Finding God in All Things – Ignatian Spirituality
Spirit is derived from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning wind. What is Spirituality? The definition of spirituality that I most prefer “is that which animates a person’s life of faith to greater depths and perfection.”
God calls, we respond. There are many examples of call-response accounts throughout the Old and New Testaments. In Exodus 3:10, God calls Moses to lead his chosen people out of Egypt, Moses responds. God called Moses to something greater, Moses responded and became known as the Lawgiver of Isreal. In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls Simon to “Follow me”, Simon responds. Jesus called Simon, he responded and became “a fisher of men.”
God calls, we respond; this is the fundamental …show more content…
The spirituality, he developed, places great emphasis on prayer, meditation and self-awareness. The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola is the foundation of Ignatian Spirituality.
The intent of The Spiritual Exercises is to discern the will of God in the retreatant’s life. Ignatian Spirituality stresses God’s presence in the ordinary activities of daily life, in our work, in our family, in our friends, in our sorrows, in our joys. It sees God always at work, inviting us to a deeper relationship. It nurtures an active awareness of God along with our response. God calls; we respond. Ignatian Spirituality is not a program nor a set of rules; it is a collaboration between the Spiritual Director and the directee; adapted to meet their personal needs.
The Spiritual Exercises are collection of meditations, prayers and practices developed to help the retreatant deepen their relationship with God. They are traditional given during a month-long retreat in solitude and silence. Each of the four weeks has a special …show more content…
Over the course of discerning my call to the Permanent Diaconate, I have been presented with bits and pieces of Ignatian Spirituality.
My first introduction to Ignatian Spirituality was the daily examen. My pastor gave me a prayer card with the steps to the daily examen. I thought, five easy steps, I can do that. I began to incorporate that into my nightly prayer routine. It is great to step back and reflect, on my day, to see where I was allowing God to work in me and where I was preventing God from working in me. Through this process I am able to see patterns in my life, to thank God for the good and to ask for his forgiveness and his help for the not so good. This has become an integral part of my daily prayer.
My second introduction to Ignatian Spirituality was during a series of Men’s group meetings where Father Kevin guided us in an Imaginative prayer exercise using the Gospels. While I understand the concept of imaginative prayer; allowing the mind and heart to stir up thoughts and emotions by placing yourself in the scene, it did not feel that it worked for me. At this point in my prayer life, I am not ready for this type of prayer, I prefer to work through Lectio
Spirit is derived from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning wind. What is Spirituality? The definition of spirituality that I most prefer “is that which animates a person’s life of faith to greater depths and perfection.”
God calls, we respond. There are many examples of call-response accounts throughout the Old and New Testaments. In Exodus 3:10, God calls Moses to lead his chosen people out of Egypt, Moses responds. God called Moses to something greater, Moses responded and became known as the Lawgiver of Isreal. In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls Simon to “Follow me”, Simon responds. Jesus called Simon, he responded and became “a fisher of men.”
God calls, we respond; this is the fundamental …show more content…
The spirituality, he developed, places great emphasis on prayer, meditation and self-awareness. The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola is the foundation of Ignatian Spirituality.
The intent of The Spiritual Exercises is to discern the will of God in the retreatant’s life. Ignatian Spirituality stresses God’s presence in the ordinary activities of daily life, in our work, in our family, in our friends, in our sorrows, in our joys. It sees God always at work, inviting us to a deeper relationship. It nurtures an active awareness of God along with our response. God calls; we respond. Ignatian Spirituality is not a program nor a set of rules; it is a collaboration between the Spiritual Director and the directee; adapted to meet their personal needs.
The Spiritual Exercises are collection of meditations, prayers and practices developed to help the retreatant deepen their relationship with God. They are traditional given during a month-long retreat in solitude and silence. Each of the four weeks has a special …show more content…
Over the course of discerning my call to the Permanent Diaconate, I have been presented with bits and pieces of Ignatian Spirituality.
My first introduction to Ignatian Spirituality was the daily examen. My pastor gave me a prayer card with the steps to the daily examen. I thought, five easy steps, I can do that. I began to incorporate that into my nightly prayer routine. It is great to step back and reflect, on my day, to see where I was allowing God to work in me and where I was preventing God from working in me. Through this process I am able to see patterns in my life, to thank God for the good and to ask for his forgiveness and his help for the not so good. This has become an integral part of my daily prayer.
My second introduction to Ignatian Spirituality was during a series of Men’s group meetings where Father Kevin guided us in an Imaginative prayer exercise using the Gospels. While I understand the concept of imaginative prayer; allowing the mind and heart to stir up thoughts and emotions by placing yourself in the scene, it did not feel that it worked for me. At this point in my prayer life, I am not ready for this type of prayer, I prefer to work through Lectio