Ignatian Spirituality And The Spiritual Exercises

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To begin, let me first provide an explanation of spirituality. The word spirit originates from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning wind. The definition that I prefer “is that which animates a person’s life of faith to greater depths and perfection.”
God calls and we respond! Throughout the Old and New Testaments there are numerous examples of call-response accounts. In Exodus 3:10, we read the account of God calling Moses to lead his chosen people out of Egypt, Moses responds. As a consequence of answering God’s call, Moses became known as the Lawgiver of Israel. In another account, we read in Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls Simon to “Follow me”, Simon responds. As a result of Simon’s response he became “a fisher of men.”
The fundamental characteristic …show more content…

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, and in our joys. God calls and we respond. The purpose of The Spiritual Exercises is to discern the will of God in one’s life, in order to enter into a deeper relationship with God. They are a collection of prayers, meditations, and practices presented during a month-long retreat. Each of the four weeks has a special …show more content…

By nature, I am logical, detailed oriented; I fully expected confirmation that my spirituality type would be Thomistic. To my astonishment, my preferred spirituality type was Ignatian. Upon reflection, I can appreciate the progressive exposure to Ignatian Spirituality. Just another example how God knows me better than I know myself, it is beautiful how God’s providence works!
My first exposure, to Ignatian Spirituality, was the daily examen. I received a prayer card, from my pastor that outlined the steps of the daily examen. I began to incorporate that into my nightly prayer routine which bore fruit quickly. It is great to reflect on my day, to discern where God was working in me, as well as, where I was preventing God from working in me. Through the daily examen, I began to observe the patterns in my life, to express thanks to God, as well as, to beseech his forgiveness. This has become an integral part of my daily

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