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JRH
Lenten
Retreat: Week Three
March 14 - 19
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Welcome to this
Lenten Retreat. Following are prayer materials,
reflections, and notes compiled by former JRH director Clem Metzger,
S.J.
to guide your retreat.
The
left
column includes prayer materials and reflections from the
Spiritual Exercises and Lenten liturgies. You may want to have a
Bible on hand for the daily readings, though you may also click
on the reading link to read online using the New
American Bible on the website of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Take these readings and reflections one
day at a time by bookmarking this webpage and scrolling down as the
week progresses.
Additional aids to your prayer may be
found in the right column and also in
clickable links
throughout this message.
If you wish to return to the main retreat page, hit the
"back" button on your browser or click
here.
May
the Holy Spirit inspire your prayer and guide you through this
retreat.
May your spirituality, centered in Jesus Christ, deepen
in faith, hope and love.
Thank you for making this retreat.
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Lenten Retreat:
Week Three
Theme: Behold
your King! He shall live for ever and ever!
Grace:
To pray for a personal
heartfelt knowledge of Jesus.
The
prayer material for each day of
this week is listed below.
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Day
One: Monday,
March 14
Prayer
Material: Matthew 6: 7-15
Reflection:
"Behold
the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a
righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and
govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the
land."
[Jeremiah
23,5]
Can
I count on you to be with Me?
I want you to be with me to bring the
Kingdom
of
God
to all the earth. This personal invitation from the Lord
is the backdrop to developing a personal relationship, of
forming companionship, friendship with the person of
Jesus Christ. You may want to pray for the grace to know
the Lord more personally, to love Him more ardently and to
follow Him more closely. Ignatius considered this an
important grace as a companion of Jesus Christ.
The
King and Kingdom meditation offered by St. Ignatius was
put in as the bridge meditation between the first and
second weeks of the Spiritual Exercises. To view a special
slide presentation of this please
click here.
Additional
Prayer Reference
John
1: 1-7
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Day
Two:
Tuesday, March 15
Prayer
Material: Luke 4: 16-20
Reflection:
Ignatius
has Jesus say to the retreatant: "It
is my will to conquer the whole world and all my enemies
and thus to enter into the glory of my Father.
Therefore, whoever wishes to come with me must labor with
me, so that through following me in the pain you may
follow me also in the
glory."
The
kingdom
of
God
would be one of justice, love, mercy and faith. To be a
follower of Jesus is to be in union with Jesus in His mission in today's world, especially in solidarity with those at the
margins of society. Do I feel comfortable with this
way of being with Jesus?
Ignatius
suggests that by considering the person of Jesus and his
call "not only will a person offer oneself
entirely for this work but will act against selfishness
and worldly love, and make an offering of greater value
and importance." His special
offering prayer is quoted in "The
King and His Kingdom"
meditation - which you can read by clicking
here - and to pray this offering of self.
Additional
Prayer Reference
Matthew
7: 7-12
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Day
Three:
Wednesday, March 16
Prayer
Material: Matthew 5: 1-6
Reflection:
The
Sermon on the Mount begins with the familiar Beatitudes,
which set high standards that continue to challenge us
today. Christianity is not always easy. And
Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Whoever follows
Me will not walk in darkness." The
first disciples who chose to follow Jesus left behind
nets, boats, and even parents - things they depended on
for life and security. Knowing what you know of Jesus,
what are you ready to "leave behind" in
order to follow Him and continue His mission?
If
you would like to read some thoughts on Ignatian
contemplation as a form of prayer, please click
here.
Additional
Prayer Reference
Ezekiel
18: 21-28
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Day
Four:
Thursday, March 17
Prayer
Material:
Luke 6: 27-36
Reflection: To be a companion and friend of Jesus Christ and to take up
his mission in one's life requires that we "put
on the mind and heart of Christ" as
Paul urges. The call to be a servant with Christ in the
vineyard working for Christ's Kingdom of justice,
peace, and reconciliation will demand much love,
patience, and conviction. "I
will not ask you to do anything that I have not done"
says the Lord.
Ignatius inserts a reflection for the retreatant called The
Two Standards: namely,
the Way of Jesus versus the Way of Satan. In this
reflection the retreatant asks to know the mind of Christ
and the deceits of the Evil One, Satan, called the Liar.
[Jesus would say: "I saw Satan fall from heaven like
lightning."]
More explicitly Ignatius says: "To
ask for insight into the deceits of the evil leader and
for help to guard myself against them; and further, for
insight into the genuine life which the supreme and
truthful commander, Jesus Christ, sets forth and the grace
to imitate Him." If
you wish to pray over The Two Standards, please click
here.
Additional
prayer references
Matthew
5: 43-48; Deuteronomy 26: 16-19
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Day
5:
Friday, March 18
Prayer Material: Matthew 20: 17-28
Reflection:
Ignatius asks the retreatant to pray for "an interior knowledge of our Lord, who became man for
me, that I may love him more intensely and follow him
more closely." God did not come to us in power and majesty but in
weakness, frailty, poverty, and dependence - as a
child. Our spirituality is "Incarnational"
- something that we embody. We are neither angels
nor perfect but are frail, fragile, vulnerable human
beings - "vessels of clay" to use
Paul's expression. It is important to embrace our
humanness in all of its dimensions. It is a gift, as
is all creation.
If
you would like to read some further notes from the
book The Spirituality of Imperfection, please click
here.
Additional
Prayer References
Ephesians 6:
10-20; Philippians 3: 12-21
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Day
Six:
Saturday, March 19
Prayer Material: Luke 15: 11-32
Reflection:
St. Augustine
noted: "Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they shall
not rest until they rest in you."
Do you pray more with your head or your heart? Could you
imagine the Lord asking you: "What is on your heart?
What do you want of me?" In your prayer this week did
your prayer center more on the person
of Jesus or on the message
of Jesus? What would you say is the 'strength' of
your prayer life? And what is the 'challenge' of your
prayer life?
Additional
Prayer References
Ephesians
6: 10-17; Ephesians 3: 14-21
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"With
God inviting and with victory assured, how can anyone in
their right mind not surrender to Jesus and his call to
labor with him?"
~St.
Ignatius of Loyola,
Spiritual Exercises, #96
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Week
3: Prayer Links
Please
click upon the links below for useful materials to enhance
your prayer:
The
King & His Kingdom
A
look at the true kingship of Jesus Christ
and His Kingdom - and, by contrast, the kingdom
of
Satan
the "enemy of human nature" as St. Ignatius
refers to Satan.
[Click
here to view a slideshow for this
meditation]
Praying
with the Senses
An
Ignatian way of
praying on the life of Jesus
The
Two Standards
Prayerful
comparison of the
way of Jesus
versus
the way of Satan
Jesus
Before Christianity
Notes
from an insightful book looking at the attitudes,
values, and conduct of Jesus
Ignatian
Contemplation
Using
the imagination
to engage the Gospel stories
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How to
Begin Prayer
St.
Ignatius
recommends that one's 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.
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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?
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The
King's Appeal
In the Spiritual
Exercises, Ignatius imagined Jesus reaching out to us
with the following 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."
~
Spiritual Exercises # 95
Take a
moment to reflect upon this appeal.
What thoughts, feelings, or desires rise to the
surface? How would you respond to Jesus?
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There
are various versions of the Seal
of the Society of Jesus. The one above
is very common. The three letters in the center, which
predate the Society of Jesus, are the first three letters
of the name of Jesus
in Greek. On January 1st we celebrate the
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the "Giving of
the Name of Jesus," which is the titular feast of the
Society of Jesus.
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