An Imaginative Contemplation with Luke 13:10-13

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.”

While this text goes on to highlight at the growing tension between Jesus and the pharisees over interpretation of the law and healing on the Sabbath, here we pause simply to engage with the healing experience for this woman.

As with any imaginative contemplation, if at any stage you don’t feel safe, please come away from the meditation. You may instead find it helpful to focus on an image of God that is safe for you, or to be present to your breathing. (Trigger warning: physical touch)

I take the liberty in this exercise of imagining collective singing in the synagogue. According to Google, scholars don’t know definitively whether collective singing happened in first century Galilee or not, though it has clearly featured at various points in history. Again, you’re always free to follow these imaginative exercises insofar as you feel comfortable doing so.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

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All music by Pete Hatch. petehatch.com.