{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Prayer in the Tradition of the Saints, Part 02: Ignatian Contemplation","description":"\u201cHow can I hear God\u2019s voice?\u201d \u201cWould I recognize God\u2019s voice if I heard it?\u201d \u201cHow do I know if a sense of call is really from God?\u201d These are some of the key questions of Christian spirituality. And thankfully, they are some of the very questions St. Ignatius of Loyola sought to answer (and did). What we are really talking about is the practice of discernment \u2013 learning to distinguish the voice of the Lord from the countless other voices (internal and external) that fill our lives. It is to take it as a given (I believe very rightly) that God is consistently speaking \u2013 to us. And thus our work is to become skilled listeners. (This is in contrast to the common fear that God must be sought by heroic means \u2013 that God speaks only to those who have achieved some impressive measure of holiness, often by great sacrifice or spiritual rigor. It is not the case! Jesus \u2013 throughout the Gospels \u2013 is constantly seeking to be heard and understood by regular old  humans\u2026) In many ways, the great task of Christian prayer is to quiet our mind as much as we can, to identify the voices that are likely not the Lord, and then to see if we can hear through the din the still, small, loving, compassionate voice of God. And for this work, the practice of Ignatian contemplation is excellent. In this episode we\u2019ll take a brief look at the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola (it helps to understand how his method of contemplation developed) and then we\u2019ll pray together with a guided contemplation. If you\u2019ve not done it before, I hope you may find it quite a revolutionary experience! If you enjoy the guided Christian meditation, you can find more of them on the Canvas website . And if you\u2019d like to read the passage yourself while we pray together, you can find it here: Mark 1:21-28 (NRSV) Up for supporting the podcast??? You\u2019re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help! As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two and getting in touch! You can reach me easily at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram (I'm slowly making my way back...), I\u2019d love to hear from you!   ","author_name":"Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith","author_url":"http:\/\/www.jesusat2am.com","html":"