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The Spiritual Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises, Loyola
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Preparation for the Spiritual Exercises
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Your Bible passages for reflection (these are from The New American Bible Revised Edition which I just happen to have on my Kindle):Wisdom 9
Solomon's Prayer
9. Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes
and what is conformable with your commands. +
10. Send her forth from your holy heavens
and from your glorious throne dispatch her
That she may be with me and work with me,
that I may know what is pleasing to you. +
11. For she knows and understands all things,
and will guide me prudently in my affairs
and safeguard me by her.
John 7
Rivers of Living Water
37. On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink . +
38. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:
‘Rivers of living water * will flow from within him
Isaiah 55
An Invitation to Grace
1. All you who are thirsty, *
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, buy grain and eat;
Come, buy grain without money,
wine and milk without cost! +
2 Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what does not satisfy?
Only listen to me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
3. Pay attention and come to me;
listen, that you may have life.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
the steadfast loyalty promised to David. +
4. As I made him a witness to peoples,
a leader and commander of peoples,
5. So shall you summon a nation you knew not,
and a nation * that knew you not shall run to you,
Because of the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.
The Gift of Wisdom: The first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit. It makes the soul responsive to God in the contemplation of divine things. Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves. Built into wisdom is the element of love, which inspires contemplative reflection on these divine mysteries, rejoices dwelling on them, and directs the mind to judge all things according to their principles. (Fr. John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary).
"God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know his holy will, and to do it fully." St. Ignatius of Loyola
Thank you for these passages and thoughts to get us ready to begin the Exercises.Has anyone in this group ever made a 30 day directed Ignatian retreat?
Irene wrote: "Has anyone in this group ever made a 30 day directed Ignatian retreat?"About two years ago I completed a ten-week program on the spiritual exercices, which was lead by a Catholic Priest. There was a group of about twenty of us and we met weekly for about two and a half hours. The Priest lectured for about an hour and a half and then we broke up into two sharing groups. A lay volunteer led each group. Each member in the group would share about one of their daily meditations. Our daily homework was to set aside one hour each day (the priest suggested 63 minutes so as not to be tempted to cut the hour short) to meditate on various passages in the Bible (the passages were given to us). After the hour of meditation was completed, we were to spend 10 to 15 minutes journaling about we heard God say to us and anything else we experienced during our meditation. The most difficult part of the exercises is remaining faithful to the daily hour of meditation.
I think the type of spiritual exercises that I received would be known as the 19th annotation, which is an adaptation of the exercises. The exercises are completed while going about daily life activities.
Susan Margaret, that sounds like an interesting program. Were you able to really enter into the exercises while still being active in normal life?
Irene, Yes, I felt that I was able to enter into the exercises fully. The most important part of the exercises is the daily hour of meditation. One hour of silence and meditation can be very powerful. I would unplug my land line phone and turn off my cell phone so that I would have no interruptions. I also found that the best time to meditate was around 6am before the days activities cluttered my mind and this also allowed me to carry the peaceful remembrance of my meditation throughout the day. Journaling is very important, I could see where some of my thoughts were repeated and this also showed me where certain areas of my life needed attention.One of the really great things about the program was that the cost was free, with a suggested donation of $40.00 to cover the printed material that we received. It is also suggested that you repeat the course shortly after the first course has been completed to help reinforce your new habits and for better understanding. The courses offered at this church are ongoing and are repeated throughout the year. They also offer a free discernment of spirits seminar. The seminar is available to those who have completed the spiritual exercises. The parish that offers these programs is about 20 miles from where I live and I am very lucky to have been able to participate.
If anyone is interested below is a link to a podcast of Fr. Ed Broom giving the 2nd session on the spiritual exercises. He is the priest that gave me the Spiritual Exercises. I highly recommend listening to his podcast, it is very informative. Father Ed is originally from New York and you can hear it in his accent.http://fredbroom.podomatic.com/entry/...
That has to be an amazing parish. I can't imagine the spiritual energy that must be present in a community that has enough people interested in their spiritual life to be able to offer this program on-going.
Susan Margaret - that sounds like a WONDERFUL experiience. I feel jealous, although I wish I could check in to some quiet monastery as well. :-) Thank you for sharing your experience.
A monastery for a month sounds like a good plan!
St. Ignatius' journey from Loyola to Montserrat and Manresa, both near Barcelona, was a life-changing, personal pilgrimage of over 500 miles!!!Today there is a modern pilgrimage route tracing the route followed by Ignatius at www.caminoignaciano.org or browse "Ignatius Camino."
Ignatius traveled this in one month and always described himself as "the pilgrim" during this experience. He felt so passionately about the experience that he went on to require each Jesuit novitiate to undertake a pilgrimage, another distinguishing characteristic of this order.
Again, most of us can't afford to take a month off to travel across a country, etc. Still, it is recommended that we find time in our lives to walk our own camino, or journey. We can do something much smaller, yet still thought provoking such as walking around the neighborhood in a new way followed by Mass. A quote frequently heard is, "everyone has something to learn on the Camino."
If you start out and find your experience interrupted is all lost? Not at all. Remember, our lives are not experienced according to our plans. Sometimes it is a good reminder that we need to let go somewhere in our life.
Susan Margaret wrote: "If anyone is interested below is a link to a podcast of Fr. Ed Broom giving the 2nd session on the spiritual exercises. He is the priest that gave me the Spiritual Exercises. I highly recommend lis..."I listened to this recording and liked it, his frequent references to authors we even read: Pope Francis, Bishop Sheen, and also quite extensively to John Paul II, and St. Thomas Aquinas. I did not find any other podcasts related to what we are reading on the rather long list on this URL. This one appears to be the only one on “Spiritual Exercises” that we are doing here. You had a good live director. I congratulate a parish that can put up such a program and the congregation that finds the time to participate. All we get here in downstate NY parishes is an annual so called “parish mission” which consists of three evenings during the week from a visiting priest. They are still better than nothing at all but far short of what you described.
Galicius wrote: "I listened to this recording and liked it...."St. Peter Chanel is the name of the parish that offers the exercises and they draw participants from all over the Los Angeles area. When I was taking the classes there was a group of four people who were car pooling from 60 miles away. St. Peter Chanel will occasionally place notices of the exercises in the church bulletins of other parishes. Just last week I saw that they had placed a notice in our bulletin.
I am glad that you listened to his lecture. The link that I posted in my previous post was for the second lecture in the series. I was able to find a podcast for the first lecture in the series and I have posted it below. I also suggest listening to this podcast as it gives a very good introduction into the Spiritual Exercises.
http://fatherbroom.com/blog/2016/08/s...
Thank for this introduction to the program Susan Margaret. After listening to it I had to listen to the previous one again. They do connect and develop into where this exercise is taking us. I see that you went far in the program even to the point of the “Holy Hour” or “Hour of Power”. His ten weeks is probably on account of people having to travel to get to St. Peter’s so the four-week program is simply stretched out on account of commuting. It’s unfortunate that I am three thousand miles away to allow me to participate. Father Broom gives some excellent suggestions about meditation and prayer. Three years ago I decided on my own to try to improve my spiritual life and started spending a full hour first thing in the morning or reading religious-spiritual writings. I haven’t gone beyond the Bible, Catechism, and St. Augustine’s classics before then. I slipped some and there were months where the hour became a half hour but I am getting back to a full hour again and beyond especially with selections that I luckily found through this group for which I am grateful. I realize that these readings are not the same as prayer but frequently they do blend together. A wise man said: “If not now, when?” There is wisdom and urgency in the question.
I go in and out of a similar routine. Last year I was reading the Bible in a year along with the Divine Office and daily mass readings. It was too much to maintain year long. I'm mostly back at it, but this past week was too busy. I hate it when I'm off it though. I find spending time with God every day for 1-2 hours always makes me feel so good. I think, for me, it doesn't always need to be The Bible, but I certainly do agree with making time every day. I do mine in the evening though or mid afternoon. Just not a morning person. :-)
To put ourselves into this time period, consider the fact that Ignatius was born in 1491, the year before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue to discover America! "Inigo", as he was named, was the last of 13 children and spent his childhood in the Basque (Northern) region of Spain living in the family castle of Loyola. The name "Ignatius" was not taken until his 40's when he became a priest.
Ignatius lost his mother early in childhood and his father at age 16. He served in the courts and the Army, and was known for being small, fiesty, and a romantic. His hair was worn down to his shoulders. He was well dressed in youth and said to be a courtier on the field and in the boudoir. :-)
At approximately age 30, he became involved in the Army's border dispute with France over territories in the southern Pyrenees. He defended a small citadel in Pamplona. The citizens begged him to surrender, but he refused talking the magistrate out of surrender as a matter of honor. On May 20, 1521, his left calf was shredded and his right shin broken when a French cannon torn through them. At this point, he agreed as the Army leader, to surrender.
A French physician set his legs and sent him on a 40 mile journey home to Loyola. Can you imagine the pain of that trip home????? Back home, his legs were rebroken, reset (without anesthesia!!!), then hacksawed again after some bone continued to protrude at an angle. Subsequently, his right leg remained shorter than the left (which you will see in his statues). He tried to even them out with weights dangling from his leg to no avail. The fever of his infection nearly killed him. It finally broke, noteably, 6 weeks later on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
During his convalescence he wished to read his favorite subjects (chivalry and military exploits) but only had a 14 volume Life of Christ and books on the Saints at his disposal. As he read, his competitive nature made him wish to mimic and outdo the saints in their fastings, pilgrimages, etc. He began to realize that his fantasies about knights and chivalry left him increasingly empty, spiritually dry and dissatisfied. Yet his thoughts of Christ and the Saints gave him a sense of peace, quiet and joy. He also began to loathe and regret his past sexual transgressions (we aren't told much about this). And so, we begin to see Ignatius moving deeper and deeper into his spirituality. An elder brother began to worry about his brother's unusual behavior, yet later in life would end up writing the Spiritual Exercises for him!
It is Ignatius' contemplations during this time of soul searching for God's will in his life, that the Spiritual Exercises we are about to embark on came into being. They simply represent the method by which he came to understand God's will in his life and were the method shared by him with countless others to assist them in their own spiritual journey.
Today the Spiritual Retreat is usually a 30 day endeavor (4 weeks as I mentioned in the Introduction with an extra week at the end for wrap up). If you were to check into a Jesuit retreat for one of these, you would undertake a vow of silence during this time. Typically, you would be allowed 2 1/2 day visits with friends/family on the 11th, and 21st. The retreats are led by the Jesuits and consist of daily silence, prayer, and meetings with a spiritual director whose role is to care and feed your soul.
When Ignatius began his own Spiritual retreat so very long ago following his cannonball injury, he was in contemplation for 11 months!!!!
For a typical retreat, you begin with 2 days of preparation which is what this thread is meant to simulate, then you move into the first week and become silent. You may still talk during your first two days. This time is meant to get to know the other retreat participants, share in your knowledge of our Saint, and express any fears, doubts, and frustrations.
You ask for approval to come into the retreat and once there, are only allowed two reading materials: The Bible and your own copy of The Spiritual Exercises.
You have all noticed there are many different options for this book. That's because there have been 450 translations in over 480 years!!!! Several have offered up some other options for reading to enhance your experience. You may also wish to look for Ron Hansen's essay on Loyola's life. And, you may want to start a personal journal to remember your private thoughts although you are heartily encouraged to share what you feel comfortable sharing!
For a typical retreat, you meet each morning for 45 minutes with your Spiritual Director. Each day you are provided with 2 short Bible passages to meditate on several times a day. I will attempt to do this for you.
For your Preparation, please consider reading the following:
Wisdom 9:9-11
John 7:37-38
Isiah 55:1-5
Feel free to express your thoughts on our daily passages.
The Bible passages are meant to speak deeply to you while you are in prayerful reflection. It is meant to be a dynamic experience. Obviously, we are each not going to be checking into a lovely, peaceful retreat and getting away from our workday, family or personal cares and concerns.
Do the best you can. You can always save this for later and do this at another point in time.
Meanwhile, try to become more spiritually aware as you move about your everyday life. Try to become more aware of the rhythms of life. Is there a rhythm to your daily life - the work, the patterns of sleep, etc. Try to see where God is in your life. Did something stand out to you today that felt like an answer to a question you've had? Has a prayer been answered? In short, become more attentive to yourself and your surroundings.
As we consider these Bible passages, pray that God will bestow His wisdom on us that we might know His Will. When we orient ourselves to God, we find all of our needs met. Truly God has provided everything we need. Can I/you let go enough to let God in? Can I/you turn everything over to Him?
Consider the experience of Christ speaking to his followers that he is the Living Water just before the Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, at the end of September/beginning of October after the harvest. Everyone was headed to Jerusalem and so was Jesus, yet the Pharisees wanted Jesus silenced. Christ tells the others to go ahead, but then goes alone despite the personal danger and later preaches again warning that time is running out. On the last day, there was a customary prayer for rain for the Fall crops during which water was moved from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple in rememberance of Moses hitting the rock in the desert which produced life-saving water for the Israelites. Consider this as you reflect on our three passages.
Ignatius left his castle in the Spring of 1522 after healing (about 30 years of age) as a changed man. He was doing long penances for atonement of past sins and headed to the monastery of Our Lady of Montserrat where he spent 3 days examining his sins in detail followed by a heartfelt confession. He gave away his fine clothes to the poor and began to wear a rough sack cloth. On the Eve of the Feast of the Annunciation (March 24) he placed a sword and dagger before the altar of the Madonna (as a chivalrous knight) and spent the night in prayer before the statue. The following morning he left without knowing exactly where God would take him.
The Jesuit method of contemplation has become rather popular and this is not entirely unexpected as this order tends to honor the need to follow a restless spirit. Answers are sought, then followed by sudden changes. Exploring happens, often, and there are no set hours of prayer, no chants required or ritual prayers linked to times of day. It fits well with our modern society. Jesuits are ready to go when needed, ASAP! This was best exemplified by Francis Xavier, Matteo Ricci, Isaac Jogues, and Jean de Bucheuf who spread God's word around the world to many cultures in many strange lands.
Ignatius headed to Barcelona intending to go to the Holy Land, but was blocked by hostile Muslim Turks. He returned to Manresa where he lived in a cave and sometimes a monastery cell. He prayed, fasted, and contemplated, but was unhappy. He lived dirty, in poor clothes, and contemplated suicide. He fasted to gain a sense of peace but was intervened upon by his Confessor. Finally, Ignatius felt a sense of peace. He made notes during his spiritual trials and shared these over the next 25 years as he directed hundreds of retreats, advised hundreds and became a model of prudence.
Ignatius specifically wanted to bring lapsed Christians back to God. In the beginning of 1523, he left Barcelona for Jerusalem with nothing. He became quite ill, was robbed and beaten for having nothing worth stealing. Of note, this previous Army leader, did not respond with violence, but instead, turned the other cheek, displaying the virtue of patience.
Once in Jerusalem, Ignatius was quickly turned back home by the Franciscans. At first he refused. It was explained to him that too many Christians were being forcibly seized and held for ransom money to be paid by papal authorities. Things had gotten so bad, the Pope had issued a Bull advising the Franciscans to send Christians out of the country. Upon hearing this, Ignatius willingly returned back to Barcelona.
One thing that comes out in the Spiritual Exercises is a sense of time and place with God in the everyday world. We really must let go of our own ideas of what we should be doing, where we need to be, how we need to act and instead, allow God to lead our lives.
I know this may seem a bit disjointed, but I wanted to convey to you a sense of our Saint's history, how this experience came into existence and wanted to put you in the time point of our passages.
We will start Week 1 on Monday. Use this time to become attentive.