Week Two Exercise 1 - Waiting On The Mountain

Preparation – At your prayer place, rouse your desire to use times of waiting to experience more deeply your longing for God. Consider how God uses times of waiting to draw you into a closer relationship with the Trinity. Make a gesture of reverence, such as the Sign of the Cross.

Opening Prayer – Ask for the grace to be patient in prayer, to wait well, and to give God glory as you wait expectantly for Jesus’s coming. Desire a greater sense of how God is active in your daily life, especially during periods of waiting.

Suggested Readings –

Isaiah 2:1-5    The mountain of the Lord

Psalm 130    I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits

Lamentations 3:22-26    It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord

Luke 2:22-38    Jesus presented in the Temple

As you prepare for this time of prayer using your imagination, find a comfortable place to sit with your back straight and your feet on the floor. Notice your breathing as you breathe normally. Close your eyes and prepare to listen to whatever God may say to you during this prayer.

Imaginative Prayer – Imagine you are hiking up the mountain of the Lord. As you start, the path is wide and clear. You fill your lungs with the cool, clean air. As you continue, you notice the path is becoming narrow and steep. There are more rocks to step over. You find yourself a little out of breath as the air becomes thinner the higher you climb. You rest on a large rock to catch your breath. You look up the path to see how much farther you need to climb. You see someone in the distance. He is gesturing for you to come. You feel a pull, a desire, to go to this person.

You are now standing in front of him. He is dressed in long robes that are fluttering in the mountain breeze. He smiles at you and asks, “What are you seeking on this path?” How do you respond? What are you seeking?

“I am the prophet Isaiah. This is the mountain of the Lord. It is rich with life and dreams. What dreams do you bring to this place?” What are the desires you bring to this mountain? What are the yearnings you want to share with the Lord?

“My dreams beat swords into plowshares. They are dreams of hope, joy, peace, and life.” What are the swords in your heart that wound you and hold you back from dreaming and from climbing the mountain of the Lord? You give those swords to Isaiah, the prophet, the dreamer. You ask him to help you change them into something life-giving. 

“I will change your swords into plowshares so you can till the soil of your soul and know that God is with you. Are you ready for this dream to be real?” You look into the eyes of this dreamer, Isaiah, and you say, Yes, I am ready. Isaiah smiles at you and takes your hand in his. He looks at you with eyes filled with deep hope and life. He understands you. “Come,” he says, “let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

Meditation adapted from Arts & Faith: Advent—First Sunday Imaginative Prayer Exercise by Steve Connor. ignatianspirituality.com.

Conversation – Conclude your prayer with a short conversation in which you give thanks to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. End by praying an Our Father.

Reflection – What are you longing for this Advent season? What do you want to desire? Is there a difference between what you desire for yourself and what God desires for you?