AFMIX: An Ignatian Journey, The Spiritual Exercises

AN IGNATIAN JOURNEY: THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

DARRELL BURNS, S.J. AND SHEILA DORAN

This publication was produced as a pilot resource for the 3rd Semester of the AFMIX program at Xavier University. Not for sale.

AN IGNATIAN JOURNEY: THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES The following is a thirteen session approach to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a course on the Spiritual Exercises but an invitation to have a personal experience of them; an opportunity to have a personal encounter. You are encouraged to be open to the Spirit, to trust, to respond to the feelings of your heart more than to your mind. St. Ignatius refers to the Spiritual Exercises as a “school of the heart�.

Darrell Burns, S.J. and Sheila Doran

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An invitation for all faith traditions: When Ignatius wrote the Spiritual Exercises, he wrote from his sixteenth century Catholic Christian perspective.

In an effort to make the Exercises more accessible to the modern reader, all quotes from the Spiritual Exercises in the following pages are taken from David L. Fleming, S.J., Draw Me Into Your Friendship: A Literal Translation and a Contemporary Reading of the Spiritual Exercises.

While the following sessions reflect the Catholic Christian foundation from which the Exercises were realized, we invite you to adapt the sessions to your own particular faith tradition, style, beliefs, and spirituality.

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An Experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola 4

Session 1 OPENING SESSION A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES The Spiritual Exercises, which grew out of the personal experience of Ignatius, are the foundation of Ignatian Spirituality and of Ignatius’ ‘way of proceeding’ in all his decision making.

A general overview of the Exercises: In his pre-notes (“annotations”) to the Exercises, Ignatius comments: “spiritual exercises are good for increasing openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit, for helping to bring to light the darkness of …… sinful tendencies within ourselves, and for strengthening and supporting us in the effort to respond ever more faithfully to the love of God.” (S.E. #1) In short, the purpose of the Exercises is that through a variety of prayer experiences an individual will be open to a conversion of heart and mind so that s/he may respond to Jesus with greater faith, love, and freedom.

One of the hallmarks of Ignatian spirituality is the belief that God can be found in all things (people, events, creation). Ignatius believed God is encountered at every moment of our existence. The Spiritual Exercises present various methods to help an individual become more and more aware of the everpresent God. If a person is willing, s/he can become a contemplative in action, a person who is alert and responsive to God’s presence in all daily activities.

The Exercises are divided into four ‘weeks’. But since this is simply a method of division, it may be easier to understand this as four sections or parts that together form the whole experience.

Part 1: Within the context of God’s unconditional love, we reflect on all creation –all that is- as a gift from God. Then we reflect on our response to those gifts; how we use them. If we allow any of them to become an end in themselves, we are abusing the gift. Within this context, we reflect on sin – both personal and communal. The ‘grace’ (or the gift) prayed for during this part is to accept the fact that I am a loved sinner. God’s unconditional love for me is not affected by the way I respond to the gifts that surround me.

Part 2: Begins with the incarnation of Jesus and guides us through his public ministry. The grace sought at this time is ‘to know, love, and imitate Jesus.’ Through this knowledge and love, we are moved to labor with him.

Part 3: We consider the events that surround the suffering and death of Jesus. We desire a deeper appreciation of the suffering and rejection Jesus experienced out of love for me. Part of being human is to suffer; how do I respond to my suffering in the context of the suffering of Jesus?

Part 4: The final section begins with the resurrection of Jesus and considers how this event and his message continue to the present day. We pray to rejoice with Jesus who has triumphed over death and hatred and to encounter him who is always present to console and encourage us.

During the final meditation of the Exercises, we seek an appreciation of how God not only gives us all creation, but dwells within it and constantly labors through it, inviting us into a deeper personal relationship each day.

What follows in this book is a brief overview of the entire Spiritual Exercises. The sessions are arranged in the order of the Exercises. The purpose here is to invite an individual into a personal experience of reflection and prayer.

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QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION Who is God for me? Discuss images, concepts, and understandings of God.

An invitation AND a challenge‌ to consider

My friends, let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of others, extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be proud, but be willing to give yourself to humble tasks; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is right in the sight of all. As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

(Romans 12:9-18)

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THE EXAMEN (Spiritual Exercises #32-43) “God who is mighty has done great things for me; holy is God’s name.” -Luke 1:49.

This approach to the Examen is a simple five step reflection on the day within the context of gratitude.

Recall I pause and recall I am in the presence of God, as I always am at every moment of my existence. I take some moments to enjoy this presence, this mutual friendship we share.

Reflect I ask God for the insight to see myself as God sees me. I am loved by God with an “everlasting love.”

Nothing I do can ‘win over’ or ‘merit’ this love. It is a totally free gift from God – always present, waiting for me to respond.

Review I review the day seeing each moment – hour by hour – as a gift, and I respond in gratitude for each of these moments.

The love and support I have received.

The various people I have encountered.

The challenges I have faced.

The beauty of nature, the variety of creation.

Where has God been present in my life during this day?

Did I experience moments of peace and contentment?

Response I consider my response within each moment throughout the day.

How did I respond to these gifts?

Did I recognize God’s presence in each of these gifts?

Did I miss the opportunity to respond in a positive manner?

What moved me to act the way I did?

Did I take these gifts for granted? Do I feel they are ‘owed’ to me?

Am I grateful that I am invited to participate with God in the ongoing work of creation?

Resolve I envision how to integrate my realization of God’s love and gifts.

What attitude do I want to carry with me tomorrow?

What one specific gift (person, event, etc.) will I focus on tomorrow and respond with gratitude?

Is there a particular way I can be a source of encouragement and support tomorrow?

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POSTSCRIPT A suggested general way to approach sessions of reflection/prayer: (Arriving at a regular time and a quiet place to reflect/pray will take a little experimenting. Try a few different times of day and various locations until you are comfortable. Choose a time and place where distractions are at a minimum so you can relax and focus on your thoughts and feelings as you give your attention to and respond to the ideas presented.)

RELAX: Before you begin to read just take a few moments to relax. Sit for a while in a comfortable chair and allow your mind and your body to unwind. You might try just closing your eyes for a few minutes to remove visual stimulation and think of some pleasant scene or experience. Don’t rush! Give yourself a few minutes to release whatever tensions you may have. Your mind –and heart– is more open and fertile when you are relaxed so you will be better equipped to receive the Spirit if you invest just a few minutes relaxing.

READ: Now you are ready to read. If this is the first time you are looking at the Session, you may find it helpful to review the entire session so you get an overview of the focus/theme. Then, go back to the beginning. Again, it is important that you take your time. Allow yourself enough time that you will not have to hurry. This is not a speed reading exercise. It is designed to be a helpful, encouraging, supportive experience. Slowly digest the words. Understand what you read. Ask yourself: “What does this have to say to me?” Have your Bible close at hand so it will be available when you want it.

THINK: After you have read for a few minutes, spend a few moments to consider what you have been reading. It sometimes helps to talk to yourself about the ideas being presented or to paraphrase the text for yourself. A good idea is to keep your book open to the blank journal page with a pen nearby. You may want to write in your own words what you have read…or how you are feeling at this particular time, or an interesting thought that has crossed your mind. The more you jot down thoughts and apply ideas to your own life, the more important this book and this experience will be to you. If a particular quote or scripture reference does not appeal to you, move on to another one. These do not have to be followed in the order they are presented. Tomorrow you may find it helpful to look back at a selection you passed over today.

APPLY: Consider ways to put the ideas into practice in your own life. Use those ideas as soon as possible: share them with friends, family members, and especially with those in your group. But, most important, think of specific ways to use them to affect your life. Write your plan on the journal page in your book.

The more specific your plan and the more clearly you apply the ideas to your own life, the more this experience will take on a personal meaning for you.

BE SELECTIVE: Do not strain at application. Many of the ideas presented here will have specific meaning and application for you, others may not. Do not force yourself into attempting to apply all of the ideas presented to your life. Look over all the selections, then be selective. Tomorrow an idea may strike you in a different manner than it does today; come back to it then. Remember: this is your reflection time.

If a selection helps, stick with it for as long as you are comfortable. If a selection leaves you empty and nonresponsive, move on. Come back to it another day if you have the desire. You do not need to cover a specific amount of material during this time.

It’s good to recall that specific action or goals have to apply to the present before they are realistic.

Either regretting the past or dreaming of the future is useless unless you are willing to live actively and responsibly in the present. Try to be specific in your plans and in the notes you write on the journal page.

If on a given day you cannot make application of the readings for that session, try writing an inspirational thought of your own.

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 2 GOD’S LOVE WHAT DO I SEEK? To experience (to know within my being, to feel within my heart) God’s personal love and care for me.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “Spiritual exercises are good for increasing openness to the movements of the Holy Spirit, for helping to bring to light the darknesses of sinful tendencies within ourselves, and for strengthening and supporting us in the effort to respond more faithfully to the love of God.” (S.E. #1) “The most important qualities in the person who enters into these exercises are openness, generosity, and courage.” (S.E. #5)

SCRIPTURE Psalm 23 Confidence in God’s protection.

Psalm 46 God is our strength (v. 11: “Be still and know that I am God.”) Psalm 105 God is a faithful lover.

Psalm 139 God knows us; we are never away from God. Ezekiel 16:1-13 An allegory of God’s care.

Hosea 11:1-4 “I took them up in my arms…”

Isaiah 43:1-7 Do not fear, God is with you.

Isaiah 49:8-15 The Lord will never forget you.

Isaiah 55:1-13 An invitation to full life.

Jeremiah 1:4-8 I knew you before you were born.

REFLECTIONS “Behold God beholding you…and smiling.”

–Anthony de Mello, S.J. “Do I put off coming before God until I can fix myself up? I’ll really get into my relationship with God when work isn’t so busy, or when life is less hectic or my kids are more settled. When I am holier. As soon as I stop being so impatient with other people.

I have to learn over and over again that God is waiting for me and loving me. God is incredibly joyful when I finally put aside the six things I think I need to do or be and just open my heart.

–Maureen McCann Waldron “He loves us with passion and without regret. He cannot love more and will not love less.”

–Michael Card

Ephesians 1:3-14 God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless.

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REFLECTIONS CONTINUED Before the world was made, you were in the mind of God. Before God formed you in the womb, God knew you. God had a dream, called you by your name. God designed you and desired you, just as you are. God has a dream for you – for your life and growth, for your holiness and wholeness. No one else in the entire universe can fulfill that dream of God’s except you.

You are unique. To become you–yourself– your true self; that is your fundamental vocation.

To allow to shine forth in the world that unique image of God that you are, that beauty hidden deep within your soul, that truth that you alone can speak, that love that only your heart is capable of giving.

To become you –your best self– your true self –in Christ–open to God and to life. That is your vocation. That, for you, is holiness.

–Unknown “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus says, but that is more an appeal to our self-interest. What Jesus really means is: Love your neighbor the way God loves you. In other words, we must be God to our neighbors. That is why it is important to know who is our God. If your God is distant, uninvolved, unfeeling, that is how you will be to your neighbor. If your God is the omnipotent judge from whose decision there is no appeal, that is how you will be to your neighbor. If your God is the cosmic policeman, always looking to catch us out, that is how you will be to your neighbor. If your God is the master of laws with a rule for every occasion, that is how you will be to your neighbor.

“Celebration” October 1993 “It gives me great comfort to believe that there never was, and never will be, a time when my essence was not beloved by God. As the wonderful mystic, Julian of Norwich, suggested when she said, “Between God and the soul, there is no between,” I’ve come to realize that the distance I can feel between myself and God is not created by Her but by me. She is ever present, the pure emanation of heart-energy, attempting to love me into the awareness that I, too, am, in essence, heart-energy.

One of our most important spiritual tasks is to come to the realization of God’s unending and unconditional love. The security of knowing that God loves us is the cornerstone of our soul-growth. As Anne Morrow Lindbergh said, “The most exhausting thing in life…is being insecure.” Insecurity is exhausting, because it’s riddled with fear and, therefore, barricades us from our hearts. Fear and love cannot coexist, and so, when we are in a state of fear, we cannot access the love that surrounds us constantly.

-Sue Patton Thoele

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QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What is my image of God? How has that image changed and developed over the years?

Are there moments in the past when God was clearly present in my life?

Do I believe God loves me, not for what I do but simply for who I am? Is this important to me?

When was the last time you seriously considered who God is?

When was the last time you took a significant step forward in your relationship with God? Are you willing to settle for a view of God you formed years ago for the rest of your life? Are you willing to reject God on the basis of that previous knowledge of God? Are you willing to settle for somebody else’s experience of God, taking her/his answers and putting your name on them?

How do you explain God to your children (or a young child) when asked, “Who is God?” What does your response say about your understanding –and your relationship- with God? Has your relationship with others (spouse, family members, friends, co-workers, etc.) changed/developed over the past five years? How? Does this same kind of growth/development apply to your relationship with God?

RESPONSE Take some time to reflect on the various people who have come into your life since you were born and be grateful for how they have helped you grow into the person you are today.

At various moments during this week take a little time to reflect on yourself: your talents/gifts/abilities; your personality/emotions; what you like/dislike. What makes you unique? Give thanks to God for creating YOU.

A Prayer as you begin this experience:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

–Thomas Merton, OCSO

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POSTSCRIPT Thoughts and Ideas on PRAYER Prayer is, quite simply, talking with God “as one friend speaks to another” (Spirit. Ex. #54).

When we were young many of us learned some prayers to say or learned “how” to pray. The focus of this was usually on the words I used, or my immediate needs, or what I wanted God to do for me. There was a lot of speaking and very little, if any, listening.

Prayer is so much more than this and it does not depend solely on my activity. It is an intimate conversation with God. When I’m engaged in a conversation with a friend, I’m not busy with other things: looking out the window, changing channels on television, checking my text messages. My attention is directly on my friend and on what is being revealed to me. I look directly into the eyes of my friend and am totally present to what is being said and how it is being said.

Father William Barry, SJ, understands prayer as ‘conscious relationship’; a way that fosters and supports an intimate friendship. It is a relationship that begins with God’s unconditional love for me.

Prayer is God’s initiative, not our achievement.

Prayer is about listening more than talking.

Prayer is about receiving more than about making requests.

Prayer is about coming to rest in God’s presence.

“God is always in conscious relationship with each one of us as our creator, our sustainer, dear mother or dear father, our brother, our savior, the Spirit who dwells in our hearts. Ignatius presupposes that at every moment of our existence God is communicating to us who God is, is trying to draw us into an awareness, a consciousness of the reality of who we are in God’s sight. Whether we are aware of it or not, at every moment of our existence we are encountering God…who is trying to catch our attention, trying to draw us into a reciprocal conscious relationship.”

–William A. Barry, S.J.

“I believe that God wants a personal relationship, an adult friendship, with each of us and that prayer is the best way of engaging in that friendship. By prayer, I mean what occurs when I am conscious in some way of God’s presence…

How do you understand prayer? Take some time to reflect on what you do when you pray. What I do too often is ‘say’ prayers, such as the “Our Father” or “Hail Mary.” I’ll say a prayer without much attention and at the end hardly know what I have said or that I was talking to anyone. Or I tell God how sorry I am for what I have done, but the words are almost by rote, without much emotion or attention. Or I start to tell God about things that concern me but then begin to think of solutions to the problems or make up dialogues with the people I’m concerned about or upset with. I realize that most of my ‘prayers’ are really monologues; I’m talking to myself and figuring out what God’s response might be. Does this description of prayer ring a bell for you?

Prayer is a rather simple thing when you get down to it. It’s just two friends hanging out with each other, sharing thoughts and feelings, asking and giving forgiveness, asking and giving advice. Prayer is what happens when two friends are together and are aware of each other’s presence.”

–William A. Barry, S.J.

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 3 ALL CREATION IS A GIFT…FOR ME WHAT DO I SEEK? I desire a deep sense of gratitude for the gifts of creation that surround me.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I look at my world. Everything cooperates to continue to give me life and strength. I look at the whole support system of air and water, warmth and coolness, light and darkness, all the produce of the earth, all the works of human hands --- everything contributes to my well-being.” (S.E. #60) “It is good to remember that we are always in the context of prayer…We should always try to maintain a spirit of deep reverence.” (S.E. #3)

SCRIPTURE Genesis 1-2:4 Read slowly and enjoy God’s work and care in the act of creation.

Psalm 8 How great is God’s name in all the earth.

Psalm 19 God’s glory in creation.

Psalm 104 Hymn to God the Creator.

Psalm 136 God’s love endures forever.

Psalm 138 God is with me everywhere.

John 1:1-14 God’s Word is the center and source of all creation.

Colossians 1:15-23 Christ is the center of creation.

REFLECTIONS “If the only prayer you say in your entire life is thank you, it is sufficient.”

–Meister Eckhart “By virtue of Creation, and still more the Incarnation, nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see.”

–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.”

– Anne Frank “For all that has been, Thanks! For all that is to be, Yes!” –Dag Hammarskjold

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REFLECTIONS CONTINUED

God’s Grandeur The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs – Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

–Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

“In one sense we are always traveling, and traveling as if we did not know where we were going. In another sense we have already arrived.

We cannot arrive at the perfect possession of God in this life, and that is why we are traveling and in darkness. But we already possess God by grace, and therefore, in that sense, we have arrived and are dwelling in the light.

But oh! How far have I to go to find You in Whom I have already arrived!”

–Thomas Merton, OCSO

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QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER Am I able to look at the gifts of creation and recognize the Creator?

How am I personally involved in God’s ongoing creation?

What is my role as a steward of creation?

RESPONSE Take a walk outside or simply look out the window and recognize God’s great care reflected in nature.

Focus on something in creation you have never noticed before…..the various shades of green; the colors in a butterfly; the countless stars at night; the smell of freshness after a rainfall; etc. Be grateful.

A few times during this week stop in the midst of an activity and quietly ask yourself: “How is God present here and now?”

Prayer Earth, Teach Me Earth teach me quiet—as the grasses are still with new light.

Earth teach me suffering—as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility—as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring—as mothers nurture their young.

Earth teach me courage—as the tree stands alone.

Earth teach me limitation—as the ant that crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom—as the eagle that soars in the sky.

Earth teach me acceptance—as the leaves that die each fall.

Earth teach me renewal—as the seed that rises in the spring.

Earth teach me to forget myself—as melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me to remember kindness—as dry fields weep with rain.

A Ute [Native American] Prayer

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POSTSCRIPT Image of God We all have various images or understanding of God in our heads. Because of our childhood experiences we may see God as a kindly but distant grandfather, or as a stern judge with a list of rules we are expected to live by. Other images may be that of a policeman, waiting to catch us in the act of doing something wrong, or like a large aspirin we take when we are in pain and need relief. Other images may be that of a nurturing mother, a merciful father, a benevolent creator, as a Spirit, and, of course, as Jesus Christ.

No one image fully captures who God is. In fact, God may be a combination of a variety of images. God is beyond our ability to fully comprehend and the words we use are inadequate to express this.

As we get older, our images of God change and develop…and mature. We need to let go of those images that stand in our way of entering into –or deepening- our personal adult relationship with God. Yet we must be careful not to turn any images of God into idols. We have to be comfortable and allow God to reveal Godself to us naturally and at the rate God chooses. God is both within us and beyond our reach; God is revealed in all that surrounds us yet is not restricted to time or location. God is Ultimate Mystery. As Saint John says, “God is love.”

“If you experience God as mostly removed from your life, or if you commonly have feelings of fear when approaching God, then you may want to take extra time…praying your way to a more trusting experience of God.” –Kevin O’Brien, S.J.

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 4 OUR FREEDOM AND GOD’S LOVE RESPONSE WHAT DO I SEEK? I ask to be more conscious of why I was created and to notice how all of creation is intended by God to help me.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “God creates me out of love and desires nothing more than a return of love on my part. So much does God love me that even though I turn away and make little response, this Giver of all good gifts continues to be my Savior and Redeemer.” (S.E. #234) “I always come to prayer, conscious of the reverence I owe God. I beg that everything of my day God may direct more and more to divine praise and service.” (S.E. #55)

Principle and Foundation God who loves us creates us and wants to share life with us forever. Our love response takes shape in our praise and honor and service of the God of our life.

All the things in this world are also created because of God’s love and they become a context of gifts, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we show reverence for all the gifts of creation and collaborate with God in using them so that by being good stewards we develop as loving persons in our care for God’s world and its development. But if we abuse any of these gifts of creation or, on the contrary, take them as the center of our lives, we break our relationship with God and hinder our growth as loving persons.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all created gifts insofar we have a choice and are not bound by some responsibility. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a more loving response to our life forever with God. Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me. (S.E. #23)

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An adaptation of the “Principle and Foundation” “I begin by situating myself, as best I can, in the overall scheme of life. I sense myself alone before the mystery of my existence and the mystery of the existence of the entire universe. Turning from all immediate consideration, all busyness of mind and spirit, I focus on the wonder of it all, even on the wonder of being able to wonder. Reflecting on the Genesis accounts of creation, I find myself, like Adam, newly sprung into being, clay of the earth into which the Shaper of all has breathed spirit and life. I am formed through the clay from which I came, one with the earth and all its wonderful panoply of living things and mountains and seas, rhythms, cycles and beauty. Shaped from the same stuff as all these, over eons, I am amazingly made, a delicate and yet strong bio-system, living in a balance with all else and surviving through all the myriad of interactions with all creation, including of course, my fellow human creatures. But I and my fellows are somehow strange amidst all these other creatures, sprung from the same clay. We have had a life breathed into us from another realm that adds another dimension, spirit. In us this clay becomes open to limitless horizons.”

–Donald Merrifield, S.J.

SCRIPTURE

REFLECTIONS

Isaiah 55 Return to the Lord, be refreshed and renewed.

“This ‘being human’ is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor…Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

Ezekiel 18:1-32 I –not others who have gone before me– am responsible for the choices I make.

Psalm 63 I praise the Lord and find comfort.

Psalm 106 Our ancestors rejected God’s love over and over.

Luke 18:9-14 He who humbles himself will be exalted.

Romans 8:31-39 Nothing will separate us from the love of God. James 1:13-21 Our wrong desires give birth to sin.

1 John 1:5-2:17 I am a saved sinner.

–Rumi “To understand everything is to forgive everything.”

–Siddhartha Gautama “Woven into our lives is the very fire from the stars and the genes from the sea creatures, and everyone, utterly everyone, is kin in the radiant tapestry of being. This relationship is not external or extrinsic to our identity but wells up as the defining truth from our deepest being.”

–Elizabeth Johnson

REFLECTIONS CONTINUED “It is true to say that for me sanctity consists in being myself and for you sanctity consists in being yourself and that, in the last analysis, your sanctity will never be mine and mine will never be yours, except in the communism of charity and grace. For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self.”

–Thomas Merton, OCSO

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“We are created to praise, glorify and serve God, and, by this means to achieve our eternal destiny. What sort of truth claim is this and what kind of life does it offer?”

–Timothy P. Muldoon “Holiness has often been misconstrued. It has been covered over with concepts that are not altogether true.

For example, we tend to think of holiness as something we do or achieve. But true holiness is something ‘done unto us.’ It is more a ‘receivement’ than an achievement. Similarly, we tend to think of holiness as something attained by a ‘select few’ and, even then, only at the end of their lifetimes. In fact, holiness is something already woven into the fabric of who we are, since we all have been created in the image of God. Finally, we tend to think of holiness as something very individual and interior. But holiness has an important communal dimension. Behind every saint, there is a family, a community.

–John Haughey

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER God creates to communicate Divine Love through creation. Do I see all creatures–myself, other people, all things–in this light?

How do I concretely praise, love, and serve God and others? What activities, people, or material things help me achieve this end? Do any of these hinder me in achieving this end?

Have I made any person, event, thing, possession more important in my life than the primary purpose of my creation?

RESPONSE Write your own “Principle and Foundation”–your own mission statement that is the foundation for the way you live. Keep it brief, fundamental, to the point. Perhaps you can follow the format of the text: ‘I am created…’ Include how you will use/avoid specific things, events, people to attain the reason for your creation. Be as specific as you can in your statement. Return to this statement later in the semester…modify it, change it.

Prayer Lord, mighty God, You offer me so much.

You give me so many days and years, so many strengths and abilities, so many rich things and splendid technology, and You surround me with so many whom I may love.

Teach me this one thing above all, Lord: How I am to choose.

Then I hope to return to You as many wonders as You have poured out on me.

–Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J.

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POSTSCRIPT Finding God What is our principal and foundational image of God–one with which we are always meant to live? What have we noticed about God? It is the Christian belief that our Trinitarian God is a God of Love. St. John bluntly says, “God is Love.” But perhaps that statement sounds too abstract or too static. We might better say that God is Love loving. Ignatius’s picture of God is One who is actively gifting us–Love loving. God loves, and so God creates, and God continues to gift. God’s love is not something we earn or buy or plead for. God’s love is first given and is “unconditional.”

God does not say, “If you do such and such, I will love you.” …or even, “I will love you only if you keep my commandants.” God is always Love loving or a Giver gifting…. That is our foundational image of God, the God we live with.

Because we believe in a God of unconditional love, then it follows that the choices we make in life are all about seeking and finding the Giver of these gifts. If some gifts seem to lead us away from God, no matter how good the gift, we decide that these gifts are not helpful to us and so we turn away from them. Ignatius indicates that our behavior follows upon our grasp that God loves us into existence. God loves us from the beginning, no conditions attached. Knowing that we are God’s beloved, we desire to behave in ways like God. When we truly drink in deeply that God loves us as we are, then we realize that our life is not a time of testing. Lovers do not test. Our life is a time of growing and maturing.

When we live in God’s unconditional love…we see a world of God’s gifting. But God’s loved creation does cry out for us to act with God to bring it to fulfillment and so to bring about the “kingdom of God,” a reign of justice and love. We humans often obscure a world of God’s gifts by wasting them, polluting them, hoarding them, destroying them. So it is not the world of gifts that is questionable; it is the human use of God’s gifts.

God came into creation in a definitive way in Jesus Christ. …God has entered all of us into the assured victorious struggle against every limiting factor.

All of this way of thinking is included in the words of the Ignatian Principle and Foundation. We are seeing the face of our Christian God. This God is the God of unconditional Love–the face of God most basic to our living life. God as Love loving is truly our principle and foundation.

Who is the God to whom we relate? What kind of face does God have for us?

–David L. Fleming, S.J.

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 5 WE ARE LOVED SINNERS WHAT DO I SEEK? I ask for the gift of a deep trust in God’s unconditional love for me.

My desire is that God reveal how far I have fallen short of God’s dream for me and how my attachments (my addictions) keep me from living out God’s dream. I ask for this grace knowing I am a loved sinner.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I put myself before Jesus Christ present before me on the cross. I talk to him about how he creates because he loves and then he is born one like us out of love, so emptying himself as to pass from eternal life to death here in time, even death on a cross. By his response of love he dies for my sins.

I look to myself and ask – just letting the questions penetrate my being: In the past, what response have I made to Christ?

How do I respond to Christ now?

What response should I make to Christ?

As I look upon Jesus as he hangs upon the cross, I ponder whatever God may bring to my attention.”

(S.E. #53)

SCRIPTURE Genesis 3-4:12 The immediate and far reaching effect of sin.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 I can choose life or choose death.

Isaiah 43:18-25 “I will not remember your sins.”

Isaiah 54:4-10 Do not be afraid…my love for you lasts forever.

Isaiah 58:9-14 If you respond to those in need, you shall rise from the darkness.

Isaiah 62:1-5 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord.

Jeremiah 18:1-6 God shapes me as a potter forms the clay.

Ezekiel 36:22-37 God restores the people and creates a new heart.

Romans 7:14-25 I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want.

Luke 15: 1-32 The lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son.

Luke 19:12-26 Have I recognized, accepted, responded to, and developed my unique talents?

Do I accept this as my responsibility (my stewardship)?

1 John 1:5-2:17 We walk in the light as forgiven sinners.

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REFLECTIONS “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” –attributed to Eleanor Powell “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

–Siddhartha Gautama “Only when I have a rather firmly established trust in God’s love and care for me, a trust based on experience of God’s care and love, can I ask God to reveal my sins and sinful tendencies. No one whose God is a nagging and angry scold would dare to ask God for such a revelation.”

–William A. Barry, S.J.

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What does ‘sin’ mean to me? How do I define it?

In Greek, the word ‘sin’ means “to miss the mark.” Ignatius defines sin as “disordered attachment.” How do you respond to these two definitions?

Am I truly grateful for the particular talents and skills I have that make me different from those around me?

Have I nurtured them, developed them, shared them with others?

How do I understand “stewardship” and “accountability”?

How do I use my freedom?

“KNOWN” (Paraphrase of Psalm 139) I know you. I created you. I am creating you. I have loved you from your mother’s womb.

You have fled –as you know– from my love. But I love you nevertheless, and not-the-less, however far you flee. It is I who sustain your very power of fleeing, and I will never finally let you go.

I accept you as you are. You are forgiven.

I know all your sufferings. I have always known them.

For beyond your understanding, when you suffer, I suffer.

I also know all the little tricks by which you try to hide the ugliness you have made of your life from yourself and from others.

But you are beautiful. You are beautiful more deeply within than you can see.

You are beautiful because you yourself, in the unique one that only you are, reflect already something of the beauty of my holiness in a way which shall never end.

You are beautiful also because I, and I alone, see the beauty you shall become.

Through the transforming power of my love you shall become perfectly beautiful.

You shall become perfectly beautiful in a uniquely irreplaceable way, which neither you nor I will work out alone, for we shall work it out together.

–Unknown

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RESPONSE In your journal, make a list of random gifts God has given you. Simply allow one gift after another to come to mind, and jot down each one, praising God for the gift. Then, zero in on the one gift for which you are most grateful at this moment. It could be the simplest and most trivial of them all. Use that one gift as the springboard of your praise and thanks for all that God has done for you. Reflect on why it is that you do good acts. Is it out of obligation, or fear of God? Or is it grateful response to God’s goodness?

Three times this week thank God for one talent that makes you unique….name a different talent each time.

Two times this week thank an individual for sharing her/his specific talent with you.

POSTSCRIPT The Examen revisited Perhaps this would be a good time to review the Examen, introduced in Session #1. Are you still attempting to incorporate the practice of this Ignatian reflection into your life on a daily bases? Remember, the Examen is an opportunity to review one’s day and be attentive to where God was present and active: slow down, be attentive, be reflective, be conscious about your choices.

There is no ‘proper’ way to practice the Examen. Some people like to sit in a chapel. Some turn off the radio and pray the Examen as they drive home from work. Some people pray the Examen in the shower. Some make the Examen before going to sleep. However and wherever you pray the Examen, God will find you and guide you.

The following five steps for the Examen have been developed by Richard Malloy, S.J. (Vice-president for Mission & Ministry, University of Scranton). You may find this approach –The 5 ‘P’s of the Examen- appealing and want to try it.

PRESENCE: Stop, breathe, focus. Let the sense of God’s nearness settle into your consciousness. Realizing and relishing this loving God’s presence fills us with peace and a subtle, all-pervasive joy that can be accessed despite any trials and tribulations of the day.

PRAISE: We praise someone who does something significant for us. , not just simply thank him/her. Too often we can take for granted the gifts God gives us: life, health, talents and abilities, family and friends, decent work, and –most important- time.

PROCESS: What’s going on in my consciousness? What have I been thinking about since I last make the Examen? What insights, worries, joys, fears, hopes, imaginings are running around in my head? How do I feel?

How’s my relationship with myself? Am I doing what I want to be doing in ways both small and large? How do I feel about my work? How am I spending my time? What do I really desire? ….Maybe I am being led by the Spirit of God to pursue those paths.

(Freedom comes as we chart the desolations and consolations of our daily existence. Consolation is what is moving me toward God, toward living happy, healthy, holy, and free. We know we are in consolation when we realize what fills us with energy, enthusiasm, joy, justice. Desolation is what worries, frustrates, and diverts us from the goal of transformation in Christ. We know we are in desolation when there is certain restlessness, listlessness, an ‘is this all there is to life?’ tone and texture in our soul. The Examen can become the habitual work of discernment, paying attention to where we are moving and what is moving us in our relationship to God, others, and our deepest, truest selves.)

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PENANCE: Ask God to reveal to you if there is anything that needs tweaking in your life or if there are major roadblocks that need to be worked on and removed. Then take one aspect of life that is a bit off track and strategize on how to rectify direction in the next 24 hours. Actually doing something definite is the goal here.

Do I need to reconcile with someone? Resolve to write a letter or send an email to that person in the next 24 hours. Am I watching too much TV? Plan to get a good book. Not getting to prayer each day? Resolve at least to make the Examen.

Doing penance–actually doing some small thing- can set in motion larger, positive dynamics. Something as simple as going to bed on time and getting the rest we need can make us calmer, happier, and saner.

Penance is not an exercise in beating up on ourselves for all our faults and failures. Real repentance, specific corrections, helps us live life better.

PROMISE: We need to stop and ‘name and claim’ what is happening in our lives. God’s promise is that we will have life and have it to the full. How is my life today; at this moment? We can name what God is doing for us and claim the movements toward God in our lives. We can trust God’s promise that small, seemingly insignificant choices snowball into the meaning and transformation of our lives.

Ask for God to give you what you need. St. Ignatius said we should demand the graces we desire from God. Asking for the grace makes us more open to our actually appropriating the power of God’s love and justice in our lives.

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Session 6 GOD WALKS WITH US WHAT DO I SEEK? “I ask for the grace to know Jesus intimately, to love him more intensely, and so to follow him more closely.”

(S.E. #104)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I notice how our triune God works – so simply and quietly, so patiently. A world goes on, apparently oblivious to the new creation which has begun. I take in Mary’s complete way of being available and responding to her Lord and God.” (S.E. #108)

SCRIPTURE [Preliminary note: You may find it helpful, when you approach a Scripture passage in prayer, to reflect on these questions to assist you in being present to the event and enter more fully into it.] a. How does Jesus reveal himself in this passage? b. What is Jesus saying to me personally, at this moment in my life? c. What is he asking me to do FOR him and WITH him for others? d. What is my response?

Luke 1:26-38 The annunciation: God’s Word calls forth Mary’s response.

Luke 1:39-56 Mary visits and cares for Elizabeth.

Luke 2:1-7 The birth of Jesus…God-become-human.

Luke 2:8-20 Shepherds respond to the message of the angel.

Luke 2:41-52 Jesus in the Temple at age twelve followed by the ‘hidden’ years.

Galatians 4:1-9 God sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts. We are no longer slaves but children and heirs.

Ephesians 1:3-14 The hidden plan.

Philippians 2:1-11 The Infinite becomes finite, the Unlimited becomes limited.

Colossians 1:15-20 Jesus is the image of the unseen God. Titus 3:4-8. God saved us for no reason except his own compassion.

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REFLECTIONS Mary at The Annunciation Mary’s conversation with Gabriel is a wonderful example of what prayer truly is: our response to God’s voice. This wasn’t simply a matter of Gabriel telling Mary what would happen. By including Mary’s detailed response, the Gospel writer implies that she had a choice. It was her body, after all. She was the one who must figure out a way to tell Joseph and her parents what was happening, and who would have to wait in faith while Joseph planned to break their engagement, before the angel spoke to him too….She would give birth far from her mother and the midwife, surrounded by farm animals. She and Joseph and the child would live as refugees in another country. They would watch their son grow into manhood and feel his way toward a destiny neither of them understood….

Mary may have never conversed with Gabriel again, but….her life was one long prayer, a continuous response to the unfolding of God’s action. Luke’s Gospel says that she prayed through pondering, holding things deep in her heart. Sometimes I’m sure her conversation with the Divine included tears and waiting. When all we do is sit in the room, quiet and weary, waiting and wondering, we are praying in a way that moves far beyond words and reason.

–Vinita Hampton Wright “I am to consider the Incarnation by imagining the Trinity looking down on the world and responding, not in anger, but out of compassion and mercy, deciding to incarnate God’s very self into the world in order to heal it.”

–Mark E. Thibodeaux, S.J. “In the mystery of the Word made flesh a new light of Your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that, as we recognize in him God made visible, we may be caught up…in the love of things invisible.”

(Preface I, Christmas) A passage, written in the voice of Jesus, by Charles de Foucauld: “After my presentation and flight into Egypt, I withdrew to Nazareth. There I spent the years of my childhood and youth, till I was thirty years of age. Once again, it was for your sake I went there, for love of you. What was the meaning of that part of my life? I led it for your instruction. I instructed you for thirty years, not in words, but by my silence and example. What was I teaching you? I was teaching you primarily that it is possible to do good to men and women –great good, infinite good, divine good– without using words, without preaching, without fuss, but by silence and by giving them a good example. What kind of example? The example of devotion of duty toward God lovingly fulfilled, and goodness toward all people, loving kindness….and domestic duties fulfilled in holiness. The example of poverty, lowliness, recollection, withdrawal: the obscurity of a life hidden in God, a life of prayer, penance, and withdrawal, completely lost in God, buried deep in God. I was teaching you to live by the labor of your own hands, so as to be a burden on no one and to have something to give to the poor. And I was giving this way of life an incomparable beauty – the beauty of being a copy of mine.”

Some thoughts to consider: What was Jesus like as a young adult?

What was the pattern of his daily life in Nazareth?

Who were his friends?

Did he fall in love?

What made him laugh?

What did he enjoy doing? How did he relax?

How did he come to realize that he was called to do his particular ministry?

Who influenced the life of Jesus? Joseph…Mary….

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QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER Why does the infinite God become one with the human condition…limited by time, space, the ‘laws’ of nature?

Who have been, and who are, the persons whose lives and values inspire me? Why? What dreams, values, and issues passionately excite me at this time in my life? What fears?

What do I need to change in my life, or let go of, in order to be freer to follow Christ? What special mission does God have for me at this time in my life in this world? …within my family and friends? …within my work environment? …within my faith Community?

RESPONSE In your journal, make a list of individuals who have touched your life. Each day this week thank God for a different person who is a reminder of God’s personal love and care for you.

Prayer Welcome, Lord Jesus Christ, into our flesh, into the heart of humanness.

I welcome Your godly holiness upon earth.

I welcome Your complete humanness upon my life world.

I welcome you, Yourself, into my life and self.

I thank You that I may embrace humanity and find myself embracing You. For You remain in our flesh now and forever, among humankind whose eyes reflect Your eyes, whose use of words matches Your use of words, whose need of You matches Your willing need for us.

Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J.

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POSTSCRIPT Introductory note: This “Christ And His Call” meditation is included in the text of the Spiritual Exercises by Saint Ignatius as a transition, a bridge, between Week I and Week II. The intention of this meditation is to stir up generosity, openness, and an awareness of Christ’s personal call, personal invitation. It follows immediately upon the consideration of sin and God’s unconditional love (Week I). The meditations to come (Week II), which focus on the public life of Christ, lead to a realization that Jesus walks with us in the midst of our struggles and our triumphs.

A modified version of this meditation follows here.

CHRIST AND HIS CALL WHAT DO I SEEK? “I ask Jesus that I might not be deaf to his call in my life and that I might be ready and willing to do what he wants” (S.E. #91)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES Christ and His Call (S.E. # 91-98) There are two parts in this presentation. The parable of the temporal leader is meant only to help contemplate the life of Christ.

In the first part, let me put myself into a mythical situation – the kind of story-truth of which fairy tales are made. I imagine a human leader, selected and raised up by God our Lord; everyone of good will, whatever their age, is drawn to be in the presence of such a leader, to listen, and to follow.

The challenge of this leader rings out in words like these: “I want to overcome all diseases, all poverty, all ignorance, all oppression and slavery – in short, all the evils which beset humankind. Whoever wishes to join me in this undertaking must be content to walk with me as an equal. Whoever is with me in the labor of the day’s work and with me in the loneliness of the night will likewise have a part with me in the final victory.”

If a leader issues a call like this, what kind of person could refuse such an inspiring challenge?

In the second part, I consider Jesus Christ and his call. If a human leader can have such an appeal to us, how much greater is the attraction of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. His call goes out to all peoples, yet he specially calls each person in a particular and unique way. He makes this kind of appeal: “It is my will to win over the whole world, to overcome evil with good, to turn hatred aside with love, to conquer all the forces of death – whatever obstacles there are that block the sharing of life between God and humankind. Whoever wishes to join me in this mission must be willing to labor with me, and so by following me in struggle and suffering may share with me in glory.”

With God inviting and with victory assured, how can anyone in their right mind not surrender to Jesus and his invitation to labor with him?

Those who are of great heart and are set on fire with zeal to follow Jesus will not only offer themselves entirely to labor for such a mission, but will act against anything which would make their response less total.

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Commentary: As Ignatius presents it, this myth-story was meant to help us understand the gospel story. Jesus has a dream; it is God’s dream. And Jesus calls to every man and woman and child to enter into that dream with him. And bringing our life-dreams into the dream of Jesus, we will find how we are to use all the talents and drives and passions that are God’s gifts to us and let God transform them in ways that we never could have dreamed.

Ignatius clearly presents to us the double aspect involved in the call of Christ. Jesus calls each one of us to a special relationship with him and, in and through that special relationship to work with him for the reign of God by “being busy about the kingdom.” [In this exercise,] Ignatius has us reflect on our dreams, our goals, our life-desires. We need to look at our dreams in terms of Who is Jesus for us? What place does Christ have in our life? What is our relationship to Jesus and how does it affect our way of thinking and dreaming?

Have we considered Jesus’ dreams about the reign of God and his invitation to us to be with him and labor with him? As we consider this Ignatian exercise of the Call of Christ, we may find it helpful to take some reflection time with our own dreams, whatever they may be. Remember that Jesus invites all of us to be with him – to be with him in being “busy about the kingdom.” It is a matter of listening to God’s calls and of our responding.

–David Fleming, SJ SCRIPTURE 1 Samuel 3:1-10 “Speak, Lord, your servant listens.”

Micah 6:8 Expectations of a follower Luke 9:23-26 Conditions of discipleship John 17:9-19 Jesus prays for me.

Hebrews 2:5-18 Jesus is one with us, through suffering he is able to help us who suffer.

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER Who have been, and who are, the persons whose lives and values inspire me? Why? What dreams, values, and issues passionately excite me at this time in my life? Why? If I am going to follow somebody, I want the answer to four questions: i. Who is this person in reality? ii. What is his/her cause? iii. What will it cost me? What will this person expect? iv. What will be the outcome I can expect?

How do I answer these four questions when reflecting on the invitation of Christ?

RESPONSE Reflect on how you play a leadership role for another person. Is there a way that role can be expanded?

Send a note, card, or Email to someone you admire and thank them for their influence on you.

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Session 7 WALKING WITH JESUS WHAT DO I SEEK? I ask for an interior knowledge of Jesus who became human for me, that I may love him more intensely and follow him more closely. (S.E. #104)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I always take a moment to call to mind the attitude of reverence with which I approach this privileged time with God. I recollect everything up to this moment of my day – my thoughts and words, what I have done and what has happened to me – and ask that God may take and receive all of this as praise and service.”

(S.E. #46) “There is an importance in my speaking out my desire for God’s grace according to the subject matter and my own dispositions during these days. Perhaps expressing what I truly want from God may also act as a preparation of my inner being for an openness to God’s entrance into a particular area of my life.” (S.E. #48)

SCRIPTURE Matthew 3:1-17 Jesus and John the Baptist meet.

Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus leaves home and his mother to begin his public ministry. He is tested by the Evil Spirit.

Luke 4:14-30 Jesus publicly declares his mission; the people of his own town reject him.

Mark 1:21-39 A day in the life of Jesus.

Matthew 5-7 Jesus presents a new vision, a new lifestyle, a new value system.

Matthew 10 Jesus shares his mission with the Twelve.

Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus calls Peter to walk in trust through the storm.

Luke 7:36-50 Jesus responds to the sinful woman.

John 8:2-11 “Neither do I condemn you.”

Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus is changed because of his encounter with Jesus.

Matthew 17:1-9 Is Jesus transfigured or is it the understanding of the three friends that is clarified?

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REFLECTIONS We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

–Mother Teresa of Calcutta “This is my happiness, this, my pleasure: to live with Jesus, to walk with Jesus, to converse with Jesus; to suffer with and for him, this is my treasure.”

–St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J. “The question should not be ‘What would Jesus do?’ but rather, more dangerously, ‘What would Jesus have me do?’ The onus is not on Jesus but on us, for Jesus did not come to ask human beings to do impossible things. He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.”

–Rev. Peter J. Gomes “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

–Siddhartha Gautama

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What defines who I am…my work? My success or failure? My relationships? My possessions?

Jesus is rejected by the people of his own town. How am I affected by the people around me? Do I appreciate their support and care? Do I fear rejection? Judgment?

In Mark’s Gospel account, the first public words of Jesus are: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the good news.” What is my response to this? Do I believe the Kingdom of God has begun here on earth? How does this/or should this effect the way I act and think?

How would I respond to Jesus if he said to me what he said to Zacchaeus, “I will visit your home today”?

What would I show him? What would I hide? What topics would I bring up for conversation? What would I avoid discussing? Who would I invite to join us for dinner?

Do I believe that Jesus wants my friendship?

RESPONSE A few times this week say a prayer for the well-being of a person you find difficult to deal with. Ask yourself: “What does this individual add to my life in a positive way?”

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POSTSCRIPT Contemplation or praying with your imagination. “…to see the persons with the sight of the imagination, meditating and contemplating in particular the details about them….to hear what they are or might be talking about….to smell and to taste the infinite fragrance and sweetness….to touch, to embrace and kiss the places where the persons stand or are seated.” (Spiritual Exercises #122, 123, 124, 125.)

When reflecting on the life of Jesus, Ignatius encourages us to use the power of our imagination and actively enter into the particular event. Your imagination can become the place where the world of the Gospel and the world of your daily life are united. To do this, review the suggestions for reflection in Session #1. Then expand on them with the following ideas: After you are relaxed, recall that you are in the presence of God. Take a little time to become aware of this presence and be comfortable with It. Is there some specific gift you would like to obtain during this time of reflection? If so, ask for that as you begin. Also, ask God to be your guide during this time. Then, choose a suggested Gospel passage or pick one of your own. Slowly read through the event, pause, and ask yourself: What can I see, hear, smell, taste, feel?

What’s the weather like? What time of day is it?

What’s happening around me? Who is here with me? What do they look like? How are they dressed?

Does any particular part of the event attract my attention more than others? Why? Where do I find myself…am I in the midst of the crowd, or standing apart from it, watching? OR, am I the one being healed, or being spoken to? Challenged? (Note: There is no ‘right’ place for you to be….simply be where you find yourself.)

How am I feeling about what is happening around me? Curious? Afraid? Peaceful? Upset? Attracted?

There is no need to hurry. Just find a place where you are comfortable in this scene and remain there, actively aware of the surroundings. Let the event unfold, try not to manage it.

Do I feel like I want to speak to anyone here? What do I want to say? What are others saying? Who is listening to me? Can I enter into a conversation with Jesus at this time and place?

Before ending this reflection time, enter into a conversation with Jesus or with another person in the scene…. perhaps his mother…His friends…someone there you feel comfortable with. Simply express your feelings about this experience and let your heart be open to whatever response you hear. It may be helpful to close your time of reflection by saying a familiar prayer, the “Our Father”, for example.

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Prayer People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.

Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.

Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.

Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-attributed to Mother Teresa

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Session 8 JESUS THE HEALER RESPONDS TO THE FAITH OF OTHERS WHAT DO I SEEK? I want to know the heart of Jesus: his values, dreams, hopes, loves, hates. I want to know his mission, and I desire to be part of that mission.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “For a person striving to lead a good life, the evil spirit ordinarily appears like an angel of light. For example, we find ourselves inspired by pious thoughts or holy desires, and then after some time we are caught up in the pride of our own thinking and in the selfishness of our own desires.” (S.E. #332) “We can grow as discerning persons by examining carefully the path our experiences have taken us. If in reflecting on the course of our thoughts and our actions we find that from beginning to end our eyes have remained fixed on the Lord, we can be sure that the good spirit has been moving us. But if what started off well in our thoughts and actions begins to be self-focused or to turn us from our way to God, we should suspect that the evil spirit has somehow twisted the good beginning towards an evil direction, and possibly even to an evil end. So we can discover that an originally good course of thinking, resolving, or acting has led us to be weakened spiritually or even to become desolate or confused. The signs of desolation give clear indication of the evil spirit’s influence.” (S.E. #333) “I ask for an interior knowledge of Jesus who became human for me, that I may love him more intimately and follow him more closely.” (S.E. #104)

SCRIPTURE John 2:1-11 Mary’s faith in Jesus leads him to action.

Mark 5:21-43 The daughter of Jairus and the woman with hemorrhage for twelve years.

Mark 9:14-24, Luke 9:37-43. “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Mark 10:46-52 “What do you want me to do for you?”

Luke 5:12-26 A leper makes a request. Friends of a paralyzed man seek healing.

Luke 7:1-16 The servant of the centurion and the widow’s only son.

Luke 13:10-17 A crippled woman is healed on the Sabbath.

John 11:1-44 The raising of Lazarus.

1 Peter 2:21-24 Christ left us an example.

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REFLECTIONS “Perhaps instead of bombarding God with requests for what is not, we might try, instead, asking God to open our eyes to see what is.”

– Margaret Silf “When contemplating the Gospels, we are often gifted with memories from our lives that correspond in some way to Jesus’ life. These memories can be gifts because through our prayerful remembering, past hurts may be healed. Or we may appreciate how God has been at work in unexpected or previously overlooked ways. Or we may gain some insight into significant events in our history. Some memories may be painful, of course, so we must be gentle with our remembering and seek help from others when needed.”

–Kevin O’Brien, S.J. “Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone.”

–Mohandas Gandhi “If sin is grasping, then redemption is letting go. If sin means symbolically grabbing at food, then redemption means sharing it and giving it away. Jesus accepted his creaturehood with open hands as a gift. Ironically, being divine for Jesus meant accepting humanity to the fullest. As has often been said, in revealing his divinity Jesus also reveals to us our humanity – our ultimate destiny….What is potentially the source of sin and self-centeredness becomes the source of reversing sin.”

–John Baldovin, S.J. “…When night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with God. Then you will be able to rest in God - and start the next day as a new life.

O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage, and strength to serve you. Enkindle your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me, and I shall meet it with peace.”

–St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein -died 1942) was a German philosopher and a convert from Judaism who became a Carmelite nun, and was put to death at Auschwitz.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

– Anne Frank

This is a good time to stop and review the program up to this time. Reflect on your personal prayer/ considerations since the beginning of the program. How has it changed, developed, grown?

Return to Session 4 and reconsider the “Principle and Foundation.” Does this serve as the foundation of your experience today? Did you create your own ‘Principle and Foundation’ statement. If so, now is a good time to look it over, perhaps modify it or change it completely. Perhaps this is the opportunity to write a personal statement if you have not done so before.

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QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL TO CONSIDER What does it say to you that the first miracle of Jesus takes place at a wedding feast…simply to supply wine for the guests?

What motivates Jesus to go through his day? What gives him ‘energy’?

How much of my life is controlled by fear? Do I want to ask Jesus to remove this fear? Do I believe he can?

RESPONSE During this week consider what your answer would be if Jesus said directly to you, -as he does in the Gospel accounts- “What do you want me to do for you?”

A few times this week, as you prepare to begin your day, ask yourself why you are doing what you do. Does the answer make the day valuable? What if this was to be your last day…would you do anything different?

A possible prayer response to Jesus the Healer: In the comfort of God’s love, I pour out The memories that haunt me, The anxieties that perplex me, The fears that stifle me, The sickness that prevails upon me, And the frustration of all the pain that weaves about within me.

Jesus, help me to see your peace in my turmoil, Your compassion in my sorrow, Your forgiveness in my weakness And your love in my need.

Compassionate Christ, touch me with your healing power and strength.

(Prayer adapted from the Alexian Brothers)

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POSTSCRIPT Introductory note: The meditation on “Two Leaders, Two Strategies” (S.E. # 136-147) is included within the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises. This consideration, presented by Ignatius in the rich imagery of his culture, centers on the struggle between the forces of good and evil that exist in the world and in our personal lives.

The aim of this meditation is to become more fully aware of the deceits of the Evil Spirit. This sensitivity assists a person in the ability to discern the tactics of the Evil One. The Good Spirit works in an atmosphere of honesty, openness, genuineness while the Evil Spirit moves a person along the path of exaggerated self-importance to total self-centered independence.

The underlying motivation –and the fundamental decision- for this reflection is the question: “To whom do I belong? Whom do I follow?” The honest answer to this question reveals a person’s basic values and lifestyle.

REFLECTIONS (on “Two Leaders, Two Strategies”) Ignatius’ “desire for power, prestige, and privilege had been transformed –by God’s grace– into a desire for a life of prayer, service, and simplicity.”

–Kevin O’Brien, S.J. “There are three basic compulsions, addictions, or false values: 1. Addiction to money (refuge in riches); 2.

Addiction to fame (the compulsion to ‘get ahead’, to be somebody); 3. Addiction to power (the desire to dominate and control others). The message of Jesus responds to these addictions: instead of hoarding, sharing; instead of ambition, equality; instead of domination, solidarity and humble, voluntary service.”

–Nathan D. Mitchell “Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Those rewards create almost as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it…”

–Rabbi Harold Kushner “When through one person, a little more love and goodness, a little more light and truth comes into the world, then that person’s life has had meaning.”

–Alfred Delp, S.J.

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Another Perspective on the “Meditation on the Two Leaders, Two Strategies” Ignatius recognized that not all people were able to make the Exercises in the original form he designed. He wrote the 19th Annotation for those who could not take a month away from their responsibilities of life and he suggested that directors could make adjustments for the elderly or the frail. In his wisdom he understood the need to “allow the Creator to deal with the creature,” knowing that each one is best understood and most effectively led by the Original Designer. In his time though, it was assumed that the spirituality of men and women were the same. In a twentieth century study, Sr. Marie-Eloise Rosenblatt suggests that “women’s specific spiritual needs, soul-language and process of development are different from men’s.”

In particular, one of the challenges for women within the Exercises noted by Sr. Rosenblatt is this meditation on the Two Leaders, Two Strategies. The influence of Ignatius’ own life and personal struggles can be seen in the riches, honor, and power set of compulsions or addictions. Sr. Rosenblatt writes that “typically women’s experience of original sin today is not pride in an honourable lineage or an over-blown sense of self-worth, but shame and self-denigration. …It is not pride that must be counteracted, but too little confidence in one’s lovableness and acceptability in the eyes of God and others” (pg 20). “…women need to hear a call to mission which can act as empowerment to seize hold of a life larger than the one circumscribed by feeling-loved or not-feeling-loved. They need liberation from dependency on unreciprocal, unhealthy, emotionally draining relationships which are fed by the dark side of women’s valuation of relationship, the feminine values of self-sacrifice and self-donation. Freedom of a pattern of overly dependent relationships entails the choice of a life-goal worthy of their love and energy. The call to self-commitment may take leave of their habitual role as ‘quintessential accommodators, mediators, the adapters, and soothers’.”

–Marie-Eloise Rosenblatt

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What/Who gets in the way of my freedom of loving God? Have I put anything or anyone in place of the primary role of God in my life?

How do I identify the tension between good and evil in the world around me? Am I ‘caught’ in this tension?

How do I (or did I) resolve it?

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 9 THE LAST DAYS WHAT DO I SEEK? “I ask for sorrow, regret, and confusion because the Lord is going through suffering and death for my sins.”

(S.E. #193)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I try to listen to the way words are spoken; I attempt to see the expression on the face; I am present with as heightened awareness as I can muster, so that I enter as fully as possible into the mystery I am contemplating.

(S.E. #191) “I should make even greater effort to labor with Jesus through all his pain, his struggle, his suffering, or what he is willing to suffer. I should pay special attention to how the divinity hides itself so that Jesus seems so utterly human and helpless. I should make every effort to get inside the Passion, not just staying with external sufferings, but entering into the loneliness, the interior pain of rejection and feeling hated, all the anguish within Jesus. To realize that Jesus loves me so much that he willingly suffers everything for my rejections and my sins makes me ask: What response ought I make?” (S.E. #195, #196)

SCRIPTURE Luke 19:29-40, John 12:12-19. The entrance into Jerusalem.

John 13:1-16 “Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.”

Exodus 12:1-14 Passover is instituted as a memorial of the Lord’s deliverance of the people from Egypt.

Luke 22:1-38 The Passover meal.

Luke 22:39-53, Matthew 26:30-56. The Garden and the arrest.

Matthew 26:57-75 Jesus is judged; Peter denies knowing Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 As you share in suffering so also you share in consolation.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 We are being given up to death while we live so the life of Jesus may be made visible in our flesh.

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REFLECTIONS “In this phase of the Exercises, we accompany Jesus into the mystery of human suffering. Our prayer may become more still and quiet as a result. We don’t need to make any big promises or figure out answers to timeless existential questions about the meaning of suffering. We just need to be present to Jesus and continue to have our hearts schooled about what compassion is all about. In this school of the heart, the cross becomes an extension of Jesus’ ministry of loving presence, a love that is with us to the very end.”

–Kevin O’Brien, S.J. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

–Martin Luther King, Jr. “We do not contemplate the crucified one to wallow in sentimental pity for a martyred hero. We contemplate this crucified one that his heart and mind and spirit may become our own. If he did not cling to his divine status but ‘emptied himself to be born in the likeness of a slave…obediently accepting even death on a cross’ then must not a similar self-spilling love mark our lives? Strangely, if we really love the poor, the outcasts and speak up for them, love may cost us sleepless nights, the scorn of our neighbors, economic hardship. It costs some people their lives–everyday. But self-spilling love is our glory and our exultation.”

“Paschal Mission” Archdiocese of Chicago “I don’t know who –or what– put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer YES to Someone–or Something–and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal.

From that moment I have known what it means ‘not to look back,’ and ‘to take no thought for the morrow.’…I came to a time and place where I realized that the Way leads to a triumph which is a catastrophe, and to a catastrophe which is a triumph, that the price for committing one’s life would be reproach, and that the only elevation possible to man [and woman] lies in the depths of humiliation. After that, the word ‘courage’ lost its meaning, since nothing could be taken from me.

As I continued along the Way, I learned, step by step, word by word, that behind every saying in the gospels, stands one man and one man’s experience. Also behind the prayer that the cup might pass from him and his promise to drink it. Also behind each of the words from the cross.”

–Dag Hammarskjold Morrie told Mitch: “The truth is…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

-Mitch Albom

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER Why does Jesus suffer?

Why does Jesus wash the feet of his friends? What kind of example is this for me today?

How do I ‘wash feet’?

When faced with a difficult situation, do I pray to have it removed or to have the trust and courage to accept it?

Does reflecting on the suffering and death of Jesus help me to find meaning in my suffering? …in the suffering of others?

What have I learned from my own sorrow? …from the sorrow/suffering of others?

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RESPONSE Recall a painful event/moment in your life and hand it over–now–to the suffering Christ.

How do I respond to the suffering I read about in the newspaper and hear about on the daily news?

What one thing can I do this week to lighten the burden of pain for someone close to me…a co-worker… a neighbor…a family member?

POSTSCRIPT Brief Reflection/Review After Prayer Session “After a formal prayer period is finished, I should review what happened during that time – not so much what ideas did I have, but more the movements of consolation, desolation, fear, anxiety, boredom, etc. and perhaps something about my distractions, especially if they were consistent or disturbing. I thank God for favors received and ask pardon for my own negligence….I may find it helpful to jot down the various reflections that strike me….” (Spiritual Exercises #77)

If you can find an extra five minutes, bring your prayer time to a close and notice: How did you go into the time of prayer? What issues were in your mind? How were you feeling? How long did you intend to give to prayer? How did you focus your prayer? Did you use a passage of Scripture, for example?

What particular ‘grace’ or gift, or guidance were you asking for or desiring? What were you hoping for from your time of prayer?

What were your feelings during the time of prayer? How was the time for you–comfortable or uncomfortable? Short or long, tedious or interesting, turbulent or peaceful? Did you notice any movements of mood or feeling during prayer time? Did anything in the prayer trigger feelings of elation, despondency, hope, anxiety? Were you able to express these feelings to God and to yourself?

How do you feel now, looking back over the time of prayer?

Did you spend the time in prayer that you originally intended to spend? It isn’t so important to pray for a particular length of time but rather to stay faithful to whatever time you have decided upon. Try to resist the temptation to cut short the period you decided upon. Prayer often comes alive at the very end of the time you have given to it.

Do you feel you have received the ‘grace’ you were asking for? (Sometimes the grace you asked for comes in ways and at times you least expect, often as you go through your day.)

Is there anything in the time of prayer that you would like to return to next time? Any unfinished business?

Is there anything in your prayer that you especially want to store in your memory? Did anything connect to where you feel you are in your present experience?

Your reflection can be woven into your day and picked up again, whenever you have a free minute. Just let the awareness of your time with God float at the edges of your consciousness, so that it can surface whenever there is a relevant prompt. You might find it helpful to make a short note of anything striking that arises during this reflection time.

–Margaret Silf

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Prayer for Generosity Lord, teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will. –Ignatius of Loyola

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 10 THE WALK TO CALVARY AND DEATH WHAT DO I SEEK? I desire to be present with Jesus as he suffers. I am powerless to end his suffering. I simply want to be there with him as a friend supports a friend.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “I look upon Jesus as he hangs upon the cross, and I ponder whatever God may bring to my attention.”

(S.E. #53) “I continue to pray for the gift of being able to feel sorrow with Jesus in sorrow, to be anguished with Jesus’s anguish, and even to experience tears and deep grief because of all the afflictions which Jesus endures for me.” (S.E. #203)

SCRIPTURE

REFLECTIONS

Mark 15:1-20 The plot takes shape.

I accompany Mary, the mother of Jesus, away from the tomb back to the house where she is staying.

I stay with her, I wait with her, and I listen to her as she shares with me all those things she has pondered in her heart. I listen to her memories of her Son. I weep with her, I hope with her. And I tell her who I am.

Matthew 26:69-27:10 The double betrayal of Peter and Judas.

John 19:17-24 The crucifixion.

John 19: 25-27 The women remain with Jesus.

–Place Me With Your Son (Edition 1)

John 19:28-38-37 Jesus dies.

Luke 23:50-56 The body of Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus continues to live and suffer within the human family today. How do I respond?

1 Corinthians 1:17-31 The power and wisdom of God.

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

–Elie Wiesel

Philippians 2:5-11 Jesus became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

REFLECTIONS CONTINUED “More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God’s hands.”

Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (Written after he suffered a stroke, the effects of which he patiently endured for the final ten years of his life.)

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“Grief is a fruit; God does not make it grow upon a branch too feeble to bear it.”

–Victor Hugo Jesus is a man who gave his life for love of the poor. He gave his life away instead of hoarding it and making it secure. …he did what he did of his own free will.

There was no compulsion, in the sense that God had created Jesus to suffer and now he was obliged to do what was preordained for him. That is bad theology: it overlooks the element of freedom. We might say that God had created Jesus to love—that is, created him for the greatest freedom imaginable. And this love led, as every serious love does, to suffering. It led Jesus to the center of power, to Jerusalem. From the provinces to the capital, from the rural synagogue to the temple, from the poor to the rich. It led him from obscurity to visibility.

A…song from Chile says that to love means not to hide your face. Jesus hid his face less and less. In the end, what he was became completely visible. They tortured him so long that there was nothing opaque, nothing partial, nothing cautious, nothing reserved left in him. Then he could say: it is accomplished. Here I am, a human being for others.

–Dorothee Söelle “As the soldiers approached to offer Jesus wine, they called out, ‘If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.’

Above him there was an inscription that read, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ “ (Lk 23:36-38.)

When we call Jesus “king,” we apply to him the trappings of the kings of this world. But….the only crown Jesus ever wore was a crown of thorns; the only throne he ever had was the cross. Jesus turned the image of power and glory upside down. He came to connect with the whole human race and lead us in a new direction.

But Jesus didn’t call himself a king. He called himself “the good shepherd.” He came to lead us into new pastures, a new way of living. In a way, it’s easier to hail him as a king, to bow down before him. It’s easier to do that than follow him as a shepherd and live his way of life. The life of Jesus is a story of kingship turned upside down. Tribute, in his kingdom, is given to the poor, the meek, the sorrowful, the hungry, the merciful, the peacemakers.

Let me live, not under the sign of the crown, but always under the sign of the cross.

–The Little Black Book, 2012 edition (Perhaps this is an opportunity to return to Session #6, Postscript: Christ and His Call.)

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER As I stand before Jesus hanging on the cross, I ask myself again: What response have I made to Christ?

How am I responding to Christ right now?

What response ought I make…beginning tomorrow?

Put yourself in the place of both Mary and Jesus.

What are you feeling?

What are you experiencing as you exchange glances?

What do you want to say?

What is the response?

Have I been in a similar situation: experiencing someone’s pain but unable to end it?

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Do I believe that Christ continues to suffer today through the suffering of others?

How can this be?

How do I respond?

Who are the people who have brought hope, faith, trust, and courage to me in my time of suffering?

“What invisible crosses do people bear? How can I help carry them? Who helps carry my own burdens? Who are the crucified peoples of our world today?”

–Kevin O’Brien, S.J.

RESPONSE Can I respond in a compassionate manner to the suffering of one particular person this week?

Slowly read one of the accounts of the suffering and death of Jesus:

Matthew, Chapters 26 & 27

Mark, Chapters 14 & 15

Luke, Chapters 22 & 23

Read it as one continuous event. If you are alone, try reading it out loud. Pause and repeat words or phrases that catch your attention. Don’t hurry. Use your imagination; allow yourself to “be with” this moment. Try to enter into the event. Who is present? What are they saying? What are they doing?

“Life is difficult. Life is problems to solve. Life is decisions to make. Life is challenges to meet. And discipline is the set of tools we need to solve life’s problems. Discipline is what molds and shapes our character. Discipline teaches us how to get beyond ourselves and love others. Yet people fear the pain and suffering involved in tough choices, so we try to walk around the pain and take the easier path. Yet, the only way to handle suffering is to stare it in the face, work it through, and learn to live with the emotional pain contained in the challenges of life. Suffering calls forth our wisdom and our courage, the best that is inside us. Learning how to suffer is learning how to love.”

–M. Scott Peck

POSTSCRIPT Prayer OR Daydream?

How do I know that this is prayer and not just a daydream?

What comes from God will last and will bring about real change within you. hat comes from God has a peculiar characteristic of weaving itself into our W personal experience and our memories.

What comes from God will turn our attention away from ourselves and draw us closer to God and closer to one another.

Questions: Has my prayer made any difference to the way I am?

Is my prayer consistent with what is happening in my life?

Does my prayer lead me closer to God and to other people?

Is my center of gravity now beyond myself, in God and in God’s creation?

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Prayer for Compassion Teach me how to be compassionate to the suffering, to the poor, the blind, the lame, and the lepers; show me how you revealed your deepest emotions, as when you shed tears, or when you felt sorrow and anguish to the point of sweating blood and needed an angel to console you.

Above all, I want to learn how you supported the extreme pain of the cross, including the abandonment of your Father. –Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 11 THE LIFE OF JESUS CONTINUES TODAY WHAT DO I SEEK? “I beg for the grace of being able to enter into the joy and consolation of Jesus as he savors the victory of his risen life.” (S.E. #221) I want to participate in the joy of Jesus as a friend enters into the joy of another friend.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “…I should note how much the divinity shines through the person of Jesus in all his appearances. The peace and the joy which he wants to share with me can only be a gift of God. To realize that the role of consoler which Jesus performs in each of his resurrection appearances is the same role he performs now in my life is a faith insight into why I can live my life in a true Christian optimism.” (S.E. #223,224) “Throughout the day, I try to keep myself in a mood which is marked by happiness and spiritual joy. As a result, anything in my environment–the sun and warm weather or the white cover of snow, all different beauties of nature–is used to reinforce the atmosphere of consolation.” S.E. #229)

SCRIPTURE

REFLECTIONS

Mark 16:1-11 The women find the tomb empty.

Ignatius suggests that, although there is no Scripture account of it, we can easily imagine and share in the excitement of Jesus in wanting to share the joy of his resurrection with his mother who stood by him through his suffering and death. Let the delight and the love of this encounter fill your being…simply enjoy this scene.

John 20:1-18 The disciples see the empty tomb; Mary Magdalene recognizes Jesus in the way he says her name.

Luke 24:13-35 The walk to Emmaus.

John 20:19-29 ‘Blessed are they who have not seen and believe.’

John 21:1-14 Jesus serves breakfast at the sea shore.

Ephesians 4:7-16 We are the body of Christ.

Matthew 28:16-20 “I am with you to the end of time.”

“To suffer passes; to have suffered never passes.”

–Unknown “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”

–Mohandas Gandhi

REFLECTIONS CONTINUED “A faith without joy is not entirely genuine. If you are not happier as a result of your faith, there is probably something wrong with it. Faith in God should bring you a deep feeling of happiness and security, no matter what happens on the surface of your life.”

-Twenty-Four Hours a Day, entry for September 22

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“What you are speaks so loud to me that I cannot hear what you are saying.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

–Siddhartha Gautama

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What gives me my greatest happiness, my greatest joy?

What was the meeting like between the Risen Jesus and his mother Mary? What did they talk about? How did Mary recognize her son?…what does he look like?

RESPONSE Make an attempt to share deeply in another person’s joy, simply because they are happy and not because of what it brings to you.

What one thing can I do for an individual this week to bring a moment of joy into her/his life…and do it anonymously?

POSTSCRIPT Where have you seen God? God is constantly present to us and with us. We do not always recognize this presence. When we make the effort to look for God in our daily activities and situations, we become more aware of the reality we are not walking alone; God not only accompanies us but also gives us support, encouragement and strength.

This may be a good time to reflect on your experience of the Spiritual Exercises since the beginning of the semester. The following guide may also be used as another approach to the Examen prayer, in Sessions #1 and #5, if you find it helpful.

Who has brought God’s love to you? (What is done for us by ‘the least’ of God’s creatures is done for us by God. It is God’s love that promotes their kindness to us and ours to them.)

Which stories have shown you what God is like? (We may find God in the stories of patience in response to suffering, courage to stand up for justice, or hope and vision to make changes and inspire others to reach out beyond themselves.)

In what ways has God challenged you to change in some way? (If we listen with humility, we will hear God’s words of encouragement and forgiveness and learn from God how to respond, perhaps by changing attitudes toward ourselves or others.)

What has God taught you about himself through one of his creatures? (All creation is a living description of the Creator.)

What has gone wrong for you, and has it shown you anything of God’s ways of working in your life? (Often we learn most from our mistakes. The things that go wrong sometimes have the effect of pulling away false certainty that makes us rely on ourselves rather than on God.) –Adapted from Margaret Silf

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Journal Reflections‌

Lord, Jesus Christ, help me to discover you as a living person, who focuses and unifies all my desires and gives meaning to my life, through the total gift of myself to you and the going out of myself that this gift demands.

Give me the grace to labor with you without seeking myself – to live the Kingdom in its full reality.

(Marian Cowan, C.S.J. & John Carroll Futrell, S.J. : Companions in Grace, page 99.)

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Session 12 “THE CONTEMPLATION” WHAT DO I SEEK? “I beg for the gift of an interior knowledge of all the goods which God lovingly shares with me. Filled with profound gratitude, I want to be empowered to respond just as totally in my love and service.” (S.E. #233)

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES Contemplation on the Love of God (S.E. #231-237) (Note: The complete text of the Spiritual Exercises is included here.)

Preliminary note: Two observations should be made: 1. Love ought to show itself in deeds over and above words; 2. Love consists in a mutual sharing of goods. (For example: as a lover one gives and shares with the beloved something of one’s own personal gifts or some possession which one has or is able to give; so, too, the beloved shares in a similar way with the lover. In this way, one who has knowledge shares it with the one who does not, and this is true for honors, riches, and so on. In love, one always wants to give to the other.)

At this time, I may find it helpful as I enter into this prayer period to imagine myself standing before God and all the saints who are praying for me.

There are four different focal points which provide the matter for my prayer:

1. God’s gifts to me. I bring to mind the gifts received…of creation, redemption, and particular gifts, pondering with much feeling how much God has done for me and now much he has given me of what he has.

All my natural abilities and gifts and the special graces lavished upon me are only so many signs of how much God our Lord shares divine life with me and wants to share ever more.

If I were to respond as a reasonable person, what could I give in return to such a lover? Moved by love, I may want to express my own love-response in the following words: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will—all that I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.

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A Hindu prayer of self-giving is included here as another possible response: I have been wandering about this world from time without beginning, doing what does not please You, my God. From this day forward, I must do what pleases You, and I must cease what displeases You. But my hands are empty, I cannot attain You, my God; I see that You alone are the means. You must be my means!

Hereafter, in the removal of what is not desirable or in the attainment of what is desirable—could anything be a burden to me?

–Sri Nadadur Ammal

2. I reflect on how God dwells in creatures, in the elements, giving them being; in plants and in animals. I reflect on how God dwells in men and in women, giving them to understand; and in me, giving me being, animating me, giving me sensation and making me to understand. I am created in the likeness and image of God. If I were to make only a reasonable response, what could I do? Moved by love, I may find that I can respond best in words like: “Take, Lord, and receive…”

3. I consider how God works and labors for me in all things created on the face of the earth, giving them being, preserving them, etc.

Then I reflect on myself and respond with the words: “Take, Lord, and receive….”

4. I look at how all good things and gifts descend from above…as from the sun descend the rays, from the fountainhead the waters, God pours forth a sharing in divine life in all gifts showered upon me.

God cannot do enough to speak out and show love for me—ever calling and inviting me to a fuller and better life, a sharing in divine life.

How can I respond to such a generous giver? Let me once again consider the expression of: “Take, Lord, and receive….”

SCRIPTURE 1 John 4:6-21 Love one another for God is love.

Ephesians 1:17-23 May you know the hope to which you have been called.

Ephesians 3:9-21 May you be filled with the fullness of God. Revelation 21:1-7 The new heaven and the new earth.

REFLECTIONS “Earth’s crammed with heaven And every common bush afire with God But only he who sees takes off his shoes The rest sit ‘round it and pluck blackberries.”

–Elizabeth B. Browning “However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?”

–Siddhartha Gautama

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Lakota Prayer Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery, teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit.

Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my Sacred Space and love beyond my fear, and thus Walk in Balance with the passing of each glorious Sun. [According to the Native People, the Sacred Space is the space between exhalation and inhalation.

To Walk in Balance is to have Heaven (spirituality) and Earth (physicality) in Harmony.]

QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL TO CONSIDER Have I had any experiences of God’s creative power and presence in my life? How do I participate in the ongoing creative process of God? Do I try to see beyond the gifts that surround me to recognize the Giver of the gifts?

RESPONSE For five minutes each day this week I will reflect on a specific person or an element of creation and remind myself to see how God is present there and respond with gratitude.

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POSTSCRIPT This final meditation of the Spiritual Exercises can serve as a way for you to review the entire experience of the Exercises. It summarizes the entire retreat. Remember you are involved in an ongoing love relationship with God. Ignatius calls your attention to the aspects of love in the ‘Preliminary Note”: there is a union of love and action. Love expresses itself in action. And second, there is a union of intercommunion and mutuality between persons in love. Love seeks to share itself with the beloved.

The first point, God’s gift to me, recalls the first week of the Exercises (Sessions #1-5).

Review these sessions and your journal reflections, ponder with affection all that you experienced during that time, including –perhaps- your desire to give yourself to God. Then respond, if you are moved to do so, with the words of the prayer Ignatius offers: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will – all that I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.

(In this prayer, recognition gives way to love, then love finds expression in surrender and action.)

The second point recalls the second week (Sessions #6, 7, 8).

God not only gives but also lives within the gifts. Reflect on how God dwells in you, giving you the Divine Presence and in the same way in other creatures. You reflected on how God became one with creation, entering fully into creation as a human being. If God gives of Godself so totally and unreservedly to you, what is your filling response? Again, if you have the desire to respond in the words of Ignatius, do so.

“Take, Lord, and receive…”

The third point recalls the third week (Sessions #9 & 10).

As you review your notes for these sessions, recall how God works and labors for you in all creatures. Not only does God continue to provide for you through creation but God is mediated to you through all that is. Recall how you considered the last days of Christ and the invitation for you to participate in the ongoing work of redemption. Let that desire now deepen within you and express itself in the words of Ignatius: “Take, Lord, and receive…”

The fourth point calls attention to the final week (Session #11).

During those days you had the opportunity to reflect on Christ the risen Lord in his role of consoler, promising to fill us with the Spirit. Now can you see God as the source of all that is within you? Can you appreciate that all that is good in you is a participation in God’s goodness; your truth is a participation in God’s truth; your justice, in God’s justice; your beauty in God’s beauty; etc. Just as a drop of water is a part of the waterfall, just as a ray of sunlight is a little bit of the sun, so your limited power comes from the supreme and infinite power above. Since God gives the Divine Majesty so completely as to draw you to participate in the very being of divinity, let God draw you now to express your desire in the words of Ignatius: “Take, Lord, and receive….”

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Journal Reflections…

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Session 13 FINAL MEETING “God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns…. We must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.”

–Philippians 1:6,3:16.

WHAT DO I SEEK? I ask God for this gift: To be able to enter into the joy and the consoling mission of Jesus in his risen life today and every tomorrow I walk on this earth.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES “As I allow the Scripture passage to present me with the setting of prayer, I know that certain elements provide me with a focus. I should be sure to let these focal points direct my attention during the prayer period so that the general good feeling of this week with its possible distractions or scattering of attention does not mitigate my response to God.” (S.E. #228)

SCRIPTURE Luke 24:36-50, Mark 16:14-20 The Risen Jesus leaves a mission before he departs.

Acts 2:1-21 The early followers become a community.

Acts 4:32-35 Lifestyle of the community of believers.

Ephesians 4:1-16 Through a variety of individual gifts the community of believers is unified.

1 Corinthians 12 The community is one body consisting of many different members.

1 Corinthians 13 Love defined as a way of living.

REFLECTIONS “Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi once advised, ‘We must become the change we want to see in the world.’ Perhaps if we were each to expand forgiveness, gratitude, and love in our own lives, the collective influence of our healthy, loving relationships would reverberate across our generations and into the future……If I can become the change I wish to see, my friends and family may take notice and respond in kind. And maybe, by earnestly practicing forgiveness, gratitude, and love now, I’ll be adept before it’s time to say my last good-bye.”

–Ira Byock, M.D.

REFLECTIONS CONTINUED “Nothing is more practical than finding God; that is, nothing is more practical than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and love will decide everything.

–Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

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QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE HELPUL TO CONSIDER What’s my reaction to the ‘lifestyle’ of the early community of believers? Do I have a desire to imitate it in some way?

How does the Risen Christ continue to live on in the believers? Is this still true today? Are there any signs that reinforce this?

What can I do to continue this journey with God -- this personal relationship -- that has been developing?

RESPONSE What one –practical and specific– resolution will I make to live out this experience on a daily basis? Do I want to do this?

Suggestion: To focus the day, begin each morning with a brief prayer: “May all that I am today, all that I try to do today, may all my encounters, reflections, even the frustrations and failings, all place my life in your hands. Lord, my life is in your hands. Please, let this day give you praise.”

–Andy Alexander, S.J., Maureen McCann Waldron, Larry Gillick, S.J. Note for this particular session: To prepare for the final session, go back to Session #2 and prayerfully review the entire program.

Look over your personal notes (your journal).

Thank God for the insights and experiences you have had.

What are some high points?

Is there one specific action you plan to incorporate into your daily life as a result of this experience?

Some low points?

What comments/observations would you like to share with the group?

POSTSCRIPT We live our daylight lives, busy or bored, active or incapacitated, in a world of visibility. In prayer we move into a still, silent, and dark place. Prayer, I am convinced, releases a fragrance within us, though we never realize it, which in turn has the power to attract others to its source in God. When I come home from work and greet my cat, I know exactly where he has been by the scent of his fur. I know at once whether he has spent the day in the newly fertilized field or in the pile of freshly laundered clothes. He takes on the scent of wherever he has spent his time, and he carries that scent with him around the house. I think we do the same but in less obvious ways. We take on the scent of whatever we choose to be close to. If our hearts live mainly with what is negative, self-focused, or destructive, this will infuse us with the smell of such things. But every minute we spend in prayer, consciously close to God, will soak us in God’s fragrance. We will never know that this has happened, but others will! They will catch the scent of God on our lives and be attracted to it.

Faith, perhaps, is this: a joy caught from closeness to God and carried into a hurting world. We catch this joy in prayer, whatever form prayer takes, and we carry it, unaware, to others.

–Margaret Silf I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.

–Mohandas Gandhi

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Journal Reflections…

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TWO FINAL THOUGHTS… “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to so the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

–Marianne Williamson

PATIENT TRUST Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability –

And that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually – let them grow,

Let them take shape themselves, without due haste.

Don’t force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say grace and circumstances

Acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,

And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

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WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? Now that you have had this general exposure to the Spiritual Exercises, you may feel the desire to continue this experience of Ignatian spirituality and weave it more deeply into your professional and personal life. You may desire to continue to grow in your unique relationship with God. There are two programs available here at Xavier that may support and assist you in this.

Spiritual Direction/Reflective Conversation This is an opportunity to meet with a companion/guide on a regular basis (usually monthly) for a one-onone private conversation that focuses on your life experience and your prayer. These conversations provide the opportunity to reflect on, discuss, and deepen your personal relationship with God by sharing your experiences with another person who walks with you in companionship. Very simply put, it’s a conversation about what happens to you when you are conscious of God in your life. It is as simple and as profound as that.

This is a flexible program. The time, length, and frequency of the meetings are easily adapted to your busy schedule.

The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life This program builds upon and expands the experience you just completed. It’s an opportunity to journey through the entire Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius over the course of the academic year. During a regular meeting -weekly or biweekly- with your companion/guide, you share your daily prayer experiences and receive guidance and suggestions for the next step of the journey.

Both of these programs are available through the Center for Mission & Identity.

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ON THIS DAY Mend a quarrel.

Search out a forgotten friend.

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.

Write a loving letter.

Share some treasure.

Give a soft answer.

Encourage a youth.

Manifest your loyalty in word or in deed.

Keep a promise.

Find the time.

Forgo a grudge.

Forgive an enemy.

Listen.

Apologize if you were wrong.

Try to understand.

Flout envy.

Examine your demands on others.

Think first of someone else.

Appreciate, be kind, be gentle.

Laugh a little more.

Deserve confidence.

Take up arms against malice.

Decry complacency.

Express your gratitude.

Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child.

Take pleasure in the beauty And the wonder of the earth.

Speak your love.

Speak it again.

Speak it still again.

Speak it still once again.

Prayers for Today, p. 79 The Cardinal Cooke Guild

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Authors Quoted Session 2 –Anthony de Mello, S. J. (1931-1987) –Maureen McCann Waldron (19- ), Charged With Grandeur, page 88 –Michael Card (1957- ), Chorus of Faith –“Celebration” October 1993 –Sue Patton Thoele (1940- ), The Woman’s Book of Soul, page 34 –Thomas Merton, OCSO (1915-1968) –William A. Barry, S.J. (1930- ), Finding God In All Things, page 14 –William A. Barry, S.J. (1930- ), Praying The Truth, pages 1-9

Session 3 –Meister Eckhart (1260?-?1327), German theologian & philosopher –Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. (1881-1955) –Anne Frank (1929-1945) –Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) –Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) –Thomas Merton, OCSO (1915-1968), Dialogues With Silence, p. 13 –Ute [Native American] Prayer –Kevin O’Brien, S.J. (1966- ), An Ignatian Adventure, page 55-56

Session 4 –Donald Merrifield, S.J. (1928-2010), former president of Loyola Marymount University –Rumi (1207-1273) –Siddhartha Gautama, (c563-c483 BCE), founder of Buddhism –Elizabeth Johnson (1941- ), theologian –Thomas Merton, OCSO (1915-1968) –Timothy P. Muldoon (19- ) –John Haughey, (19- ), Housing Heaven’s Fire: The Challenge of Holiness –Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J. (1930- ), Choosing Christ In The World –David L. Fleming, S.J. (1934- ), Lessons From Ignatius Loyola, pages 19-21

Session 5 –Eleanor Powell (1912-1982) –Siddhartha Gautama (c563-c483 BCE), founder of Buddhism –William A. Barry, S.J. (1930- ), Here’s My Heart, Here’s My Hand, p. 171

Session 6 –Vinita Hampton Wright (19- ), Charged With Grandeur, p. 84 –Mark E. Thibodeaux, S.J. (1970- ), God’s Voice Within, p. 140 –Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) –Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J. (1930- ), Choosing Christ in the World, page 51 –David Fleming, SJ (1934- ), Lessons from Ignatius Loyola, p.16

Session 7 –Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) –St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J. (1533-1617) –Rev. Peter J. Gomes (1942-2011) –Siddhartha Gautama (c563-c483 BCE) founder of Buddhism

Session 8 –Margaret Silf (1945- ), Close To The Heart, page 196 –Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)

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–John Baldovin, S.J. (1947- ), Bread of Life, Cup of Salvation, p. 7 –St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein 1891-1942) –Anne Frank (1929-1945) –Alexian Brothers –Kevin O’Brien, S.J. (1966- ), The Ignatian Adventure, p. 147 and p. 11 –Nathan D. Mitchell, Worship Magazine, Vol. 84 No. 6, p 550 –Rabbi Harold Kushner (1935- ) –Alfred Delp, S.J. (1907-1945) –Marie-Eloise Rosenblatt (19- ), “Women and the Exercises: Sin, Standards and New Testament Texts”

Session 9 –Kevin O’Brien, S.J. (1966- ), The Ignatian Adventure, p. 213 –Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), Nobel Prize Speech –“Paschal Mission” Archdiocese Of Chicago –Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) –Margaret Silf (1945- ), Close To The Heart, pages 27-28 –Mitch Albom (1958- ), Tuesdays With Morrie, page 82 –Margaret Silf (1945- ), Close To The Heart, pages 27-28

Session 10 –Place Me With Your Son (Edition 1), p. 82 –Elie Wiesel (1928- ) –Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991) –Victor Hugo (1802-1885) –Dorothee Söelle (1929-2003) –The Little Black Book, 2012 edition –Kevin O’Brien, S.J. (1966- ), The Ignatian Adventure, p. 227 –M. Scott Peck (1936-2005), The Road Less Traveled

Session 11 –Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) –Twenty-Four Hours a Day, entry for September 22 –Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) –Siddhartha Gautama (c563-c483 BCE) founder of Buddhism –Adapted from Margaret Silf (1945- ), Close To The Heart, pages 117-118

Session 12 –Sri Nadadur Ammal (1165-1275) –Elizabeth B. Browning (1806-1861) –Siddhartha Gautama (c563-c483 BCE) founder of Buddhism –Lakota [Native American] Prayer

Session 13 –Ira Byock, M.D. (19- ), The Four Things That Matter, page 216 –Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991) –Andy Alexander, S.J., Maureen McCann Waldron, Larry Gillick, S.J. Retreat in the Real World, p. 301 –Margaret Silf (1945- ), Close To The Heart, page 230 –Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)

Final Thoughts –Marianne Williamson (1952- ), A Return To Love –Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) –The Cardinal Cooke Guild, Prayers for Today, p. 79

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