduce the various steps in the
Ignacian method, you will be able to gain both a delicious taste of
and some know-how about this practice and what it can yield.
Dive in!