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IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY 20-21 at ST. BENEDICT’S
Some context on this local effort:
.renewed, deepened spirituality should ALWAYS be EVERYONE’s goal
.since he came, Father Michael has talked about offering the Ignatian Exercises
.some Stephen Ministers were looking for a way to make greater connections between themselves and their God and/or with others
.the current political, health and social concerns call for a reorientation
What to expect / What NOT to expect:
IS a learning experience very much rooted in a person’s individual desire to grow, based on one’s current life situations and circumstances
IS a personalized approach which acknowledges that everyone starts at a different point, will gain individual, personal insights/learnings in the process and will integrate them into life in different ways
IS NOT a traditional classroom model with delivery of knowledge dispensed from a single authority figure dispensing wisdom to unknowing seekers/sponges/ recalcitrant students
IS NOT a tightly, regimented, time-lined approach to contain/obtain/master/or integrate learning within a set period of time
Said in a different way:
This local process is based on the faith teachings of the Church that:
.ALL persons are made in the image of a loving God who deeply desires for the maximization of a person’s God-given gifts and talents for the growth of the larger community
.God speaks to us in multiple ways and challenges us to turn toward God and away from sin
.The goal of the faith community is to support each person’s individual journey toward our God
.Throughout the history of the Church, different approaches to our common goal to achieve greater knowledge, love and service to our God have emerged
Therefore, we are taking one approach, based on the prayer, writings and experience of Ignatius of Loyola. This experience does not have the discipline, rigor or expectations of a full Spiritual Exercises experienced over a 30 day retreat or forty week process. This is a whetting of one’s appetite to want even more. This experience will be satisfying and filled with great insight and growth for some; others will find it “not my style,” others still as a positive, but perhaps not totally satisfying experience of “what I expected.”
With those insights, precautions and outlines in place, we proceed.
PHASE ONE: INTRIGUE. You have indicated that you want to pursue this learning experience. Many have expectations, reluctances and limitations going into this experience. All are open to the possibilities of how God may speak to them in these coming weeks
PHASE TWO: ENGAGEMENT. You are willing to “given this a try.” You have completed “As I make this commitment.”
PHASE THREE: ORIENTATION. You will explore Ignatian spirituality through interaction with printed and video resources.
PHASE FOUR: COMMITMENT. You will carve out time (hopefully on a daily basis) to pursue reading and digesting the resources provided for you.
PHASE FIVE: DIALOGUE. You will share your insights, doubts and questions with others.
How this will work:
Each person is responsible for determining the reasonable amount of time they are willing to commitment to this effort. (Giving “it” thirty seconds once or twice a week will not likely produce a result on the level that a daily commitment to fifteen minutes might.)
Each person’s learning style and preference and “life’s STUFF” that a person is dealing with will influence the learnings that are achieved.
The common goal is to experience God’s love.
There are:
The LEARNING RESOURCES.
Hopefully daily, each person would avail themselves of one of the print and video presentations.
THE LOCAL PROCESS section. “A Road Map,” “20-21 at St. Benedict’s,” “MY TAKE”
PART I. RESOURCES section. Within PART I. there are PRINT RESOURCES (found on the parish website) and VIDEO RESOURCES (also listed on the parish website) This is meant to be a time to better understand Ignatian spirituality. The learner’s approach should not be a “check ‘em all off the list of things to do” but, rather, “let me take time with this resource.” That means you might watch a video more than once over multiple days. Because these resources will form a basis of your understandings and sharing with others, it may be helpful to make notes along the way. Using the form, “MY TAKE” may be useful in providing a common context of reference for all when discussing the resources.
PART II. EXAMEN section. One key element of Ignatian spirituality is the EXAMEN. Although we will learn about the EXAMEN in the LEARNING RESOURCES, it is most critical to engage in the EXAMEN prayer process. These print and video resources are listed in PART II. EXAMENS.
PART III. SMALL GROUP SESSIONS section.
THE DIALOGUE AMONG PARTICIPANTS.
Part of the expectation of this adventure is that there is not only the individual journey, but also the collective, collaborative adventure of many.
Although participation in these zoom sessions is not mandatory, without your being there, we lose out on your piece of the pie of wisdom, whether that is a question, or a light bulb moment or a quiet presence taking it all in.
We will plan to schedule ZOOM sessions to
…talk about the basic expectations, dynamics of the process - DECEMBER 10, 2020
…touch base of “how it’s going?” - weeks of DECEMBER 13, 20 and 27
(By that time, you will be starting to explore the print and video resources. These sessions will be an opportunity to listen to each other’s insights.)
…then for the SMALL GROUP SESSIONS, we will decide how to best proceed with frequency of sessions.