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A journey with the spiritual exercises. Meeting with St. Ignatius . Guidebook leading to a destination To the heart of God Which fills the hearts of all people Leads our own life narrative into the story of the life of Jesus Christ Both become more vivid and interconnected.
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A journey with the spiritual exercises Meeting with St. Ignatius
Guidebook leading to a destination • To the heart of God • Which fills the hearts of all people • Leads our own life narrative into the story of the life of Jesus Christ • Both become more vivid and interconnected Spiritual exercises
Increase awareness • How God guided me in the past • How God labors in my life in the present • How God calls me in the future • Awareness is gained as the Exercises help free me of the interior clutter that gets in the way Spiritual exercises
Demands much from us • Intellectually • Emotionally • Memory • Will • Two forms of praying • Meditation • Contemplation Spiritual exercises
Use intellect to wrestle with basic principles that guide our lives Think through scenarios Wrestle with concepts Challenge past assumptions Meditation
Combines feeling and thinking Stirs emotions and inspires deep, God-given desires Use our imaginations to place ourselves in gospel events contemplation
Not a book for reading – a guidebook for a director to lead one through a retreat Four weeks – four movements that Spirit leads one through Spiritual exercises
Twentieth annotation – Exercises over a 30-day retreat Nineteenth annotation – Exercises over an extended period of time (once a week) Eighteenth annotation – Parts of exercises on a weekend retreat, weeklong retreat, or day of prayer Forms of exercises
Begin slowly and gently (like marathon) Consider God’s gift of creation Pray for spirit of awe and gratitude Hope for deeply felt sense of God’s unconditional love Preparation
Face our own limited response • Let God reveal our sinfulness and need for conversion • Do so with understanding • of God’s deep love • that God wants to free us from hurdles to loving God, others, and ourselves • Gaze becomes fixed on God’s mercy First week
Desire to love and serve God and others more Pray through life of Jesus as presented in the gospels Learn to appreciate Jesus’ values and vision of this world Manifests in desire to follow with action in this world Second week
Deepening personal identification with Jesus • Want to join him in his suffering and his death • Spend time contemplating the Lord’s passion • Recognize it is consummate expression of God’s faithfulness and love for us Third week
Walk with risen Lord in the joy of the resurrected life Learn from him as he consoles others Pray for a generous heart to find God in all things Pray to love and serve God and others in concrete ways and with great enthusiasm (contemplation to attain divine love) Fourth week
Major aspect of exercises • Notice interior movements of the heart • Where are they coming from? • Where are they leading us? • Purpose is to act in a way that leads us to greater faith, hope, and love • Can help with decisions, but primarily a way of being discernment
Not a linear process God deals with each of us in a unique manner Important to work with a trusted spiritual director Not for the faint of heart – Exercises demand much from us! Conclusion