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Lenten
Retreat: Week Two
Theme: "I
will get up and go to my Father and say..."
Grace:
Pray
for the gift of forgiveness
The
prayer material for each day of this week is listed below.
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Day
One: Monday, February 23
Prayer
Material: John 10: 1-18
Reflection:
"I
have plans to give you a future of hope. When you call,
when you go to pray to me, I will listen. When you look
for me, you will
find me."
~
Jeremiah 29
Lent begins in two days. The shepherd-sheep
relationship is a recurring one in the Bible. Sheep
are rather defenseless. They tend to stray and become
vulnerable, and they learn to recognize their shepherd's
voice. "I
know mine and mine know me" is the way Jesus saw it.
A personal heart-felt knowledge of Jesus Christ is a great
grace that deepens one's relationship with the Lord. Why
not ask for it?
[If
you wish to try another form of prayer, please click
here.]
Other
classic shepherd-sheep references
Ezekiel
34, Jeremiah 23: 1-6, and Psalm 23
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Day
Two:
Tuesday, February 24
Prayer
Material: Isaiah 55: 1-11
Reflection:
"I
am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand. It
is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I will help you."
~Isaiah
41, 13-20
All
you who are thirsty, come to the water. And Jesus will
say: "Come
to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened and
I will..."
In your prayer speak your heart to the Lord who says "Fear not, I will help you." Each
of us could use a helping hand from a friend for support
on our journey.
"Even
now,"
says
the Lord, "return
to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and
merciful."
[If
you would like to view the overall structure of the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius, please click
here.]
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Day
Three:
Wednesday, February 25
Prayer
Material: Joel 2: 12-18
Reflection:
Knowing that God loves me and experiencing this love as
forgiving love is
one of the aims of the first week of the Spiritual Exercises
of St. Ignatius. It is said that all sin begins with the
first commandment: substituting someone or something
for God. Human history shows the violation of God's
creation and the wrong use of created things by human
beings. [Recall how the Principle
and Foundation spoke about the use of created things.]
It is important to become aware of our human condition
as sinners. This becomes the point at which one gets a
first grip on the genuine experience of Christian
salvation. In scriptural terms it forms an experience
of repentance and conversion. [Adapted notes of Bill
Creed, S.J.]
[During the 34th General Congregation of Society of Jesus
in
Rome
the assembled Jesuits asked the question: "Who is a
Jesuit?" Answer: "A Jesuit is a sinner in need
of redemption." [A Dominican was heard to say:
"At least they got that right."]
[If
you would like to further reflect on God's
loving forgiveness and mercy, please click
here to view a slideshow.]
Additional
Prayer Reference
Galatians
5: 16-26
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Day
Four:
Thursday, February 26
Prayer
Material:
Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Reflection: St. Ignatius hoped the Spiritual Exercises would help a
retreatant become interiorly free in order to make choices
that line one's life up with the Will of God. Values
and attitudes influence my choices. "God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so
that everyone who believes in him might have eternal
life."
This
is a choice made out of love! "Choose
life!" And Jesus would say "I
always do the will of Him who sent me." With the light of the Holy Spirit is there anything that is
holding me back from saying "yes" to God?
Is the Sacrament
of Reconciliation one of my practices?
[Discernment of Spirits is a vital
spiritual activity developed by Ignatius for retreatants
seeking a closer companionship with the Lord. If you
wish to review some information about discernment -
taken from the Spiritual Exercises - please click
here].
Additional
Prayer References
Luke
15: 11-32; Luke 18: 9-14
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Day
Five:
Friday, February 27
Prayer Material: Luke 5: 27-32
Reflection:
To recognize the social implications of personal sin can be
fruitful. To stand with the broken, riff-raff of society,
to imagine yourself in the midst of the violent and
ungodly - being part of this "mess" of human
society - and to pray for the healing mercy of God to free
and comfort and embrace each person in one's spiritual
poverty. This is a grace and prayer that speaks "Lord,
have mercy on us."
[If
you wish to read Part I of an extended explanation
of spirituality as presented in the book The
Spirituality of Imperfection - an insightful book
written by two authors who understand the AA program, then
click
here.]
Additional Prayer References
Psalm
51; Psalm 130; Romans 7: 14-25
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Day
Six:
Saturday, February 28
Prayer Material: Leviticus 19: 1-2 & 11-18
Reflection:
Mercy,
forgiveness, compassion and reconciliation was the
great good news Jesus preached with passion. Stories were
told to illustrate the unlimited mercy of a gracious
and gentle God. In the Bible sin is blindness, deafness,
and paralysis that can become destructive or
compulsive patterns within my life, culture, and the
world. Ignatius asks the retreatant to pray for the grace
to know one's sinfulness with an interior knowledge
of sin's horror and shame.
[The
Examen of Consciousness as encouraged by
St. Ignatius was noted in last week's materials. If you
want to read an article on how this Examen helped one
particular Jesuit then click
here.]
Additional
Prayer References
Jeremiah
31: 31-34; John 9: 1-11
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