Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
The Gospel story today is a rich source for prayer. Therefore, let us pray with this gospel using the method of Ignatian Contemplation. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises invites us to use our imagination and we can apply this prayer method to the story of poor widow in the Gospel.
First, begin the prayer asking for the following graces: wonder at God’s ongoing creation; gratitude for the gift of God creating me and creating the world. Then, read the passage from the Gospel of Mark a couple times to familiarize yourself with the content. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to open your imagination to the following: How does the office of treasury look like? Is this a brick building? Do you see any trees or does a dessert surround the office? What can you see inside the office of the treasury? Who are the people of the crowd that put their money into the treasury? How are they dressed?
Stay for a few minutes in your imagination and then enter the scene of the story and see what happens. Maybe you are one of Jesus’ disciples that is standing near Him or you are standing behind the poor window and waiting for your turn to put your money into the treasury. Listen to what Jesus said to his disciples. Notice your feelings after you listen to Jesus’ words. Let the scene play out. As the story winds down, you can express your gratitude to God for this prayer experience.