Week One

God is in love with me,
I want to become more aware of this truth.

This is week # 1 of prayer before Lent begins next week. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola has some suggestions for making a retreat. He recommends that we come to a retreat with a generous and open heart, and a desire to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Click here to pray a "Prayer for a Retreatant."

You may also wish to walk with others in your prayer by forwarding this email to two or three prayer companions and gathering with them to share your prayer experience. 

Day One: Monday, February 28

    
Prayer material:    Luke 11: 1-13 

Reflection:    "Fear not, you shall not be put to shame; you need not blush for you shall not be disgraced. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth. With enduring love I take pity on you says the Lord, your redeemer. Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, my love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken says the Lord, who has mercy on you. [Isaiah 54, 1-10]  

• Click here for Part I of an extended article on the life 
  of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the author of the Spiritual Exercises.

Additional Prayer references:   Psalm 91, Psalm 145  

Day Two: Tuesday, March 1   

Prayer Material:   Psalm 104 and/or Psalm 23

Reflection:  "Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak. Say to those whose hearts are frightened: 'Be strong, fear not! Here is your God. He comes to save you.' Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared, then will the lame leap like a stag and the tongue of the dumb will sing." [Isaiah 35, 1-10]  

• Click here If you wish to read part II of the article on St. Ignatius of Loyola. 

Additional Prayer references:   Luke 12:22-34, Psalm 16     

Day Three: Wednesday, March 2

Prayer Material:   Luke 12, 22-34

Reflection: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved.  In quiet and trust your strength lies. Imagine Jesus is speaking to you about trust and God's gracious providence to you.  How does this scripture passage from Isaiah 30: 15 affect your attitude or touch your heart? Is serenity of heart something you experience? 

• Click here  for a slideshow overview of the Principle & Foundation of St. Ignatius Loyola, which will be the focus of the next day.

Additional Prayer reference:   Jeremiah 29: 11-14

Day Four: Thursday, March 3

Prayer Material:  The PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION 

The Principle and Foundation is one of receptivity to God's love.  It frees one to yield to God's love.  It permits a person to let God be a tremendous lover. Ignatius wanted a retreatant to first experience God's love. And so for a retreatant to come home and to know how precious and beloved he or she is to God changes everything. You may want to pray the Principle & Foundation by re-translating the plural nouns into the first person singular: "God, who loves me, creates me, etc" God desired my beginning. Gratitude and humility are vital for the authentic spiritual life.                                    

Reflection: "I am the Lord, there is no other; I form the light and create the darkness; I make well-being and create woe; I, the Lord, do all these things.  For thus says the Lord, the Creator of the heavens, who is God, the designer and maker of the earth  who established it not creating it to be a waste , but designing it to be lived in: I am the Lord and there is no other. There is no just and saving God but me. Turn to me and be safe all you ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other." [Isaiah 45: 6ff]   

• Click here for some reflections on the Principle & Foundation.

Day 5: Friday, March 4

Prayer Material:  Psalm 139 or Matthew 13: 1-23

Reflection:  Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Listening to God's voice and recognizing patterns of thinking and acting that lead to increased true life are some of the practical results of the movements of the Spiritual Exercises. The Lord is with you and more interested in your spiritual growth and becoming the real-dream person you are meant to become than you are. Simple trust has its own reward. Honesty works. The Spirit of the Lord is active in re-creating the human heart. Let your heart rejoice in the awareness and gratitude of a person dependent on the Lord God who says: I have loved you with an everlasting love.

• Click here to view a useful form of prayer. 

Additional references:  I Samuel 3: 1-19; Ephesians 4: 29-32

Day Six: Saturday, March 5

Prayer Material:  John 3: 16-21            

Reflection:  "See how I love you" says the Lord.  In a similar vein, Ignatius writes "Consider God's gifts to me. 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. All my natural abilities and gifts along with the gifts of Baptism and the Eucharist 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. My consolation: who I am by the grace of God!"  [Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, # 234]

• Click here for more about the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

How to Begin Prayer

St. Ignatius recommends that the period of prayer begin by: 
1) having a specific time/place for my prayer; 2) call to mind that I am in God's presence and that the Lord wants to listen and converse with me; and 3) pray for a generous spirit during my prayer period.

His prayer for generosity is:

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 any reward,

except to know it is

your will I am doing.  

Prayer Aid: The Examen

Discernment means to discover in one's life the working of the Holy Spirit or the working of the Evil Spirit, whom Ignatius calls "the enemy of human nature."

In order to help us discern the working of these two spirits, 

Ignatius gave us the Examen of Consciousness. This method provides a powerful step-by-step process that greatly enhances one's prayer and spiritual life.  Ignatius placed a great deal of importance on the Examen, recommending that it be done on a daily basis.

The following five (5) steps are suggested for making your Examen:                

1) God, I believe that at this moment I am in your presence and you are loving me. I am grateful for this love.

2) God, you know my needs better than I do. Give me your light and help as I review my day. I need help to see my motives, values that I live by.

3) God, help me to review the events of this day in order to recognize your blessings and my failures. Help me to notice the opportunities given and the blessings I didn't recognize.

4) God, I ask your forgiveness for my mistakes and I thank you for all your personal blessings to me. You are very good to me.

5) As I look forward to the remainder of this day [or tomorrow] make me aware that you are with me. Show me how to become the person you want me to be. Be with me and help me to be aware of your presence and love.  

***It is important to note that the above steps are not rules but guidelines for you to follow and adapt in whatever way most benefits your prayer life.  Note - this form has been used by students at St. Ignatius High School , Cleveland.
 

Prayer Aid: Journaling

Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experience can greatly enhance your prayer. If you would like additional information about journaling, click here.  This handout was used in the 8-week Praying With St. Ignatius parish retreat.

 Week in Review

How did your prayer go this week? 

Did you experience any consolation moments of peace or gratitude? Did you find it hard or easy to pray?

Did the love of God come clearer to you? Any consolation of being loved as I am?   

God is always "working" in the life of each person. Do you find this to be true in your life? How?  

Be still and know
that I am your God.