Mike's 30-Day Retreat: Welcome to Mike's 30-Day Retreat

Hey Everyone, welcome to my 30-Day Retreat. I'm glad you've stopped by and hope that you'll join me on this journey of knowing God more intimately, and being drawn into the friendship of Jesus.

Over the next 30 days I'll be posting some "Spiritual Exercises" that I'll be doing, based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. I'd love it if you'd give them a whirl too.

Understandably you might be a little unsure. Many protestants are a little dubious when it comes to anything that smacks of Catholicism (something I find lamentable -- there's so much we can learn about discipleship from our Catholic brothers and sisters). If so, you might want to check out the following website:

http://www.stignatiussf.org/jesuit_spirituality.htm

You'll notice that the Jesuit motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (or A.M.D.G.) - "For the greater glory of God," along with their summary phrase "Finding God in all things," are very Reformed indeed.

Along with the exercises I'll also be posting a short summary of my own experiences from each day, which I'll invite your comments on. Also, feel free to post any and all of your own thoughts and feelings about your own experiences, and/or comment on what I or others have written insofar as it's helpful and not derogatory or condemnatory in any way.

Here's how the 30 days will be set up:

First few days -- Principle and Foundation -- This week is all about discovering who we are in God -- beloved children

Week 1 -- Contemplating our Sin -- Sounds dark I know! But, this is more about knowing and understanding yourself as a loved sinner than it is about dwelling on our sin. It's really not so bad

Week 2 -- Contemplating the Life of Jesus -- we reflect on how Jesus lived as a way to receive grace and be inspired to live as he did.

Week 3 -- Contemplating the Passion and Death of Jesus -- entering into Jesus' suffering as a way of experiencing a certain kind of solidarity with Jesus, which creates a thankful heart.

Week 4 -- Experiencing the Resurrection of Jesus -- learning to live in the power and light of the resurrection.

We'll begin this retreat on Tuesday, May 15, 2007.

Happy Retreating!

Developing Your Breath Prayer

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed and remind yourself that God loves you and that you are in God's loving presence. Recall a passage of Scripture that puts you in a prayerful frame of mind. Consider: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
With your eyes still closed imagine that God is calling you by name. Hear God asking you: "(Your name), what do you want?"
Answer God with whatever comes directly from your heart. Your answer might be a single word like peace or love or forgiveness. Your answer could also be a phrase or brief sentence like "I want to know your love." Because prayer is personal, it naturally rises out of your present concerns... Your response to God's question "What do you want?" becomes the heart of your prayer.
Choose your favourite name or image for God like God, Lord, Creator, Father, Teacher, Light, Shepherd
Combine your name for God with your answer to God's question. You then have your breath prayer.
Edit your prayer so that it is 6-8 syllables in length. A prayer of this length will have a rhythm that will flow smoothly when spoken or expressed as a heart thought.
Pray this pray starting with 3 minutes a day, and move up 1 minute each day. This pray will naturally become a prayer of your heart that leads you into God's presence

Composition of Place

This Composition of Place ... uses pictures and images to present what is otherwise beyond all conceiving; it prepares the soul for the Application of the Senses ... and paves the way for the images, symbols and dispositions whereby the senses of the soul will be enabled to touch and savor spiritual truths. (Ignatius the Theologian; NY1968, p.189) As I prayed with Mk 10:46-52, which is the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, I began to imagine the landscape of the setting. It was dry, hot and dusty as I found myself being Bartimaeus, sitting by the roadside. I can smell the animals as they pass by and hear people's voices in the background. Then I realize from the conversation that Jesus is near, so I cry out to him. I hear the footsteps of someone I believe to be Jesus approach me. I become filled with eager anticipation. Jesus is so close I feel his breath on my face and I hear him say, "I trust you. If there is anything you want to tell me I will listen to you." At this point in my life I was thinking about how to pursue some of my passions through my work. As I revealed my fears and hopes in prayer, I felt more freedom to really go after some more opportunities in the area of contemplative prayer with others in the church. I was asking to see how I could grow spiritually in order to help others by encountering Jesus in a deeper way. This was one example of Jesus restoring my sight in order to follow him. The revelation of God through the stories of Jesus is made present through imaginative participation. The mind engages the heart. As Hugo Rahner comments, "... the aim of this mode of prayer is to make the events of salvation 'present' in the mind, and thus to attain that direct experience of love."(ibid.p.194) One notices this love through one's desires.

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina or Divine Reading of Scripture is an age old conteplative method of prayer. Give it a try as you read through the Scripture passages with each execise. 1. Read the scripture slowly. Watch for a key phrase or word that jumps out at you or promises to have special meaning for you. It is better to dwell profoundly on one word or phrase than to skim the surface of several chapters. Read with your own life and choices in mind. 2. Reflect on a word or phrase. Let the special word or phrase that you discovered in the first phase sink into your heart. Bring mind, will and emotions to the task. Be like Mary, Jesus’ mother, who heard of the angel’s announcement and “treasured” and “pondered” what she had heard (Luke 2:19). 3. Respond to what you have read. Form a prayer that expresses your response to the idea, then “pray it back to God.” What you have read is woven through what you tell God. 4. Rest in God’s word. Let the text soak into your deepest being, savoring an encounter with God and truth. When ready, move toward the moment in which you ask God to show you how to live out what you have experienced.

Mike's 30-Day Retreat

Welcome to Mike's 30-Day Retreat

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Developing Your Breath Prayer

Some Helpful Hints for a Good Prayer Experience

Composition of Place

Spiritual Autoboigraphy

Questions to Consider

Lectio Divina

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