Welcome to An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. God continues to save us in the details of our lives today, in the beauty and messiness of our world. A colloquy is an intimate conversation in prayer. The idea is to gain a deep heartfelt connection with Jesus and his work. She does make a timely decision (acknowledging that we rarely reach complete indifference). Lunchtime Examen I pray for the following grace: to know Jesus more intimately, to love him more intensely, and to follow him more closely. Kevin OBrien, SJ, on Accompanying Jesus in His Passion and Death. Pray the first half of the Passion, Mark 14:12-72. How does the God who is Love respond to us, Gods children, who are lost, aimless, suffering, sinning, confused, and hurting? The retreat begins the week of Ash Wednesday and continues through Holy Week and the first week of . We know where our God is during suffering. Who are the crucified peoples of our world today? This is natural. Salvation does not take place apart from the world, as if God were throwing a lifeline down from heaven and pulling us up. We are not reconstructing history. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation. Through this remembering, lingering, and reliving process, we open ourselves to Godwe allow God to move within us, to touch our hearts again so that our own experiences of God ripple deep within us and can continue to make a difference in our lives. I pray for the following graces: wonder at Gods ongoing creation; gratitude for the gift of God creating me and creating the world. We must take Jesus humanity seriously enough to realize just how much he loves us. Read Mark 10:17-31 (Jesus calls the rich man to follow him). Ask yourself: What am I thankful for? Lo Your sadness my joy, (SE 66-71), Contemporary translation by David L. Fleming, SJ. Instead, savor whatever gifts God shows you. Look over these materials before you formally begin your prayer periodeither the evening or morning before. With the exception of some radishes, lettuce, and perennial. They create chaos in our souls and lead us to make poor choices. Now we do a reality check. An Imagination Encounter with Jesus, Return to home page for An Ignatian Prayer Adventure, Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting 31 Days with St. Ignatius, a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. and make me feel beside myself in surprise. They may be painful or pleasingfor example, joy, peace, sadness, anxiety, confusion, hope, compassion, regret, anger, confidence, jealousy, self-doubt, boredom, or excitement. We experience various dyings, losses of different kinds, and we must mourn them: the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the change of a career or living situation, a physical infirmity or limitation. If its helpful, look at your schedule for tomorrow. We are reminded of the prophet Elijah who, standing on a mountaintop, found God not in a mighty wind, or in an earthquake, or in fire, but in a sound of sheer silence (1 Kings 19:11-13). Only when we are really free can we hear Gods call. God wants to be there with you, in the most dramatic and mundane moments of your life. This is an adapted version of the Spiritual Exercises based on the longer retreat in The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O'Brien, SJ. Jesus establishes the New Covenant. We need to walk with God, who became one with us. God does not punish us for our sins; instead, we suffer the natural consequences that flow from our sinful choices and the sinful choices of others. David's Sin. angels and powers and martyrs and saints. In the third step of the Examen we look at our feelings. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Loyola Press is expressly prohibited. 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. Ignatius leaves room to adapt the retreat to meet you where you are, emotionally and spiritually, during the retreat. Note the repeated use of two phrases, the more (or greater) and with me. Christ summons the best from us, calling us to the magis, to greater service and generosity. We begin by contemplating the call of a worldly leader, which then leads us to consider the call of Christ, our King. End your time of prayer as Ignatius advises: Conclude with a colloquy of mercyconversing with God our Lord and thanking him for granting me life until now, and proposing, with his grace, amendment for the future. Ask: What invisible crosses do people bear? Ponder his words. Our task, therefore, is to follow the prompting of the Spirit, who has been poured out in our hearts, to follow the way of Jesus, the way of peace, of love, of the cross. It is a stance of openness to God: we look for God in any person, any situation, and any moment. We now consider the standard of Christ, who stands in stark contrast to Lucifer. If its helpful and not distracting, light incense or play soft, meditative music. Ignatius does not include the prayer in the original text of his Exercises, but he does refer to it several times. For now, we just want to be open enough to hear the call and to get excited about Christs engaging vision for us and the world. In addition to the calendar of Ignatian, Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting31 Days with St. Ignatius,a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. Dont feel that you must mechanically go through the day hour by hour or make a list of all the days gifts. Your embarrassment my honor, This week uses a technique of Ignatian prayer called imaginative contemplation. We begin this meditation by imagining the setting of our choice between the two standards. Salvation comes about through suffering and death. (SE 141), Consider the address he makes to them: How he admonishes them to set up snares and chains; how first they should tempt people to covet riches (as he usually does, at least in most cases), so that they may more easily come to vain honor from the world, and finally to surging pride. that You might call me to follow you and stand with You. I give thanks to Jesus that he has not allowed me to fall into any of these groups, thus ending my life. How does God see me? The one who procrastinates. Shipping and handling are extra. Read Luke 5:1-11 (call of the disciples by the shore). Review your journal notes. Notice how subtle evil can be and how alluring the temptation to avoid responsibility. Sin: The Individual Portrait It's much more "content heavy" than some . Rejoicing in the good news of Jesus birth, the shepherds become Jesus first disciples. We encounter the risen Lord as he consoles his friends and disciples, who were once scared, confused, and despairing. So he does lots of good things and makes honorable sacrifices, but he fails to do the one thing that he really needs to do: free himself from his disordered attachment. We're moving into the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises and begin by contemplating the Incarnation and the birth of Jesus. We will have a deepened sense of the sacredness of all things if we think of everything as continually being called and sustained in being by God. In doing so, we experience some tension between the high ideals of Christs call and our lack of interior freedom and deeply embedded resistances to Christs invitation to us personally. Help My Hurting Heart We get lost in the mystery of the Incarnation. Most broadly, the First Week focuses on our experience of sinpersonally, communally, and globally. The more we, who are created in the image of God, embrace our humanity, with all of its beauty and limitations, the more our divinity is revealedthat is, the more like God we become. We naturally want to reorder our values and make tangible changes. We will reflect on Jesus public ministry later in this prayer adventure. Ignatius believed that God communicates with us not only through mental insight but also through our interior movements, as he called them: our feelings, emotions, desires, attractions, repulsions, and moods. The second person sincerely desires to be free of that excessive preoccupation; at the same time, he wants to keep the possession. Ignatius gave the church the Spiritual Exercises as a testament to God's gentle, persistent laboring in his life. However, the point is not to become absorbed in our own hardships but to embrace them as a source of compassion for the suffering of others. Sin is an inescapable reality of the human condition; we abuse the freedom God gives us and make choices that hurt God, others, and ourselves. This is the third phase of the Spiritual Exercisesthe Third Week. Get to know Jesus in the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises. Third, offer the petitions here directly to God the Father. This is the essence of original sin. We do this not out of duty or obligation, but out of love for Someone greater than ourselves. Holy desires are at the core of the first key meditation of the Exercises, the Principle and Foundation. Or perhaps we are present to Jesus without words. Week 6: The Public Ministry of Jesus Week 7: The Suffering Jesus Week 8: God's Love and Our Response Purchase The Ignatian Adventure for the special price of $10 by using the code 4559. God is always trying to overcome separation. In this way, God makes divine love imminently available to all people. And God is interested in your real feelings, not the feelings you think you should have. Jesus is not merely playacting his way through a passion play. Spend time with them in Egypt, and join them on their return to Nazareth. Listen not only to the call but also to the One who calls. Return to home page for An Ignatian Prayer Adventure, Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting 31 Days with St. Ignatius, a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. Jesus empowers us to embrace our humanity in all of its beautiful complexity. The grace we seek this week is compassion. Welcome to An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. Accompany the Holy Family as Jesus is named and then presented in the temple. https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/an-ignatian-prayer-adventure, Three Goals to Realize Pedro Arrupes Vision, http://www.loyolapress.com/authors/vinita-hampton-wright, Nine Ways to Fill Your Cup When Youre Running on Empty, Engaging the Senses Through Your Imagination, Ignatian Tools for the Modern World: A Webinar with Ignatian Friends. An Ignatian Prayer Adventure: Week 3: Something's Broken An Ignatian Prayer Adventure: Week 3 This week, we begin what Ignatius calls the First Week of his Exercises. https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/an-ignatian-prayer-adventure. We have reflected on the original sin of Adam and Eve. Many later editions of the Exercises include this prayer at the beginning. God is more interested in what you feel than in what you think. The Savior is a poor man in a provincial, backwater land. As you marvel at the child Jesus, what hopes spring in your heart? Imagine God asking you, What do you want me to do for you?. This work is nothing other than a giving of the divine Self in love. 1 At the turn of the year, * the time when kings go to war, David sent out Joab along with his officers and all Israel, and they laid waste the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. With the exception of some radishes, lettuce, and perennial. Notice the rich mans noble desires but also his lack of interior freedom because of his excessive attachments. Jesus Christ, may your death be my life These things are good in themselves when ordered and directed by the love of God. The truly free person checks her motivations, which are often mixed. I pray for the following graces: a deeply felt knowledge of Gods dream for the world; awe and wonder at the mystery of the Incarnation. With the call of Christ come the demands of discipleship. The Examen begins by opening your heart to God. The Shepherd Girls Experience by Elizabeth M. Kelly. Read Luke 2:41-50. This week we follow Jesus in his public ministry. Rejoice and seek forgiveness. The timing is great for the Advent and Christmas Seasons. We dont get very far just by counting our sins and trying to overcome them by sheer force of will. What do you learn about sin and its effects in this age-old story? I pray for the following grace: a healthy sense of shame and confusion before God as I consider the effects of sin in my life, my community, and my world. Loyola Press invites you to join an online Lenten retreat called An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. Consider: Who is God for me? He recommends that they endeavor to aid all persons, by attracting them, first, to the most perfect spiritual poverty and also, if the Divine Majesty should be served and should wish to choose them for it, even to no less a degree of actual poverty; and second, by attracting them to a desire of reproaches and contempt, since from these results humility. The Two Standards by Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ. Prayer for Generosity. The kingdom of God is not a place but a way of living and being. a 2 One evening David rose from his bed and strolled about on the roof of the king's house. We speak words of sorrow, confusion, compassion, regret, fear, anticipationwhatever moves us. Did they lead to the breakdown of relationships? Ask: What attachments or disordered loves are getting in the way of my responding to Christs invitation? I pray for the following graces: deepening awareness and sorrow for my sins and a heartfelt experience of Gods merciful love for me. Pray for the Grace. What words do you want to speak to God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? We always need to pray for more spiritual freedom; we cannot become free on our own. Continue to be aware of the areas in your life in which you experience greater freedom and in which some disordered loves linger. He is seated on a throne of fire and smoke, in aspect horrible and terrifying. Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting 31 Days with St. Ignatius, a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. We allow memories, emotions, desires, and longings to be stirred as God wishes. For no other reason than generosity and the desire to share their happiness, they decide to adopt children as their own. In addition to thecalendar of Ignatian articles found here,, We cannot choose correctly all the time. Hence, whoever wishes to come with me has to be content with the same food I eat, and the drink, and the clothing which I wear, and so forth. Read Matthew 26:57-75 (night session of the Sanhedrin; Peters denials). For me to be a saint means to be myself. In Ignatian vocabulary, this term does not mean an unfeeling lack of concern. Ask God to give you the grace you needfor example, courage, confidence, wisdom, patience, determination, or peace. Use as much or as little of the material as helps you in your Ignatian adventure. Although the enemy is repulsive, harsh, and seeks only to deceive and enslave people, Christ is inviting, gentle, and desires only to liberate people to love God and serve others. to labor full of hope for the Reign of God. Allow Gods Spirit to inspire holy desires in you. God is always trying to get our attention in ways both obvious and subtle. Copyright 2009-2023 Loyola Press. Distractions in Prayer I pray for the following grace: to grow in interior freedom so that Im able to respond wholeheartedly to Christs invitation in my life. The beatitudes express the standard of Christ. Choose to commit to a regular period of prayer each day, or start with only one day a week. In this way, the first step is riches, the second is honor, and the third is pride; and from these three steps the enemy entices them to all the other vices. Imagine that each acquires something that is very attractive to him or her. Rejoice in those times that you were brought closer to God, and ask forgiveness for those times today when you resisted Gods presence in your life. Use your imagination as you reflect on this parable. Fridays Reflection: You Are Loved, Return to home page for An Ignatian Prayer Adventure, Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting 31 Days with St. Ignatius, a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality. We can continue to let an experience of God bear fruit within us by going back to it and lingering over it. To do this, we must take time to reflect on our experience, to look at the data of a day and discern their meaning. To gloss over Jesus humanity is to miss one of the central meanings of the Incarnation: Jesus shows us that the way to our divinity (or holiness) is through our humanity, not around it. You should formally bring your prayer to a close. Pray the psalm slowly in a spirit of confidence. The Ignatian Adventure -page 124-125. Spiritual freedom or indifference is a gift from God; we cant make it happen. In short, the Ignatian Exercises are a historic journey of "four weeks" (broken down into smaller bite-sized pieces to stretch over 8 months in the 19 th edition) that were initially inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola. What do you want? Why God Makes Us Wait, from St. Augustines homily on the first letter of John. Consider: What is God like? Some being born, others dying; some running and playing, others sick and suffering. In addition to the calendar of Ignatian, Editors note: Throughout July, were hosting31 Days with St. Ignatius,a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality.
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