Gospel Contemplation: Jesus Walks on Water

Gospel Contemplation is a way of praying that St. Ignatius proposes quite frequently in his Spiritual Exercises. You are invited to use your imagination to enter the scene, to take part, to let the scene unfold. As Ignatius suggests, notice the people, listen to them, watch what they do [SE, 106, 107, 108]. Perhaps you may sense an invitation to be one of the individuals in the scene and engage in a conversation with one of them. You can do this on your own, or use the text below as a guide.

If this way of praying is new – simply relax and try to become engaged in the scene. Try not to worry about what you are “supposed to” be doing. If you find yourself distracted during your prayer, very gently bring yourself back to the scripture text or your imaginative contemplation.

If at any point during the guided contemplation your imagination comes to life in such a way that God invites to you stay with a particular moment, follow the invitation that you sense, rather than move on to where the written contemplation is going. In that case you might want to stop reading and continue on your own.

This passage picks up from where we left off last week. Last Sunday, Jesus had heard of the death of John the Baptist and had sought solitude, but the crowds followed him. At the beginning of this week’s reading Jesus dismisses the crowd and finally gets the solitude for prayer he’s been seeking.

• Choose a position where you can be relaxed but alert.
• Breathe deeply several times and let your body relax
• Breathe out any worries or stressful thoughts and put them in God’s hands
• Become aware of God’s presence here with you now, looking at you with love.

• Ask God for the grace to encounter Jesus in a new way.

Read the passage slowly, savoring the words and beginning to imagine the scene. Read it twice if that helps you to visualize it.

If you prayed with last week’s guided contemplation, pick up where you left off, with that same Sea of Galilee, that same shoreline. If not, imagine this grand body of water in the Holy Land. If you’ve never seen it yourself, it doesn’t matter. Whatever it looks like in your imagination is fine. See the water, the shoreline. Hear the crowd that is still present, the birds circling overhead. Feel the breeze off the water. It is late in the day. See and feel yourself there, among the disciples.

The disciples have finished feeding the multitude with the loaves and fishes that Jesus blessed. You can see that he is tired -- and grieving for his cousin John who has been executed. He insists that you all get in the boat to cross to the other side, while he finally send the crowd home and takes some time to pray alone.

And so you go. Do you look back at Jesus as he walks off alone? What do you wonder about him?

Crossing in the boat, the wind is against you and the waves are choppy. What is it like for you in the boat?

It’s a long night, and near dawn you see something out on the water. It’s coming toward you. This is strange and upsetting. As it draws closer, it starts to look like a person walking on the water. And closer still, the person calls out, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” It can only be Jesus. What does this realization mean for you? How does it affect you?

Peter asks Jesus to call him to himself, and Jesus does. Watch as Peter gets out of the boat and goes to him, but falters. And Jesus asks, “Why did you doubt?”

What is happening with you right now – do you too wish Jesus to call you to him? Or do you wish to reflect on what has happened with Peter? Or something else? Let the moment develop as you feel led.

As Jesus returns to the boat, the disciples do him homage as the Son of God. They have finally really recognized him. And you? Do you see anything new in Jesus?

Take some time to talk with Jesus about what you have felt and experienced. Talk with him as with a friend, sharing and listening. And when you are ready, close with a favorite prayer.