Evangelicals on the Ignatian Road

Taking a Break

2010-04-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

I am going to take a break from posting until Fall.

I have too many big writing projects I am behind on, and I have had to do a little PRUNING of some good things so I have more time for the best things.

One of my writing projects is a major work I am doing on the Spiritual Exercises for Evangelicals.

Originally I thought I would post some of that work here, but since I am planning on publishing it, I decided not to put those thoughts on this site.

So, I will come back to posting sometime this fall.

Thanks for coming along on this Ignatian Way of Proceeding for a short time...

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Passion of Christ (Week Three)

2010-04-18T07:49:00.002-04:00

Experiencing God.

Encountering Christ.

Relational Connectedness with the Trinity.

I think this is the "normal Christian life" to borrow an idea from the old book by Watchman Lee.

Are we aiming too high?

Shouldn't we just set our sights a whole lot lower?

In Week Three of the Ignatian Exercises, the challenge is for a retreatant to have compassion with Christ's passion.

Com = with.

Passion = the suffering of Christ.

Compassion with jesus in Week Three is to share in the suffering of Christ, to have the empathetic connection with Christ in His suffering, to know Christ in his suffering. This is what the Apostle Paul says is his life goal in Philippians 3;10. Especially:

the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in death.

When was the last time you heard that one preached and explained in a way that made sense?

So, I am slowly working my way through the Passion narrative, trying to be with Christ in his sufferings, to feel, to know, to understand, to be with Jesus in all that he experienced. It is a bit odd to still be doing this "post-resurrection" but the schedule just didn't cooperate for moving through Week Three "pre-Easter."

************

Normally we approach this part of the gospel with other agendas.

(1) The Apologetic Agenda: We want to go through the historical details of the story and show the horrible travesty of justice and how unjust the trial was. In fact, it was illegal at point after point. I have devoured apologetic treatments of the Passion of Christ. Intriguing exegetical stuff!

(2) The Theological Approach: We want to affirm the full biblical meaning of the events of the final day of Christ. We want to affirm the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning Christ. The Atonement discussion around the cross of Christ has grown heated lately. Important. Needed. Even useful. But we can't stop there.

(3) Spiritual Formation. But how do I engage with these passages and this story in a spiritually formative way?

When we get past discussion of the text itself and the historical backgrounds and the theological meaning of the text, then comes the time when we ponder the implications for the spiritual life. Often, we do this in a rather pragmatic way. Above all, we like to see the practical application of being forgiven and then forgiving others in this part of the Gospel Story.

Sometimes we can go a little deeper and consider the experiences of the characters involved in the story. Maybe we connect with Peter's experience, but if we do so, it is because we are finding a principle in Peter that we can generalize and from which we draw a personal application.

This time I have been asking - what is Peter feeling, thinking, experiencing in this encounter (on the day I wrote this reflection, it is as Jesus is before the Sanhedrin)? Impossible you say to know. If the text says Peter is sad, then you know. If the text says he is angry - than you know? If the text says Peter wept bitterly, then he wept bitterly. Otherwise, it is just pure conjecture on your part.

And to go even further (and here is where it gets very hard) what is Jesus experiencing during these moments?

Jesus is silent, we read. But what is he thinking, feeling, experiencing while he is silent. For the purpose of Week Three is to be "with Jesus" and in the words of Paul, "to have the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings."

But I try.

I move into the realm of questions, wondering, supposing, guessing… This very process of wanting to know Christ in his sufferings is good. I am engaging with a Person and not with Ideas about an event. The ideas are just a stepping stone to encounter a Person. They are needed but they are not the END POINT, only the means toward that end.

And it seems to me that as I seek to do this, I am moving into Relational Spirituality, Relational Christianity.

************

Isn't this so subjective, my critic asks me. My friend is a good friend, but still, critical, a bit suspicious, certainly skeptical. He is only interested in objective truth.

What is Jesus I ask? An object to be studied or a subject to be known? (I must have sounded profound, for my friend doesn't answer.)

People are not meant to be objects. In fact, we think it is bad if we "objectify" another. We know we have done something wrong to the objectified one. People are subjects to be known and loved.

We Evangelical Deists have objectified Jesus. We have reduced Jesus to a set of true ideas. We may like ideas, even be moved by the idea… but it is an idea that is doing this and not a Person. Isn't this a lesser reality? Excited about an idea when we are invited to be Loved and Known by a Person who invites us to reciprocate.

Is there any difference between the following loves.

I love the Bible?

I love Jesus?

Tell me you see the difference?

The one can love you back?

Yes, it is wonderfully, mysteriously, messily SUBJECTIVE.

So I press on, seeking com-passion with Christ, to know Him in His sufferings.

Ideas still thrill me… they intrigue me… some of them irritate me… they occupy my time… they receive some of my best energies. But the idea has ceased to be the END. Now, it is only a MEANS to a much greater End. Encounter, Experience, Friendship, Intimacy, Connectedness with Christ.

***********

I think this is what Thomas Aquinas meant, in part, when after he experienced God near the end of his life said, "All I have written is but straw." And he never wrote again. One of the most brilliant theologians and prolific authors of words encountered God and never wrote again!

I think this is what Pascal was describing when he wrote, "fire, fire, fire…" and kept the words sown into his jacket, near his heart, for the rest of his life. Personal Encounter with the Living God.

So I continue reading, reflecting, wondering, asking questions, seeking to imagine with my poor faculties - what was Jesus experiencing. And how can I be com-passionate with Christ's passion?

30 minutes… then 60 minutes… then longer… I have to stop… I am skirting the edge of mystery… and still feeling so far away from com-passion.

Tomorrow is another movement in the Passion of Christ. His torment and pain will grow stronger with each passing narrative movement. I was barely able to be with Christ today. What will I possibly do tomorrow.

But this is my desire…

and I continue to be an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding.

For a few more days, at least, that way of proceeding is the way of com-passion.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Some of my Best Friends are Deists

2010-04-11T19:12:00.001-04:00

Some of my best friends are Deists.

Unfortunately, they also happen to be evangelicals.

So they are kind of like…ummmh… Evangelical Deists.

You know what a Deist is! A Deist is a person who believes in an Almighty (or thereabouts) Deity who created the world, created the operational principles of the world, set things in motion and then stepped back from day to day involvement in the world.

So a Deist is left with a creation that runs, more or less smoothly (with sin, it can be much less smoothly) according to principles. Learn the principles, follow the principles and things work out pretty well. Ignore or break the principles, then things go poorly. The old image of the Divine ClockMaker is used to illustrate this. The world principles operate much like a finely designed CLOCK works.

But when it comes to a sense of relational connectedness, personal experience, and real encounter with the ClockMaker -- sorry, it just isn't there. Just the "clock" and its principles of operation.

Well then, what is an Evangelical Deist?

Before I answer that, I'll bring in another related idea provided by Parker Palmer in his little booklet, Leading From Within: Reflections on Spirituality and Leadership. Palmer talks about "functional atheism" by which he means, a "theist" who lives and acts as if God makes no real difference and that if anything good is going to happen, it will because the person works hard to make it happen.

There are a lot of evangelicals (and evangelical leaders in particular) who can talk a real good game about God, but when push comes to shove, they are really Evangelical Deists. They have great theological ideas, wonderful biblical insights and sound moral behavior… and that is about it.

When you start talking to them about a "felt Presence," a real and genuine "Encounter," and a lived "Experience" with Christ… you get a blank look. Because they don't have much of it. They have leaned how to live with really good biblical ideas that order and guide their lives. But not living with a Real, Loving Person with whom they feel connected.

They may talk about Jesus, but they mainly and merely are preoccupied with right beliefs about Jesus.

In fact, think how we even define THEISM AND ATHEISM?

A theist is one who believes in God and an atheist is one who does not believe in God.

I disagree!

I think these are very inadequate definitions.

A THEIST is one who is in relationship with God and an ATHEIST is one who is not in relationship with God. It is not only about belief systems (as important as these are)… it is about personal relationship. Evangelical Deists (i.e. Functional Atheists) have for the mainly reduced relationship to a matter of correct ideas about the Person. That is a tragically deficient view of relationship.

Philip Yancey tells us, it can be pretty hard being in relationship with the Invisible God and therefore (here is my extrapolation) it is a lot easier, especially for men, to connect with ideas and deeds. So we develop, invest in and argue about extensive theological systems . . . and we spend our lives doing good things…more programs, new ministries, great projects. We do it all in the name of Jesus… but we experience Christ in minimal ways.

No wonder so many leaders don't finish well, that some don't finish at all, and that so many evangelicals are slowly dropping out of the faith. They are dropping out of Evangelical Deism which has simply not satisfied the deepest need of the heart that longs for God.

Dallas Willard observes that you can be an evangelical in excellent standing and have little or no authentic encounter with Christ. As long as you have the T's of your theological system crossed and the I's of your biblical interpretation dotted, and are living a reasonably moral life - that is all you really need to have. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE ANY KIND OF CONSISTENT, POWERFUL, TRANSFORMATIVE RELATIONSHIP. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE/ENCOUNTER/FELT PRESENCE of Christ.

Erwin McManus wonders where is the manifest PRESENCE of GOD in our churches? He wonders that because, often (usually) it is not there. We settle for speaking truth and doing good… not in being friends, intimate with Christ.

We say we are following Jesus, but in reality, we are more like Deists who are following biblical principles and doing biblical deeds and not in much of a relationship with a PERSON named JESUS.

I wonder -- how long can we believe true ideas and do good -- if we constantly fall short in being in relational connectedness with Christ.

We just consistently settle for much less than the full depth and range of Christianity. And when life gets hard and we see our evangelical constituents around us wavering, then we give inadequate responses... usually telling them they need to be more grounded in IDEAS. And that is the problem that has led to the other problems. Too many Evangelical Deists are only grounded in ideas and not sustained by intimate relationship with Christ.

When the going gets tough, you need more than an idea to get you through. You need the Love of a Friend... not just the idea about the love of a Friend. You see how thorough and widespread is our Evangelical Deism. No wonder we slowly deteriorate into Evangelical Atheists (those who have ideas about God, but little relationship with Him).

I am intrigued with John 17:3. Now this is eternal life; that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Knowing God. This is not mere intellectual assent to proper ideas about God (vital but not sufficient). It is personal knowing of another. This word used here is ginoskoe (with both o's having the long o sound). That word is sometimes used as a euphemism for sexual intimacy.

I've been the Functional Evangelical Atheist for long parts of my church career. I've been the Evangelical Deist in good standing, but terribly empty. Now I am an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding, looking to daily encounter, experience, enjoy and love God. This is the stuff that then energizes and sustains my following and my missional service in the world. This is the biblical reality . . .

Without it . . .

In the next post, I'll pick up this theme and illustrate it by talking with you about some experiences I had as I walked through the Passion Story of the Third Week.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Week Three: Being With Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

2010-03-29T08:30:00.003-04:00

Sorry, but my travel schedule has been hectic and I have fallen behind in my musings and postings.

There will be a new post this coming Sunday. I am making my way through Week Three of the Exercises and writing my own version of them.

The Third Week has as its goal, for the retreatant to have "com-passion" with Christ. In other words, to share in the Passion.. being with Christ in His Passion.

This has been a challenge for me. To feel what Jesus was feeling... to have sympathy with and empathy with Christ in His sufferings - this is HARD! Usually our focus is our "self." And what Christ did, He did for ME. But in this Third Week, the focus is that of Christ Himself. To be with Him. Not for our sake, but for His sake. And of course, if we are able to do this, then there is a profound "for our sake" benefit that comes. But we do this, just to be with Christ.

Today, my reflection was on Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68). I found myself starting from Peter's vantage point as one who had entered the courtyard to watch and see the outcome. But from there, as I considered what Peter was seeing and experiencing, I was able to move to consider what Christ was experiencing, and maybe, a little, to just be with Him.

May all of you be having a moving Season of Lent and have a week of drawing close to Christ in His crucifixion and resurrection.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Knowing You Jesus (Exercise)

2010-03-22T19:20:00.002-04:00

Visit my Blog: Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way to see a post that includes a video.

Knowing You Jesus.

Brian

A List of Ignatian Methods for Attending to God

2010-03-14T06:40:00.002-04:00

In this post, I'll give an overview of the methods of spiritual encounter with God, that Ignatius uses and recommends to those who are going through the Spiritual Exercises. Then, in the following weeks, I'll explain each one with some more description and guidance for practice.

The Examen.

I have already posted on this one, in a series of eight posts, so I won't cover it in any detail at this point. The Examen is one of the chief methods Ignatius used to find God in all things. It was the retrospective look over one's day. It was a slow, prayerful, attentive look at the experiences, the events, the encounters, the gifts, the conversations, the emotional responses, the struggles the choices… that were a part of one's day. And slowing down to consider where God was at work, what God was saying and what you were invited to choose. But in the moment, you were busy, it was noisy and you were distracted.

As you practice the Examen over time, you will discover that you are learning how to pay attention in the moment, to what God is doing and saying. You will be learning to "practice the presence of God" (Brother Lawrence, not a Jesuit by the way.)

Since I have a series of eight posts on this practice, I' won't cover it in upcoming weeks. If you missed those posts, you can click here for the first one in that series.

Ignatian Contemplation.

I have said it before, but Ignatius was fond of the imagination and saw it is a rich way of encountering God. This one needs a bit of explaining, for the word - contemplation - is used in a variety of ways in different spiritual formation approaches.

For Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises, he is teaching an imaginative engagement with the text and stories of Scripture, and especially the Gospels. Keep in mind that this was a time when many people did not have a copy of the Bible (the printing press had been invented about 1440) and many people were illiterate. But they knew the stories and their memories were better than ours for the oral tradition.

By the way, globally, far more people are skilled as oral learners than as visual learners who learn by reading. We wrongly assume that analytical study and rational examination is the best (if not only) way to learn. It isn't. And even for those who do learn in this way, they can enhance their learning with the imaginative engagement of stories.

Ignatius wanted people to enter into the biblical stories using their senses to see the events, hear what was going on, feel the environment. Ignatius encouraged retreatants to put themselves in the biblical story. As a bystander observing what is going on… or as a participants who is a part of the story.

And from that vantage point, encounter Christ and his personal dealings with them.

Lectio Divina.

Ignatius was not the one who developed Lectio Divina. The phrase means "sacred reading" or perhaps, "spiritual reading." If Bible study, inductive study, exegetical study are analytical and rational in their focus and method, lectio divina is more reflective, meditative and prayerful in its approach to the text of Scripture.

The point is to relish and savor words, phrases, ideas and use them as a stepping stone to go deep below the water line of your life and discover what God is doing and what Christ is saying to you.

In the previous post I said that evangelicals have a strong docrtine of Revelation and a weak doctrine of Illuminiation. Lectio Divina is a way in which one part of the normative, absolute truth of God becomes real, relevant, immediate, up close and personal for your life. It is a way you move from assenting to biblical principles as "generally true for all people," to experiencing the reality of particular biblical ideas personally and relevant in the real time of your life.

It is my favorite way of encountering Christ. The Daily Examen is my second.

Centering Prayer.

While Ignatius used and taught centering prayer, this approach has actually become more popular through other spiritual traditions and I'll mention those when I talk about this approach in more detail.

For now, I'll just say that the premise is that God is within us, the presence of Christ is with us and in us. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. Therefore, we must learn how to be attentive and responsive to the present of Christ within us.

Centering prayer is a way of quieting oneself and moving away from the busyness, noise and distractions of the day. It is a way of simply being with Jesus. This is the one approach that is most "content free" of the practices.

This one is a more occasional practice for me…

It is a practice that many find quite difficult to learn…

What Do You Desire?

This is a practice that is launched out of the fact that God has placed within us, "eternity in the heart." We have holy longings that have been suppressed, denied, corrupted and damaged. But still, they are there and our longings and desires are a powerful indicator of God's presence and work within us.

In addition, it is a practice that is launched out of Jesus' encounter with Bartimaeus, the blind beggar and Jesus asking, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Ignatius believe that our desires/longings are very important for progress on the spiritual journey and that we need to become aware of our desires and name them to Christ. So Ignatius has retreatants constantly asking for what they desire as they begin a new spiritual exercise, confident that God will guide them to naming their deepest desires and meet them in the conversation.

Again, more on this in a later post. I have found this to be a deeply rewarding and formative spiritual approach.

Colloquy.

Ignatius uses an unfamiliar word throughout the Exercises. It is - colloquy. It simply means an intimate conversation with Jesus. At the end of each Exercise, Ignatius wants us to imagine we are having a conversation with Mary, with Jesus and with God the Father. As an evangelical (and with no disrespect at all toward the Jesuits and larger group of Roman Catholics) I simply exchange the Holy Spirit for Mary and my prayer becomes a Trinitarian prayer.

I imagine myself having a conversation with the Spirit, then with Christ and then with the Father on the very things the Exercises has brought to my attention. I speak my heart to the Trinity and imagine God speaking back to me.

***********

So, these are the Ignatian ways of encounter, of experience and of relational engagement with God that we will explore in the upcoming weeks.

Because this is a blogsite, these posts are really just entry points or stepping stones into each issue. I'll recommend resources for each one, for those who would like to go further in studying about a particular practice.

*************

And as a final note, the Exercises that I am writing follow the Ignatian pattern very closely. For each one, after I give a brief explanation of the day's Exercise:

I provide guidance for a Centering Prayer,

then space for you to ask what you desire,

then guidance for using either an imaginative engaging of the text or lector divina reflections on the text (or doing both),

and finally invite you into Colloquy.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything - Now Available

2010-03-11T19:33:00.001-05:00

James Martin's new book, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything is Now Available.

This is a must read.

Brian

How Does God Communicate With Us

2010-03-08T06:29:00.002-05:00

Brief Note: I like to add images to posts... but that always takes some time to find the right images. With my schedule as crazy as it has been, I just didn't have the time to do that for this post.

Also, this is a longer reflection. So I have provided it as a pdf if you want to download it, print it, and read it that way.

Download HowDoesGodCommunicateWithUs

**************************

Much of the Ignatian Exercises is devoted to hearing from God, to noticing God, and to finding God.

So, how does God communicate to us, make himself known to us?

This is an extremely important question! In fact, what I just said is a vast understatement.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT QUESTION.

And on this question, evangelicals, in my opinion, have had some good things to say… but we have also had some very inadequate things to say. I'll go one step further. In some ways we have been right, but in other ways, we have been very wrong.

This question involves philosophy, theology and spirituality and is way beyond the venue of a simple post or two. So what I say here is going to be very basic, very inadequate, raise many more questions, and perhaps cause some suspicion…

This post is going to have a different feel to it and it will set the stage for several follow up posts. It is more theological in its focus.

But I encourage you to wade through this post, for in the weeks to come I'll be walking you through how Ignatius helps us hear from God, and it will be helpful if you have this understanding in place.

I am not less than an evangelical in my answer, but now I am much more than evangelical in my answer. I'll map out just a few of the broad, brush strokes of an answer on this.

My Evangelical Tradition has answered that God mainly speaks to us through the Bible, the texts of the Old and New Testament as they are rightly interpreted through the use of hermeneutical and exegetical tools.

(As a brief aside…)

These are interpretive tools, by the way, that were mainly developed in the context of Enlightenment Modernity. It is a delicious irony of no end, that evangelicals who are aghast at most things "modern" are so dependent on the tools developed by that same modernity. I am not opposed to these tools, and I use them as well, but I hold them loosely and I know their origins.

(And another brief aside...)

To show that these tools are not quite as reliable as we thought they were, I would only say that Evangelicals have spent about the last 500 years (since the Reformation) vehemently arguing about who has rightly used those tools to rightly interpret the inspired text of God. And we have made precious little progress in that debate. So, as a movement, we are increasingly splintered in our theological discussions about who has the "real biblical answer."

(And one more aside...)

Our tendency is to think we/my/our theological-biblical answer is the objective truth and the other person's answer is subjectively biased because they use the objective tools of interpretation incorrectly. And we say they unable to see their subjective bias! Of course, each side levels the exact same charge against the other side. Touche!

I think this issue became very pronounced for me when I studied at a very good, eclectic evangelical seminary that had outstanding scholars of different traditions teaching there. I studied under Calvinists, Arminians, Anabaptists, and Pentecostals (not to mention a few other persuasions). Each scholar had far more competency in theological and exegetical tools than I ever will. And yet they came to significantly different answers on many important questions. I learned to be very cautious in saying to another person - "your interpretation is unbiblical…"

(Now, back to the main line of this post...)

The objective-subjective "thing/difficulty" notwithstanding, evangelicals have rightly understood that the Scriptures are in a special category of truth. The Bible is Revealed Truth from God. It tells us things we would not be able to ferret out on our own. This is my position also.

Evangelicals believe that the truth within Scripture is normative and speaks in instructive and corrective ways. My position also.

Evangelicals believe it should be our life long quest to listen to the Scriptures, to sit with the truth of Scripture and to allow that truth to shape our lives. My position also.

To this (and more) I give a hearty assent, a yes and A-men.

However… and here is the FIRST major caveat I add…

ONE: I am not as convinced as I use to be, that evangelicals have rightly figured out how to engage with God's communication. I would say it this way. We have a very good doctrine of Revelation and a very weak doctrine of Illumination. We have a strong doctrine of the Normative Truth/Authority of the Bible and we have a very weak way of engaging that truth in illuminative and transforming ways.

I would say there are large parts of the evangelical movement whose minds are filled with reasonably right information about God, but whose hearts are much less transformed and touched by the Presence of God.

I would say there are large parts of the evangelical movement who have put their focus on understanding the Bible but have missed the greatest truth of the Bible - that the Main Thing is to encounter and experience the living God (Father, Son and Spirit) in transformative relationship.

I would say there are large parts of the evangelical movement who know a lot of doctrine intellectually, but who know very little of Jesus experientially. (Look, this isn't that heretical. J.I. Packer (Knowing God) made the same observation in the early 1970s and Henry Blackaby became famous with his book Experiencing God as he made the same observation. But neither of them were able to help us move very far forward in the actual encounter of God and the experience of transformative relationship with Christ.

I would say there are parts of the evangelical movement where the Bible is more important than Jesus. And for most of us, it is a lot easier for us to study and learn the Bible then it is to know and love Jesus, to follow and surrender to Christ.

As I said, we have majored on Revelation and in my experience, we haven't even minored on Illumination. So, we need to find guidance elsewhere for a good, robust doctrine of Spirit-led illuminative processes.

I think Ignatius (among others) shows us the way, through many useful methods of being illumined by the Word… which is one more reason why I am an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding…

Now, here is the SECOND caveat…

TWO: Evangelicals have also missed many other avenues where we can find God. We have neglected a variety of rich sources by which to find, discover, encounter and be transformed by God.

(1) We have neglected and actually been opposed to the emotional life as a place to find and encounter God. We have been rather scared of the subjectivity of emotions, and warning ourselves not to trust emotions or even visit them very much. (Good grief - what about the Psalms… the great repository of emotional experiences ever that are the place for spiritual encounters with God!)

(2) We have neglected the realm of longings and desires… again, just labeling them dangerously subjective and misguiding.

In other words, we have neglected one of the most obvious of places to find God… and that is within us, in our heart (i.e. total inner life) where the indwelling Christ lives and moves and has his being. Christ in us - which is the consistent witness of Scripture. For the most part - we haven't the foggiest idea how to find God within.

(3) We have neglected much of the realm of General Revelation. In other words, our Creator God is everywhere in His creation (although He is not the creation, just present in it) waiting to be encountered and enjoyed. Music, art, nature, science, and in fact - all of life. To borrow from Abraham Kuyper; not only is God the Lord of every square inch of creation and says "it is mine", but that same Lord God says, "and you may discover my rich presence hovering over and moving through and sustaining every square inch of creation, if you have eyes to see." We haven't had eyes to see. In fact, we haven't even been looking that direction.

(4) And we have neglected our experiences of life as the place to encounter God. This was one of Blackaby's ideas. God is at work in our experiences. Find out what God is doing and join in. This is the external realm of action and relationship. God is there at work. Our need is to notice, discern and respond well to God's activity.

Ignatius has a well developed spirituality that helps one pay attention to the work of God within (desires, emotions, the heart), in all of Creation (finding God in all things) and in one's external world of action/relationship (finding God there as well). Which is why, I am an Evangelical on the Ignatian Way of Proceeding…

So, this post is setting the stage for a number of forthcoming posts that will be on the Ignatian way of Finding God in the Scriptures, in our inner being, in the created world and in our daily activity.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Really Important Questions

2010-03-08T06:27:00.000-05:00

The Really Important Questions

For a life to be worth living, it means you must know what the important questions/issues/themes are, you must ask those questions, you must find satisfying (and real) answers, and you must orient your life according to what you have learned.

Sometimes we refer to these questions as "worldview" questions… or the "existential" questions of life.

Here are a few of those questions, not listed in order or importance.

What is the nature of reality?
Is there a God?
What kind of God is this God?
Who am I?
Is there something wrong with me? (it seems as if there is)
How do I know what is wrong, describe it, understand it?
How does what is wrong be made right?
Why am I here?
(or) What is my purpose?
Who do I know what is right, true and good?
How do I make decisions to choose what is right, true and good?
How should I live my life?
Do I have obligations to others?
If so, what does that obligation look like?
What, exactly, are the deep longings I have within?
Am I in this alone? Or will there be others along the way?
How do I become a healthy human being?
How do I experience authentic relationships with others?
How do I become a healthy, whole person?

I'm sure you realize that these questions are all deeply interconnected. They are questions that take on deeper, better answers as the insights generated from one question flow over to another question.

I'm sure you realize that these questions need a life time (if not longer) to be answered. Life is to be the asking, the seeking and the finding of wisdom concerning these questions.

I'm sure you realize that these questions will not be easily answered and that you will actually have some wrong, bad, harmful answers along the way.

Over the course of the last 35 years, I have embraced a broadly defined evangelical worldview as the way I generally answer these questions. I have strong Reformational nuances that further define that worldview. I have postmodern influences that are added into the worldview mix.

And in the last two years, I have found Ignatius to be an invaluable guide and conversation partner who helps me take so many of these questions much further… both individually and as an integrated whole.

Which is why I am an evangelical on the Ignatian way of proceeding. It is not the only thing I am, but it is now an essential part of who I am.

I have already mentioned this book, but when it is available late fall of 2010, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin will be a valuable guide for so many of these worldview questions. (p.s. A friend told me he believes it is now scheduled for a March 2010 release.)

In the meantime, if you want a very good guide, one of the best, i recommend to you -Spiritual Freedom by John English.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Traveling and Unable to Post on This Site

2010-02-26T11:01:00.002-05:00

For the next two Sundays, I will be overseas and unable to post to this site.

The post for February 28th is The Really Important Questions

The post for March 7th is How Does God Communicate With us. This post launches an extremely significant part of the Ignatian Way of Proceeding and it is one that requires some major dialogue with evangelicals. I try to show why evangelicals can have a deeper encounter with Christ than we have been accustomed to.

To read these posts on each Sunday, just go to:

Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way blogsite.

When I return, I'll post them on this site as well.

Brian K. Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

www.lci.typepad.com

The Ignatian Charism

2010-02-21T06:15:00.001-05:00

The Roman Catholics refer to the "charism of the founding father" (or mother) of a religious order.

By this they are talking about the essential DNA of the founder that is imprinted on the order/organization they founded. It is the heart of the founder, it is the distinctiveness of the order, it is the core qualities that characterize an order.

For the Franciscans, the charism would be the simplicity of Francis, his service to the poor and his love of nature. If you Google images of Francis, most of them have birds and other animals surrounding him.

For the Dominicans, the charism involves their love of study and teaching.

For the Benedictines, it is their gift of hospitality to all and their well ordered life together as it is described in The Rule of St. Benedict, especially including their hours of prayer. (St. Benedict to the left.)

The Trappists, (of which Thomas Merton is, perhaps, the most famous) have the most rigorous code of silence and solitude. The are an extremely austere order.

This "charism" of the founding father is not restricted to the Roman Catholic orders. It can be found anywhere.

For the Wesley brothers, it was their passion for holiness, their focus on the lower class population and their house structure for meetings. (John Wesley to the right)

For William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, it would be their holistic ministry of gospel and social service to the poorest of the poor.

Rick Warren/Saddleback - seeker sensitivity and the purpose driven life.

Bill Hybels/Willow Creek - seeker targeted ministry, excellence, leadership.

And on it goes.

The founders are men and women of leadership, passion, vision, values, defining methodologies… and all of this is the original "charism" that is imprinted on the organization they launch.

There is an Ignatian Charism as well that flows through the Jesuit organization. I would define that spiritual DNA, that essential ethos as including the following things.

1. The Spiritual Exercises as a way of spiritual formation. This Exercises are a way of encountering Christ through prayer and reflection and then responding to Christ.

2. Contemplation in Action. In other words an active spirituality.

3. Finding God in All Things. An incarnational approach to spirituality. God can be found anywhere and everywhere, in all aspects of life. There are no dualisms in Ignatian spirituality.

4. Missional spirituality. Ignatius had a passion to "help souls" and the spirituality he developed was a spirituality that would energize and sustain a missional service to the world.

5. Spiritual friendship together with others in the wey of missional service.

6. Living very free from all inordinate attachments. The only thing that truly matters is the greater glory of God and therefore, the follower of Ignatius must find the inner freedom that enables him or her to let go of anything that hinders them.

7. A way of discernment. Ignatius developed one of the most substantial ways of discernment ever mapped out.

8. Finally, I would probably add the general organizational life as it is defined in the Constitutions (but that is a broad statement that includes many of the above ideas).

All this became the Ignatian "way of proceeding."

I have blogged about several of these core qualities that are a part of the Ignatian charism and I will be blogging about others in the weeks ahead.

It is this original charism, that has been sustained and developed through the centuries that is extremely attractive to me. There is so much that I am interested in and which defines who I am and how LCI does things.

Leadership

Spirituality

Pedagogy and life long learning

Culture and mission

Friendship

I find help and guidance in all this from the Ignatian "charism" and "way of proceeding." These are not individual aspects of life, but in the Ignatian Way, they are intricately connected to one another and merge together.

Let me say it this way. The Ignatian Way is a way of holistic, developmental processes… something that the evangelical world has not been as good at doing. I have devoted about the last 20 years of my life trying to design this kind of developmental process.

Which is why I am an evangelical on the Ignatian way of proceeding.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Love of God

2010-02-14T08:35:00.003-05:00

To do this exercise using the video clip, you'll have to go to Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way blogsite.

However, here is the content of the post, minus the video.

******************

Here is a second exercise to help you connect with the deep, deep love of God for your life. It is another old hymn. I don't know all the details, but the core part of this hymn was found on a scrap piece of paper in the room of a person who had just died. The room of that person was in an Insane Asylum where he/she had been for many years.

I found myself wondering if the person was able to endure that condition for long years, because he/she had connected with the love of God in a sustaining way.

The love of God can be such an abstract idea for us. We can theologically dissect the idea and rationally assent to it... but not have much direct experience of God's love. Like the song from last week, you will find that this hymn is rich in metaphors that help us experience God's love. The video images provide concrete images.

Pay attention to what is speaking to you and what draws you deeper into the experience of God's love.

May you encounter the deep love of God for your life and perhaps spend time yourself, journaling, writing of your experience.

And here are the words:

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave his son to win;

His erring child he reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade.

To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong;

It shall for evermore endure, the Saints’ and Angels’ song.

The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything (An Advance Review)

2010-02-08T18:09:00.001-05:00

I was given a copy of an advance copy and uncorrected proof of a book that is to be released in October 2010 by Harper One.

It is, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin, S.J.

This is a book that I/we/you have been waiting for... and you are going to have to wait a few more months until it is released.

It is a substantial introduction to the Jesuit/Ignatian Way that deserves a wide reading audience. It is extremely well written. Informative and instructive, illuminative, encouraging, containing autobiography and stories, and has a devotional flavor throughout.

A few years ago, I read his absolutely delightful, My Life With the Saints, which was a spiritual memoir for how his journey has been enriched and deepened by his engagements with the great saints throughout the history of the church.

Put his forthcoming book on your Books To Get list.

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International

The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

2010-02-07T06:33:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to another website that I have on Typepad, Evangelicals on the Ignatian Road. It is identical to this site, but is the home site and this one has those posts copied.

However, for this post and the next, there is a short video to watch as part of a devotional exercise. So it will be easiest if you just go to that site.

The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

Brian K. Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

www.lci.typepad.com

AMDG

2010-01-31T12:55:00.002-05:00

To the Greater Glory of God

There are certain phrases that run throughout the Jesuit literature and these phrases capture and express the deepest values of ignatius and his company of friends.

One of the most important is repeated in many of the 6000 letters he wrote. In the Latin it is:

ad majorem Dei gloriam

which means:

to the greater glory of God.

The abbreviation is A.M.D.G. and it appears on many Jesuit institutions, both colleges and churches.

It is difficult to communicate how core this defining idea was for Ignatius. He dedicated his life to the greater glory of God.

He used the Spiritual Exercises to help "exercitants" make choices that would help them work and serve in a way for the greater glory of God.

This was his passion and his mission. This was one way Ignatius' love for God was manifest. He who had received everything from God, his Creator and Savior and Lord, would do anything for the greater glory of that God.

This is just one of the many reasons I am drawn to Ignatius and his way. On my best days I too long for the greater glory of God and I am willing to dream, dare and do much for God's greater glory. On y worst days, I fall back into selfish pursuits of my own glory.

And so my regular practice is to daily ask God to strengthen my desire for his greater glory.

The Jesuits are always seeking "mas," magis," "more" because of their desire for the greater glory of God.

Brian K. Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Desires: A Devotional

2010-01-31T12:54:00.001-05:00

As you begin to work through the Spiritual Exercises, you quickly notice that Ignatius has a repeated refrain for the retreatant. "Ask for what you desire."

Ignatius wants the retreatant to be in touch with his or her deepest desires and to ask Christ for what they desire.

In this post, I am giving you a devotional exercise to help you get in touch with your desires.

******************

Here is a collage of passages from the Psalms.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart…

I desire to do your will O my God…

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing…

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him…

Psalms 37:4-5; 40:8; 145:16,19

Read this collage several times.

What do you feel, sense, think, discern as you read these passages?

Spend time on this, journal your discoveries.

Offer up a prayer to Christ in light of your feelings and thoughts.

***********************

Now you are ready for a reflection on Luke 18:35-47, the encounter of a blind beggar who receives his sight. I'll guide you through this exercise.

Read the text, and try to imagine you being in the crowd who witnesses this experience. What do you see?

The question Jesus asked the blind beggar, “What do you want Me to do for you?” is the question Jesus is asking you right now.

As a New Year is upon you, as Jesus asks, “what do you want Me to do for you?” he is asking - what are your desires? You can (and do) have many desires and you should feel full freedom to name whatever desires come to mind. But also pay attention to those desires that seem stronger. What do you "most" want Jesus to do for you in the year ahead?

As you did with the Psalm collage, let your heart and mind range over this question and if you can, imagine Jesus sitting with you, asking you this question. Also, pay attention to what is going on inside you as you ask for your desires. Journal your thoughts and prayer.

While this exercise I provided is not an actual Ignatian exercise, it is an exercise that has the spirit of the Ignatian Exercises all through it.

Suscipe and the Contemplation to Attain God's Love

2010-01-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

There is a beginning and an end… and hopefully everything in-between is congruent and in harmony with what is said first and last.

In the previous post, I told you what the beginning of the Exercises is all about. That was the First Principle and Foundation which ground the retreatant in the very meaning of creation and the purpose of life. All things are created for our well being and to aid us in the pursuit of the glory of God.

The final reflection of Ignatius' Exercises is found in Notes 230-237. It is titled:

Contemplation to Attain the Love of God.

(By the way, there are many things that are contained as supplemental resources after this, but they are not the Exercises themselves.)

The First Principle and the Contemplation are the Bookends for the Exercises and are deeply intertwined and supportive of each other.

By the time a retreatant has come to this final reflection, Ignatius' assumption is that the retreatant is full of gratitude, having gained awareness of the Presence, Work and Word of Christ (or having Found God in All Things), has consecrated desires to know, love and serve God, and a generosity of spirit that desires to do more for the greater glory of God.

This final reflection invites the retreatant to consider the great love and grace of God for her or him. It is called the contemplation to ATTAIN God's love. But the word - attain - is not used in the sense of "learn" but rathe rin the sense of "awareness" or "the experience of" God's love.

There are four movements in this reflection. The retreatant reflects on:

God's gift to them (all the retreatant is and has is from God), #234

God's self-giving, #235

God's ongoing labors and works on their behalf, #236

God's unceasing self-giving love, #237

In the center of these reflections is a beautiful and profound prayer. It is sometimes referred to as the "Suscipe" which is simply the first Latin word of the prayer, which begins, "Take, Lord, and receive…" "Suscipe" is "take."

Here is the prayer:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory,

my understanding,

and my entire will,

all that I have and possess.

Thou hast given all to me.

To Thee, O Lord, I return it.

All is Thine,

dispose of it wholly according to Thy will.

Give me Thy love and Thy grace,

for this is sufficient for me.

Ignatius of Loyola

This is a prayer of loving surrender and trust in response to the deep awareness of the enormous love and grace of God for us.

I recommend that you write out this prayer and pray it daily for the week to come. You may also want to reflect several times on these words from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:17-21

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions
International www.lci.typepad.com

Some Names and Titles

2010-01-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

If you are new to the Jesuits, you may be a little confused about the variety of names and titles used for them. Here is a brief explanation.

The Spanish words do not have the proper accents or markings.

Inigo: The name of Ignatius given to him by his family.

Ignatius: The name Inigo took, in part, after the Ignatius of Antioch, one of the church fathers.

Companeros: The Spanish word for companions, which is how the first group of "amigos/brothers" saw themselves.

Compagnia: The Spanish word for company. Put some companions together and they are a Company.

Compagnia de Jesu (or Gesu): The Spanish phrase for Company of Jesus.

Societas Jesus: This is the Latin translation of Compangnia de Gesu.

Company of Jesus and Society of Jesus: The English equivalents.

Jesuits: A term first used by their critics to describe the members of the Society of Jesus.

Jebs: A nickname for the Jesuits that American students began to use.

Jays: A nickname for the Jesuits that British students began to use.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

First Principle and Foundation

2010-01-10T06:31:00.002-05:00

Here is the First Principle and Foundation as it is found in The Spiritual Exercises.

************************************

23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created.

Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him.

Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition. Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things.

Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created.

***********************************

It is difficult to emphasize how significant this First Principle and Foundation are for Ignatius theology and spirituality. Even the words used by Ignatius, tell us how significant it is. It is the First Principle, not just in terms of order of appearance, but in terms of priority. And it is the foundation or support for what Ignatius will now begin to teach.

In stead of a full essay on the meaning of this Text, I'll just provide several brief comments and observations.

ONE:
I am struck by the similarity of this First Principle and the language used by the Reformers in their catechisms. And one in particular, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which asks:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

(Here is the Westminster Assembly which produced the Confession and Catechisms.)

Ignatius is of the same spirit as were the Protestant Reformers in their desire to glorify God above all else.

This is also seen in the Baltimore Confession, question six.

Q: Why did God make me?

A: God made me to know him, to love him, and to serve him, and to be happy with him forever in heaven.

TWO:
I stand in the stream of "Reformational Worldview" thinking. Ignatius has, at least, this same approach in an incipient form. By a Reformational Worldview, I mean, understanding the Grand Biblical Narrative in terms of this framework:

Creation - Fall - Redemption (Israel, Christ, Church) - Renewal of All Things / Consummation.

While the Exercises will mainly focus on Fall (Week One) and Redemption (Weeks Two-Four), Ignatius front loads the Exercises with this Creational theme. The First Principle and Foundation are exactly that for what follows. And "Creation" will appear at various points throughout the Exercises.

THREE:
Ignatius, is once again, robustly biblical in his First Principle. Since I have spent a fair amount of time studying and teaching through Ephesians in the last number of months, a number of texts from that letter of Paul come to mind.

I won't write them out here, but I suggest you turn to Ephesians and read:

1:3-14 for how we have received every spiritual blessing, to the praise of His glory and the complete salvation of our lives.

Then...

2:8-10 with its strong emphasis on our very creational DNA is for a missional purpose, which is also created by God. We are created for a purpose and our "works of service' are also planned out for us.

FOUR:
And then, all other things in creation, are created for our blessing, our benefit, our use and our stewarding care. All things on earth are designed to be the context and occasion of our "imitation of Christ" and our glorifying of God. All things are either useful (or not) toward this end. Ignatius is going to help us learn how to be passionate about what is MOST conducive toward the end for which we are created.

And this will lead to two of the CORE CONTRIBUTIONS of Ignatius, and that is histheme of freedom from any attachments that keep us from the BEST pursuit of the end for which we are created, and a genuine "indifference" toward all things. Indifference, not in the sense of not caring, but indifference in the sense of not bound to them. And the second theme being "more for the greater glory of God."But more on this part of the First Principle and Foundation next week.

************************************

And tomorrow, a very brief post explaining a few of the names and titles for the Jesuits.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Anima Christ of Ignatius by Puhl, Fleming and Tetlow versions

2010-01-04T13:55:00.002-05:00

Here is the Anima Christi prayer in three versions. Each one is moving and useful. I encourage you to pray these prayers this coming week.

By the way, I recommend to you, a little book on payer, Hearts on Fire: Praying With the Jesuits, edited by Michael Harter, SJ, published by Loyola Press.

*************************************

Ignatius

Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)

Source: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, trans. Louis J. Puhl, S.J.

Soul of Christ, sanctify Me

Body of Christ, save Me

Blood of Christ, inebriate Me

Water from the side of Christ, wash me

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O Good Jesus, hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Permit me not to be separated from Thee

From the wicked foe defend me

At the hour of my death call me

And bid me come to Thee

That with Thy saints I may praise Thee

For ever and ever.

Amen

David Fleming, S.J.

Soul of Christ Prayer

Source: Hearts on Fire: Praying With the Jesuits (pp. 3-4)

Jesus, may all that is in you flow into me.

May your body and blood be my food and drink.

May your passion and death be my strength and life.

Jesus, with you by my side enough has been given.

May the shelter I seek be the shadow of your cross.

Let me not run from the love which you offer.

But hold me safe from the forces of evil.

On each of my dyings shed your light and your love.

Keep calling to me until that day comes.

When with our saints, I may praise you forever.

Amen

Joseph Tetlow,S.J. (pictured)

I Choose to Breathe the Breath of Christ

Source: Hearts on Fire: Praying With the Jesuits (pp. 5-6)

I choose to breathe the breath of Christ that makes all life holy.

I choose to live the flesh of Christ that outlasts sin's corrosion and decry.

I choose the blood of Christ along my veins and in my hearts that dizzies me with joy.

I choose the living waters flowing from his side to wash clean my own self and the world itself.

I choose the awful agony of Chrsit to charge my senseless sorrows with meaning and to make my pain pregnant with power.

I choose you, good Jesus, you know.

I choose you, good Lord; count me among the victories that you have won in bitter roundedness.

Never number me among those alien to you.

Make me safe from all ha seeks to destroy me.

Summon me to come to you.

Stand me solid among angels and saints chanting yes to all you have done, exulting in all you mean to do forever and ever.

The for this time, Father of all, keep me, from the core of my self, choosing Christ in the world.

Amen

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Anima Christi

2010-01-03T15:39:00.002-05:00

In January I will start to blog on key themes that are essential to the Spiritual Exercises. These are the spiritual, theological and biblical perspectives that are woven throughout the Exercises.

For this first post in January, I am introducing you to the Prequel Prayer of Ignatius that is provided before the Exercises begin. (I know I said I would do the First Principle and Foundation today, I'll do that next week.)

I have provided the Ignatian text as it appears in the Puhl translation. Tomorrow I will have another post providing the Puhl text along with two more contemporary renditions of this prayer. One by David Fleming and the other by Joseph Tetlow, both outstanding Jesuit spiritual directors, authors and interpreters/translators of Ignatius and his Spiritual Exercises

**********************************

Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)

Soul of Christ, sanctify Me

Body of Christ, save Me

Blood of Christ, inebriate Me

Water from the side of Christ, wash me

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O Good Jesus, hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Permit me not to be separated from Thee

From the wicked foe defend me

At the hour of my death call me

And bid me come to Thee

That with Thy saints I may praise Thee

For ever and ever.

Amen

I love to read some of the great and "famous' prayers that have been written and prayed by followers of Christ through the centuries. Some of them are so powerful in their wording, they have sustained their place amid the devotional literature of our heritage.

The Anima Christi by Ignatius is one of them.

I pray this prayer often.

I am moved by how this prayer is so Christ-centered. Ignatius had a strong Trinitarian spirituality AND at the same time, his Spiritual Exercises are Christo-centric. Christ is supreme throughout the Exercises.

One way to describe the DESIRED OUTCOMES of going through the Exercises is that the retreating will come to know, love and follow Christ with great desire and surrender, wanting only what Christ wants, and therefore, fully devoted to Christ and dedicated to the mission of Christ in the world.

The Anima Christi prayer is the foretaste of what is to come in the Exercises.

I am also struck by how this prayer is so Christ-dependent.Sometimes, evangelicals make a careless and unfortunate mistake in ascribing to Roman Catholicism, a works oriented spirituality.

Well, yes, there are strong works that are a part of (for our example) Ignatian spirituality. But these works are absolutely grounded in dependence on Christ and His empowering grace that makes all things possible.

Ignatius is utterly dependent on Christ. Ignatius knows he cannot even desire Christ fully and rightly, unless Christ first gives Ignatius this desire. This will be seen all throughout the Exercises. And it is a wonderful corrective to some of our own self-focused, pragmatic, "get'er done" evangelical practices.

Ignatius has captured the spiritual balance of the Apostle Paul:

". . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:12-13

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10

Finally, I notice how devotion to Christ is in this prayer. Ignatius loves Jesus. Ignatius wants to love Jesus more. Ignatius does not merely have good theological notions about Christ. Ignatius wants to experience Christ, and this prayer if for the Person of Jesus in all His splendor, to be with Ignatius in all his need.

As I said above, this prayer is the foretaste of what is to come.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

In the End You Will be a Mystic

2009-12-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

Karl Rahner is one of the great Jesuit theologians, and indeed, one of the great theologians of the church. Rahner was a mystagogue. A mystagogue is one who teaches mystery and one who leads the learner into the realm of mystery.

Rahner was both a theologian of mystery and had a deep mystical spirituality.

And Rahner developed a "Mysticism for Everyone."

Here is a beautiful quote. I originally read it in a longer context in Brennan Manning's book,Ruthless Trust. Here it is as Rahner said it inTheological Investigations 7:15.

The devout Christian of the future will either be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will cease to be anything at all.

The Ignatian Way is a way that helps us inveterate rationalists encounter the mystery of Christ in experiential and personal ways. The brilliant theologian Rahner, was also the devout spiritual director who led many in the Spiritual Exercises. For these Exercises helped Rahner become one who has encountered the living and loving God.

In the end, we must all become mystics... or else become nothing at all.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Sources Behind and Influences on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, Part Two

2009-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is continued from the previous post.

For those who are newer readers for this blogsite, I typically post ONE NEW POST PER WEEK and the day of posting is on Sunday. Every now and then I do a shorter post in-between Sundays. Tomorrow I have a short one.

*******************

THREE

The spiritual climate was changing rapidly in Ignatius time and there were many movements with their writings. Ignatius was not developing his ow approach in a vacuum. Instead, there are some significant spiritual movements (and their writings) which influenced him.

I mentioned in the previous post that Ignatius made a stop at the Abbey of Montserrat. While there he was given a copy of a book by the previous (and late) Abbott Garcia de Cisneros of Montserrat. The Abbott had developed his own set of exercises and put them down in a book titled: The Book of Exercises for the Spiritual Life. This book was a catalyst that helped Ignatius think about his own Spiritual Exercises.

Of great influence was another book which Ignatius read over and over throughout his lifetime and which he first read while at Manresa. That is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. (Read more about Thomas a Kempis here.)

a Kempis was influenced by a movement of deep spirituality known as the Devotio Moderna and the Brethren of the Common Life. (Read a very brief paragraph on this movement.) This was a group who valued simplicity, piety, community and service. This movement also had influence on several of the Protestant Reformers. Thomas a Kempis was actually a Brother of the Common Life.

The Imitation of Christ is one of the great classics of Western spirituality. This book supported, clarified and extended the spiritual processing which was taking place in Ignatius. In a Kempis and Ignatius we see kindred souls in their passion for Christ, in desire for Christlikeness and a sustained devotion to Christ.

The Imitation of Christ is much longer than the Exercises. The Imitation of Christ is a rich devotional book of meditations and reflections on Christ and the life of following Jesus. It has an entirely different tenor and purpose than the Exercises. The Imitation of Christ profoundly describes the life of imitating Christ, but, like so many other devotional books, it does not really show a way to do this. It is descriptive but not prescriptive. It is instructive when it comes to ideas but not empowering when it comes to the means for the one who wants to imitate Christ. (a Kempis pictured to the right.)

Ignatius and the Exercises are supremely process oriented and a series of progressive steps that are the way into such an imitation. The Exercises are the practical, tangible, means for the great imitation and the deep devotion to become real in one's life.

Here is where Ignatius was both influenced and in debt to others, and yet a true creative genius who went further than they did.

As I already mentioned, Ignatius was ever the practical genius, a man of action, someone who believed in implementation and execution. His Exercises have this essence.

In addition, The Book of Exercises by Abbot Garciaand The Imitation of Christ by a Kempis were both written for those participating in monastic life. Monastics were those secluded from the world, who have retreated from the world, especially for a life of prayerful devotion to God. In these monastic orders, there were pathways in place (for example, the hours of prayer) for their members to pursue a devotion to Christ. Ignatius was writing for those who would never be monastic.

Ignatius was developing a model that would prepare Jesuits and others for a world engaging, life long service to "help souls." Before these souls could be helped, the helper had to be deeply connected with Christ, profoundly aware of the movements of God around and within and already substantially well on the way to Christlikeness and sacrificial love.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius are both indebted to others and yet a creative advancement for a new world that is rapidly emerging out of the medieval times.

NOTE: I highly recommend reading the Imitation of Christ if you are interested in the Exercises of Ignatius. It is a very rich book of devotional wisdom that will easily transfer to your experience of the Exercises. I use the Image Books / Doubleday version. It was a "new translation" done in 1955!!! But it is very readable. I did a little checking to see about newer translations before posting this, but didn't have time to really find anything I would suggest.

FOUR:

Ascetic spirituality (and theology) is part of the context for Ignatius. The early years of Ignatius, when the Exercises were being written, were marked by extreme ascetical practices. Ignatius damaged his body permanently from the rigors of excessive asceticism. Later, with this hard won wisdom, he greatly limited these kinds of practices for his Company of Friends, the Jesuits.

What is interesting about the Exercises is that the spirit of rigorous devotion and absolute commitment to Christ is inherent in them, whereas the practices of asceticism are not. One does not find long hours of prayer, practices of bodily mortification (corporeal punishment as part of that), and excessive fasting as part of the Ignatian program. (The fasting image is found here.)

Ignatius had as his goal, for a retreatant making the Exercises to make an absolute commitment of surrender to Christ and sacrificial service to the world. But the way to do this differed from existing ways. The Spiritual Exercises, along with the Jesuits who practiced and taught them, were a new way God raised up.

I think one of the great needs in the Evangelical movement of the 21st century is to revisit the idea of what a healthy asceticism would look like. In our culture and movement, we err on the side of extravagance and excess. Sacrifice is not something that comes easily for many of us since we are acquiring, possessing and holding on to so much. We need a spirituality of relinquishment and this may be one aid to move in that direction.

FIVE:
Mystical spirituality! Ignatius was one of the great mystics of the Christian church. I didn't know that until the last few years. If you would ask me to name mystics, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avilla are names that would come to mind, but not Ignatius. What a mistake on my part!

Reading several biographies of Ignatius and the early Jesuits, I have come to understand how significant the mystical experience was for Ignatius. He had an unusual number of profound visions of the Holy Trinity that provided a significant Trinitarian overtone to his Exercises, even though they are Christo-centric.

Ignatius had the kind of supernatural experiences of God that would rival the great charismatic figures of our day. Ignatius lived as one for whom the barrier between heaven and earth was very thin and porous. Not only did Ignatius had mystical visions, but he also had a variety of mystical experiences which today we would describe as the "supernatural gifts of the Spirit" operating in his life. (Chapter 16 in Meissner, Ignatius of Loyola is my main source for this.)

But again, of great interest is that the Spiritual Exercises do not proscribe or promote a way of seeking after intense mystical visions or supernatural experiences. In one sense this is surprising, but in another it is not. On the one hand, you would expect that someone who lived in that world of extraordinary experiences would set forth a way for others to experience it also.

However, Ignatius was ever the practical and passionate lover of God and others. Ignatius wanted everyone to experience God and to serve God and others. He knew that in some cases, extraordinary, mystical experiences could be a detriment toward that. And he also knew that most people would not live or move in that world. Instead, Ignatius taught a "garden variety" way of mysticism. Ignatius taught the way of Finding God in all things, Experiencing God in all things and practicing the presence of God at all times.

I sometimes (jokingly) refer to this as"Mysticism Lite" for us ordinary followers of Jesus. Ignatius wants the heart, the affections to be warmed with the love of Jesus. His is not the way of dry intellect or dusty rationalism or lifeless moralism. The way of Ignatius is passionate love for the God one can experience every day and who then transforms us totally. The Exercises are for the transformation of one's mission, values, passion, motivation and heart.

So the Exercises are meant to help the "doer" see, envision, enter into, feel and experience the story and spiritual reality of Christ. The Exercises are not a rational study of texts. They are not detailed theological discussions. Nor are they even a how-to formula. They are stepping stones into the experience of Christ. Mysticism Lite for Ordinary Followers of Jesus.

The early drafts of the Exercises were being written during the time of profound personal encounter with Christ and mystical visions was part of that.

And as I mentioned in the previous point on asceticism, I also believe evangelicals need a recovery of the mystical component of the Christian life. If we have erred, it is to be rationalistic, moralistic and pragmatists. It is not that rationality or morality or pragmatism is wrong, but these things separated from relational connected with Jesus are wrong.

The way of Ignatian spirituality is the way of intense relational connectedness with the Triune God through Jesus Christ.

*******************

The early drafts of the Exercises were written or at least sketched out 1521-1525'ish. Ignatius began to use it immediately as he gave direction to others. It was added to, revised and refined for the next 15 years, with a final redaction being done in Rome about 1540.

The Exercises was put into print in 1548. It has been published 4,500 times, which is about once a month for 400 years! It has sold over 4.5 million copies, "despite the fact that the book is about as dull as a teacher's manual of lessons plans. And that is exactly what it is." (Modras, pp 23.)

And pictured is my preferred edition, as much due to the layout which provides a lot of margin and white space for notes.

********************

There are other influences on Ignatius. In a later post, I will mention the cultural influences of his day, the main one being Renaissance humanism that was emerging as the new worldview. Ignatius and his Exercises were hugely shaped by this. But I have to work through those things some more before I can simplify it in a way that is still accurate.

These two weeks have been a historical detour.

Next week we return to the spirituality of the Exercises and we'll take a look at the First Principle and Foundation of the Exercises.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Sources Behind and Influences on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, Part One

2009-12-20T08:07:00.004-05:00

My intention is to do a variety of posts on this blogsite. Some of them are about spiritual formation ideas that are Ignatian in origin. Others are more theological, pondering the biblical and theological themes that are woven throughout Ignatius and the Jesuits. And from time to time, some of them will be historical.

For the next two weeks, I want to explain the "main sources" that influenced Ignatius and which shaped the Spiritual Exercises. This will also include a little biography of Ignatius during the time of his early spiritual formation.

Many… many years ago when I was doing my first seminary degree with a focus on New Testament studies, I had the privilege of studying under some truly great scholars and exits of the New Testament. Gordon Fee, Ramsey Michaels, and David Scholer were three of my professors who often emphasized the importance of understanding the "context" in which a text was written, as necessary for understanding the "text."

I have found this to be true for understanding the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. The first time I was introduced to the Exercises in a 19th Annotated Retreat, it was an "a-contextual" experience. In other words, I was introduced to the text of the exercises but with almost NO explanation of their background, the milieu out of which they arose, the situations that gave birth to them, or the organizational context in which they were used.

So this post, and the next, are exploring "some of" the contextual background that gave rise to the text of the Spiritual Exercises. In this post, I'll describe three influences and add three more next week.

*********************

ONE:

Ignatius, until 1521 and the age of 30, was well on his way in a career as both a military man and a political statesman in the world of Spanish nobility. On May 17, 1521, Ignatius was wounded in battle when a cannonball shattered his leg. The injury forced Ignatius to surrender (his troops were far outnumbered 14-1 by the French army). He received inadequate medical treatment and was carried to the ancestral home of the Loyola, where he would have a slow recovery.

While in recovery, a spiritual transformation began. In large part, this transformation was launched by the reading of two books. Ignatius wanted to read stories of knights and chivalry and romance, but no books were available in the castle of Loyola. The only two books available were on the life of Christ and a collection of stories on the lives of saints.

The Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony (a Carthusian monk) had been translated into Spanish and Ignatius had a four volume edition. Ludolph told the stories of Christ, which were embellished with details by the author. (Picture to the right,)

The second book was, The Golden Legend (in Latin - Flos Sanctorum), written in 1260 by Jacopo de Voragine. (pictured below)

This was a well known and popular "lives of the saints." The title page of this book had a picture of Christ crucified. There was an introduction by the translator of this book and in the introduction are these words:

Whoever reads this book should grasp the crucifix with his right hand and hold it aloft as a royal standard . . . as an emblem which armed the chivalrous hearts of the saints for a courageous conquest of the world, the flesh, and the devil . . ." (Quoted in Modras, pp. 29)

Before his injury, Ignatius had dreamed of personal glory on the battlefield and in the courts of power. His dreams were of military and political conquests. But the reading (and re-reading) of these books began to shape his dreams. Voragine described the saints as "knights of God." Ignatius began to feel his allegiance being transferred to Christ the King… and he began to imagine himself doing great deeds, making great sacrifices, in the service of Christ and the gospel.

The twin themes of Christ the Lord/King and devoted, saint-like service for Christ weave their way into Ignatius own vision for life and these themes are dominant in the Spiritual Exercises.

But Ignatius began to notice something happening to him as he read these books . . .

TWO:

As he reads and imagines service to Christ he notices there is an interior movements taking place in his heart and soul. He also notices a different kind of inner experience when he would day dream about his old desires for glory and romance and conquest. He notices that the dreams and thoughts about Christ and service for Christ had one kind of inner reality, and the dreams of glory as a knight, love and ruler had a different kind of internal product.

Ignatius has nine months of convalescence where he began what would be a life long practice of paying attention to the inner experiences, reflecting on his inner life (we also like to call it, what is going on "below the waterline") and discerning the meaning of these inner experiences. He learns to discern the connections between what is going on in the world around him and what is going on in the world within him.

This discernment, both of the external world and the inner world of response becomes a hallmark feature of Ignatian spirituality and models and "tools" for learning how to do this are incorporated throughout the Spiritual Exericses. In fact, one way to understand the Spiritual Exercises is that it is itself a tool to discern the Work of God around one and the Work of God within one… and then to make the best choice of response to cooperate with the Work of God.

After his convalescence, Ignatius makes his way to Manresa, planning on staying there for a short time, before making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Before he arrives at Manressa, he stops at the Abbey of Montserrat. This is a Benedictine monastery. Ignatius goes there for additional preparation for his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to make a general confession of his sin. He spends two weeks of prayer and reflection, in preparation for his confession. He is provided a book (I'll explain this in the next section) to aid him in preparing for his confession.

He makes his confession, gives away the remnants of his previous life (fine clothing to a beggar) and leavens Monterssat as a "knight of Christ… a new knight of a spiritual order" embarking in the service of his Lord Christ. (Meissner, pp. 65)

Continuing on to Manressa, he spends ten months there. He lives in a cave as a hermit. (This is not the cave Ignatius used, it is only provided as an illustration of what such caves were like.)

He engages in strict, ascetic spiritual practices. He prays for seven hours every day and participates in other hours of prayer, he inflicts austere disciplines upon his body. He does extended fasts, he sleeps little, he exists with minimal comforts, he ignores his physical appearance which use to be a source of vanity. In other words, Ignatius is seeking to mortify the flesh, to crucify the self, to put to death the old ways of Inigo (his true name). He is relentless about confession of sin to the point of fastidious, tediousness.

And the entire time, he is paying attention to his inner world of experiences. During this time he experiences much "desolation." (This is a key Ignatian term, along with consolation, that I'll explain sometime in 2010.)

Ignatius, above all, wants to follow Christ completely. He learns to discern the attachments and hindrances that prevent this, as well as the pathways that make it possible. Ignatius is engaged in what I call a "John the Baptist, preparing the way" work so Christ may be supreme in his life and that Ignatius may respond fully to whatever Christ asks.

It has been said that Ignatian spirituality is profoundly autobiographical. Add to that, the fact that Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality of self-awareness and God-attentiveness, and you begin to understand the great importance of personal experience that Ignatius had and which he wants to facilitate in others. The Spiritual Exercises are designed to facilitate the experience of God and then the right response to God.

*****************

Since it becomes difficult to read posts that are too long (and this one is plenty long), I'll pick up with some key books that influenced Ignatius next week… and one of those books being - The Imitation of Christ.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Dear Lord Three Things I Pray

2009-12-14T06:42:00.000-05:00

The musical, Godspell, made the following prayer famous.

O Dear Lord

Three things I pray.

To see thee more clearly.

Love thee more dearly.

Follow thee more nearly.

Day by Day.

Since this is a blogsite devoted to all things Jesuit (for evangelicals) you probably aren't going to be surprised at what I say this next.

This prayer has its origins in Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. Here it is in Ignatius' words:

104. Third Prelude. This is to ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely. (Ignatius)

The Godspell musical made it a "catchier" chorus/prayer, but nonetheless, its origin is Ignatius' instructions to retreatants on getting ready to contemplate the Incarnation.

And at this time of the year, as we celebrate the Word made flesh, God with us, Immanuel - may we all make this our prayer.

Dear Lord, three things I pray…

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Eight: A Few Practical Suggestions

2009-12-13T06:22:00.000-05:00

In this final post on the Daily Examen series, I want to briefly answer some practical questions you may have. Before I answer those questions, here are two important thoughts about the Examen.

First - it is above all a Prayer Exercise and then it is an Awareness (or Examination) Exercise. Ignatius wants us to connect intimately with the God who loves us and who is with us. So, even as you are doing the work of examination and awareness, you should do it with the sense of prayerfulness.

Second - it is a pattern that is quite transformative as it is practiced in whole, but it is a fluid, flexible approach to Prayer and Awareness. In other words, you don't have to do every part of the Examen every time. And, you can vary the length of the parts you do as you feel the need. I do suggest that for those who are new to the Examen, that you begin by practicing it as Ignatius presented it. Do the entire Examen to become familiar and then comfortable with it. As time goes on, adapt it as you have the need and the leading of God.

Now, for a few practical matters.

(1) WHEN should I do the Examen?

Ignatius counseled us in this. Twice a day. Sometime about midday, looking back over the day so far. And then a second time in the evening, perhaps before going to sleep. I have two suggestions on this. The first is that you try using it in the evening, when you can to the retrospective look over your entire day. But not so late that you are sleepy. The second suggestion is that you find the time of day that works best for you. If you so desire, you can a morning Examen when you look back over the previous day.

(2) HOW OFTEN should I do the Examen?

The undeniable fact of life is that we are very busy and time is at a premium. And perhaps it is for that very reason that I encourage you to be a regular practitioner of the Examen. For most of us, four or five times a week, with a little discipline and planning on our part, is quite possible. As you do this consistently, you will build this discipline into your routines and it will become more habitual and a good part of your daily rhythm.

If you are in a time of stress, challenge, difficulty, crisis or a crossroads time of decision making, I encourage you to do the Daily Examen as often as you can. For, your heart and mind will be preoccupied with your needs and struggles already. So, why not use that time you are already thinking about those things and do so in the context of the Examen.

And, for those who are so busy that you can only do it two or three times a week, here is another suggestion. Do a Weekly Examen at the end of the week. I do a Weekly Examen most weeks, even if I am doing Daily Examens. This Weekly Examen gives me the chance to get a broader perspective of what God is doing in my life.

(3) HOW LONG does the Examen take?

Ignatius thought that a well disciplined Jesuit could do a very sufficient Examen in about fifteen minutes. The key there is "well disciplined." Ignatius was referring to the Jesuit who had achieved a good state of holiness and self-denial, maturing nicely in their Christian life.

If you are practicing a full Examen, thirty minutes is probably more reasonable to have a good experience of prayer and discernment. If you do parts of an Examen, it can be shorter.

My Examen's take a little longer because I JOURNAL as a tool of awareness. My journaling is itself a form of prayer. I sometimes write my prayers in my journal. At times I write and then pray and move in and out of these things without even knowing it. But with that said, thirty minutes should be a good amount of time if you are new to the Examen.

(4) WHERE can I do the Examen?

If at all possible, the place should be quiet and free from interruptions and distractions, especially for learning the Examen. Another feature of our world is that it is noisy and distracting. Therefore, we have difficulty with focus and attention. The Examen requires both of these. Christ is asking for your full and loving attention and you want to give it to Him.

I have a little "sacred space" that I use. It is my "prayer chair." I have good lighting and a side table. Early in the morning (for lector divina and other devotional practices) and late at night for the Examen, the rest of the room is dark and free from visual distractions as well.

I have also done this in my office, which feels quite different when I do it. I have done it in motel rooms, in conference halls, and a few times I have done it while running. But for me, the quiet sacred space is best for attending to God and His presence and work in my life.

HOWEVER, the Examen, as it is consistently practiced, will have the benefit of helping you learn to Practice the Presence of God in the moment. As Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection was able to do this while he washed dishes, we too can learn to attend to God at any place and any time.

******************

May the Daily Examen become a part of your Regula of the Spiritual Life and draw you close to the God who loves you.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

A Benedictine's Jesuit Images (by Joan Chittister)

2009-12-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

Here is an article on the Jesuits by Joan Chittister, and if you click on this link it takes you to her website.

Thanks to my friend Gordon Carpenter for this brief article who gave it to me.

Brian K. Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Seven: Resolution to Amend...

2009-12-06T07:31:00.001-05:00

The final part of the Daily Examen, in the words of Ignatius:

The fifth point will be to resolve to amend with the grace of God. Close with an Our Father. (Exercises #43, 5)

This is the look ahead to tomorrow... and how tomorrow can be different with the insights learned today.

This is the "course correction" impulse of the Examen.
This is the alignment process of the Examen.

We ask for what we desire for tomorrow. We ask for strength, for grace, for humility, for whatever we need in light of what we have discerned. We ask for courage, wisdom, love, for whatever we need so we may do the missional work of engaging the world in the name of Christ.

Some of the genius of the Ignatian Way is that it is Contemplation, Reflection, Prayer and Discernment all is the service of Missional Service and Engagement. The Examen is not simply a self-focused time of prayer and discernment. It is a time to discover the Presence and Work of God leading us into the world for the purpose of "helping all."

So the Examen ends looking forward and looking outward and doing this with expectation.

I usually do not take very long in this final movement of the Examen. And I often do this with a deep sense of gratitude that I have tomorrow as another gift from God. I desire to make the most of that gift, that day, that opportunity... and always, for the greater glory of God.

And Ignatius counsels that we close with Our Father, who art in heaven . . .

So now you have the entire Examen as I practice it in light of the guidance of those who have practiced it much longer than I.

I encourage you to practice the Examen for the next 30 days and try to do it at least four of five times a week. Journal your experiences if that is helpful for you.

Next week I will conclude this series on the Examen by talking about a few practical details.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

p.s. Tomorow is an extra post for the week. it is a link to a very short reflection by Joan Chittister on why she likes the Jesuits. (Thanks for this link to one of my spiritual companions, Gordon.)

The Daily Examen, Part Six: Asking Forgiveness

2009-11-29T21:53:00.001-05:00

Ignatius says it very simply:

"The fourth point will be to ask pardon of God our Lord for my faults." (#43, 4)

The Daily Examen, if it has been rightly practiced, has led you into awareness and discernment of the Presence and Work of God in your life, as well as your inner responses to God.

The Examen has enabled us to see our inadequacies, the wrong things we have done, the good things we have left undone. We are aware of our inner "disorders" and our "inordinate attachments." The Scriptures and the Exercises name all this as sin. We experience sorrow about our sin and also longing for God to be with us.

The natural response to this awareness of disorder is to ask forgiveness and to receive healing from the God who loves us.

We ask for forgiveness with great expectation, for we ask forgiveness of the Prodigal (lavish) God who loves and longs for us, who accepts and pardons us, who heals and restores us. (Luke 15:11-32)

We ask forgiveness of a Gracious God who has instructed us to forgive others 77 times (or 70 x 7 times). The God who counsels us to forgive in this way, does so, because He forgives us in this way. (Matthew 18:21-22).

We ask forgiveness of the Christ who prayed, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do" as He hung on the cross for our sins. (Luke 23:34)

So we ask with full expectancy of receiving forgiveness, freedom and healing.

*****************

Your Daily Examen is almost over, just one more final part to this.

This week, practice the Examen several times, going through all the parts that have been described for you.

Pay attention to your experience of God as you do this.

Blessings and joy,

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Thirty Days on Retreat With the Spiritual Exercises by Paul Mariana

2009-11-27T20:52:00.001-05:00

Today, Black Friday, was spent (mainly) indoors, sitting at my favorite reading chair, curled up with some new friends (books). Much of the day I had by myself, so there was solitude and silence.

I had decided to read: Thirty Days on Retreat With the Exercises of St. Ignatius by Paul Mariani.

It was a delightful time... a moving time... a wistful time...

I would recommend this short book as a good read for anyone who would like to have a view of what a 30 day retreat is like for one who does the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius.

For me, it was especially moving, I think for several reasons.

One, I went to seminary on the North Shore of Boston and was familiar with much of the area that he described. The Jesuit Retreat Center he was at was Gonzaga Retreat House near Gloucester. Many old, good memories were stirred as I read this book.

Two, I have done the Spiritual Exercises, only in the form of the 19th Annotated Retreat, but still, am very familiar with them. It was a treat to listen in to the daily journey and experience of one Making the Exercises. My own experiences were woven in to the story as he described his time.

Three, I have read other Memoirs of those who have done the Exercises and told the their story. It is a genre of reading that is rich and spiritually formative, and more so with each memoir read.

As I finished with the last pages of his story, I had a sense of sadness and longing... one which he expressed in these words:

And did we not brush up against some Mystery together here? Did we not speak here as the angels speak, in a language beyond words? Did we not hear God singing to us? What can compare to that, really? We walked about talking and exchanging addresses, and the room with laughter. A laughter laced perhaps with sadness, knowing the this time will not come again...

How I shall miss the stately presence of my fellow pilgrims here. Already they're scattering to the wind, some to catch trains and planes, others in cars, ready to move on to whatever lies ahead. It all changes, doesn't it? Like the sea that keep crashing in, as it will when other pilgrims replace us, and others in time replace them...

So I knew I had been with a writer who managed to create a bond of fellowship between us . . . he my author and I his reader. And I felt the same sadness with the goodbyes... and a longing for more.

I felt a little like I did with the ending of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when I first read it in 8th grade. I cried when it was over. It could not be over. The Fellowship had to endure forever...

And later, years later, I slowly came to know that the Fellowship does endure. It stretches down through time, pilgrim after pilgrim, traveler following traveler, a Hall of Fame growing, a Cloud of Witnesses expanding. And one day I too will join them across the ocean.

Until then, there is much love, much learning, much service, much joyful obedience and a dark valley that is ours to experience.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Five: Review of the Day

2009-11-22T07:38:00.001-05:00

Finding God is All Things was a core theme for Ignatius. His belief was that God is always at work and to be found in the events and experiences of the day (John 5:17).

God is at work in our day and in its events as well. Our experience is that for most of us most of the time, we are too busy, our environment is too noisy and we are distracted. Silence is scarce. Focus is difficult. Awareness and discernment are at a premium.

So . . . instead of finding God in all things, we miss His Work and His Presence. We therefore the opportunity for constant course correction to be aligned with His Work.

Enter the Daily Examen...

For Ignatius, the Daily Examen was a way to find God, to pay attention to HIs activity and then to keep in step with the leading of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:25). To be sure, Ignatius had many additional tools to offer those wishing to grow in their ability to discern God's leading, but the Examen is at the heart of his way.

I have been a practitioner of the Examen for many years. This sustained practice eventually led me into another experience. As time (the years) went by and my skills in awareness and discernment grew, I began to experience what Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection called - The Practice of the Presence of God.

I no longer had to wait until the end of the day Examen to discover God's Presence and Work, I began to notice it "in the moment." I was able to make course adjustments "on the spot" due to that awareness. However, I still do the Examen and find it a valuable spiritual pathway.

The part of the Examen I am describing today is what is known as the review of the day and it is at the heart of the Examen.

When I first began to do the Examen in 1999 (and I was in very rough spiritual shape) I would do it late at night. I would get out my journal and begin to make a list of all that had happened to me that day. Events, situations, encounters, conversations, activities, AND my inner emotional engagements with all those things. Sometimes I had a list of 35 or 30 "items" on my list.

Then I would begin to reflect on many of those items, walking through them in sequence. I would think through what happened, how did I respond, how did I feel, why did I feel that. I was using the events of the day to go deep below the water line of my life. As I did this day after day, as you can guess, I began to notice patterns of interior issues. At that time, there was a lot of darkness. My inner world was messy and mysterious and frankly - confusing. It took a lot of time to sort it out. But the Examen was the tool by which that exploration took place.

NOTE: I wish I were an artist and could illustrate my day, that would be beautiful. I had to be satisfied with writing about it.)

Today, now about ten years later, I no longer write down that many experiences of a particular day. I am now more selective and usually can list, with just a little thought, the more significant things I should pay attention to.

Here is the list I made last night of some important events of my day (Thursday). [Note - I wrote this post Friday morning and set it to publish on Sunday.]

(1) My Spiritual Friendship group, which was a simply profound time of three of us engaging in this spiritual discipline. God showed up, insights were beautiful, God's work was wonderful. Lots of details and things to follow up on (and in my journal I did just that).

(2) A strategic meeting with a global worker about future partnerships. (God - what are you inviting us into?) We need discernment.

(3) A long email which took me about an hour to compose and rewrite, and edit. It was about an extremely important partnership and it had loads of implications. I didn't send it. I felt I should sit on it longer. That night I processed - what is going on?

(4) Working on a proposal for another leader about an opportunity. (great stuff... again, how are you leading in this?)

(5) A phone conversation with a person who is hurting.

(6) A few hours of being with a good number of people who are a part of a mid-size community which I lead. As a community, we volunteered to do a lot of the work in preparing and serving a Thanksgiving Dinner for an inner city sister church. Wow... lots of smaller experiences during that time. What was I feeling? What was going on?

(7) A few minutes with the Leading Edge team and its trainers and participants. I had strong feelings of consolation and joy as I was with them.

(8) And then to finish the day, two hours with an extraordinary group of missional leaders who have gathered for a conference... hearing three plenary sessions.

This is what I wrote down in my journal. Then I began to reflect, pray and explore these experiences and their meaning... and above all - where is God and what is He up to in and through these experiences.

In the moment I was also paying attention to God's work, but at the end of the day, in my Examen, I had more focused time to attend to these things and to wonder about the patterns weaving through them. I found some things that I did not see "in the moments" as they were happening.

*******************

For many years, the Examen was the primary pathway for me to discover and move further in to God's Presence and Work.

Now, it is an Enhancement pathway. I do not practice it with the frequency I once did. In part, that is due to the fact that much of my day is a living Examen.

Still, I find it useful (often) to do a more focused end of day Examen. Sometimes I will do an end of week Examen.

*******************

For this week, I recommend that you mainly practice this review. Do a very brief walk through of the previous parts of the Examen... enough to become centered and ready, but give this part the majority of your time. I recommend that you journal this process. Journaling is not required, but it sure is helpful for focused attention. Writing both focuses the attention and it slows the thinking. It creates space for the Spirit of God to imprint your mind and heart.

Write down ten or twenty or as many as is useful items from your day.

After you have your list, look them over and do an initial selection of which ones seem most important and most worthy of reflection.

Now, start to reflect. I use a set of questions to launch this reflection. Use these questions, or ones similar.

God what were you doing as this ____________ was taking place?

God what were you saying to me about __________ but I missed it in the moment?

God what did you want me to do about _________ but I missed it in the moment?

God what do you want me to see and hear now about ________________ ?

God what do you want me to learn and to do about ____________ ?

These questions are not always directly and obviously answered. On the other hand, you will be pleasantly surprised at the spiritual insights you begin to discover as you ask them.

Ask... listen.. reflect... write... pray... wait... and continue to move in and out of those things.

Grace and Discernment...

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Another Edition of the Spiritual Exercises

2009-11-16T23:08:00.001-05:00

One of the early posts I did on this site was a short discussion about some of the versions of the Spiritual Exercises that are available for your use.

To check out that post on the Text of the Spiritual Exercises, click here.

Since that time, I have become aware of another very fine version which I highly recommend. It has the title:

Draw Me Into Your Friendship: The Spiritual Exercises: A Literal Translation and a Contemporary Reading by David L. Fleming, S.J.

Fleming is an outstanding Jesuit scholar and spiritual director.

His book is unique in that it has a literal translation of the Exercises on the left page and on the right is his contemporary "reading" or paraphrase + commentary. So you can read what Ignatius said 500 years ago and you can read an up to date version. It some ways, it reminds me of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible - The Message.

If you go to Amazon, you will find they do not have it available, so they list sellers who are asking a ridiculous price for used books. (Especially in light of the fact on the next line.)

Instead, go to this page on the Institute of Jesuit Sources site.

This should take you to the page called Series IV. If you are not on the page, just click on Series IV which is on the left hand column and it will bring it up. Most of the way down the first page of resources in that section, you will find the book available for $22.95. This is a fourth printing, so I imagine when second hand sellers realize a new printing is available, they may drop the price.

If you are serious about the Exercises, this one is worth having.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Four - Petition and Asking for What You Desire

2009-11-15T16:29:00.001-05:00

This is the third step in the Daily Examen as I am presenting it to you. For Ignatius, it is the second step. With this step, we run into a tension. The tension is how to interpret the Examen when Ignatius talks about sin. What does Ignatius mean and how should we practice the Examen?

I'll spend a few minutes talking about this issue. The second half of the post will be on suggestions to practice this part of the Examen.

This tension is easily seen by comparing Ignatius' words and the re-wording offered by Timothy Gallagher in The Examen Prayer (pp. 25).

The Ignatian Text (#43, paragraph 2)
The second point is to ask for grace to know my sins and to rid myself of them.

Gallagher's Suggested Revision
I ask God for an insight and a strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.

Ignatius wants us to have grace so we may discern our sins and be rid of them.

Gallagher omits any reference to sin. The closest he gets to naming sin is later when he describes this part of the Examen wanting to know "all that hinders our freedom for growth in our relationship with God" (which is a legitimate, but very nuanced way of talking about sin).

Here is the issue in brief.

Ignatius actually called the Daily Examen... Method of Making the General Examination of Conscience. Many of the Jesuit spiritual directors believe this wording (as we understand it today) turns the Examen into a moralistic exercise that is concerned with good and evil, what is right and wrong... and what Ignatius really meant was an examination of one's consciousness. In other words, a more general awareness of one's interior world and the presence of God at work in that interior world.

These authors believe the idea of sin is not as useful today, easily misunderstood and capable of legalistic, morally simplistic tendencies. Gallagher (apparently) is one who believes like this. For he reframes this part of the Examen in a "milder, softer, gentler" way.

I think it is helpful to remember the CONTEXT in which the Examen is offered by Ignatius. From Notes #24 - #90, Ignatius talks of sin (First Week), using the strong biblical language to describe it. Ignatius wanted retreatants to clearly see their sin and see their need for God's grace to overcome that sin. The instruction on doing a Daily Examen is Note #43 and it is hard to avoid the fact that for Ignatius, the awareness of sin is significant.

It is possible to simply say that Ignatius lived during a more primitive time when misunderstandings about human psychology were normal. That Ignatius had a worldview that almost mandated his views of sin. And that today we have a healthier and more accurate understanding of the human person.

it is also possible to say that Ignatius had a more robust biblical worldview and that some more modern interpreters are influenced by an alternative worldview.

So - what to do?
Follow the literal guidance of Ignatius?
Or to go with the reframing of his guidance?
We will see this same issue come up later in the Examen.
Ultimately, you will have to choose, but I'll give you a brief explanation of how to do it either way.

*************************

Suggestions for Practicing This Part of the Examen

First, using the literal guidance of Ignatius (which I usually do), I use his exact language and prayerfully ask God for grace to know my sins. I do this because the heart (and my heart) is deceitful, confused, capable of great darkness, quick to justify, blame-shift and rationalize... and my heart will naturally do this. So I need grace to know I am loved, forgiven and secure in God so I may have the courage and will to name my sin and not excuse it, not minimize it, nor hide from it.

I listen, reflect and consider what comes to mind. If there are strong, negative emotions that I have experienced during the day, they usually come to mind quickly. Those emotional experiences are likely to have a "dark side" component and if that is there, sin is usually involved.

Yesterday, I was aware that I had some irritation that was like a constant low-grade fever. It was not overwhelming, but it was persistent and I was aware of it all day. As I moved through this part of the Examen, I immediately sat with this experience and asked God to show me what was going on in my irritation. I moved into a fruitful examination of that irritation, understood the external circumstances that were the occasion of this irritation AND the inner weakness and darkness of my own heart on this matter.

Then I asked for the grace to be free, not just from the irritation, but from the underlying source of that irritation. I asked for the needed grace to respond with trust and joy in the face of that irritation producing external situation as well as the inner sin that interacted with it..

This very process brought an immediate relief to my soul and it was easier to draw near to God in the time that followed. The low-grade fever of irritation has been removed. Now that I am in a greater experience of freedom, I ask for the grace to notice the Presence, Work and Word of God that was with me throughout my day.

This is my desire. To notice God, to attend to God, to be with God in love, worship and obedience. How I ask this, or how I name my desire will vary from day to day.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek . . . (Psalm 27:4)

I will often keep in mind the question Jesus asked of Bartimaeus.

What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10:51)

I consider what I want and then I ask that of Jesus.

For my Evangelical Theology and Spirituality, this is a very grace-filled way to notice and deal with the sins of one's day and to then be ready to notice and seek God.

*************************

Second, using Gallagher's revised approach. I would simply start out, prayerfully asking God for the grace to be able to see what he wants me to see about my day.

William Barry reminds us that desire is what is most important. You do not have to have theological sophistication or advanced skills in spirituality to know what you desire. Get in touch with desire and name that desire to God.

I like to go a bit further than this. I ask God that I will desire what he desires, want what he wants... that my longings would be holy longings.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I do this because C.S. Lewis believes our desires are too weak. They are too earthbound. Too limited. Our desires need lifted up with the "weight of glory." Our desires need strong substance infused in to them from God. So I ask God to renew my desires... to make me a man after his heart.

I ask God to give me a deeper, clearer understanding about His Presence, Work, and Word. Show me His Will and His Way.

I ask for enlightenment and for eyes to see and ears to hear.

I ask for illumination and strength. And then I am ready for the next MAJOR part of the Examen.

************************

You have already been working on:

the First Step - Awareness and Centering
the Second Step - Gratitude.

Now you should add:

the Third Step - Prayer Desire for Grace / Prayer Desire for Grace to Know My Sin and be Free

Continue to practice your Examen a few times this week doing all three steps.

Next week will be the CENTRAL part of the Examen. It is the most involved and it is the part of the Examen that requires the most time.

Tomorrow I have a short "bonus" post on another very good edition of the Spiritual Exercises.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Three: Gratitude

2009-11-08T22:17:00.001-05:00

This is a longer reflection/essay about the place and purpose of Gratitude in the Daily Examen. I begin with a little reflection about the importance of gratitude in my life. Then I talk about gratitude in the Examen, followed with practical guidance on how to practice gratitude.

The Text: (#43)
Ignatius simply says, "The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the favors received."

In Spanish, the word translated "favors" is "beneficios." I am reminded of the Psalm, "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits---" (Psalm 103:2

One of My Core Values is Gratitude:
This was not always so for me. About the time I turned 40 (13 years ago), for the first time, I developed a Core Values list. This was a great process for me. It was a time of self-discovery, out of which came a significant tool to remind me of what I most deeply valued. My Core Values became a guiding "document" for how I would live and serve.

Three years ago, I felt it was time for a revisioning of that Core Values document. Life had changed. I had changed. My ministry had changed... and it seemed appropriate to re-visit this guiding ethos and discern if change was needed in it as well. This too was a spiritually rich process. Most of the original ethos remained unchanged, but two items were dropped, two new ones were added and several of the others rewritten to better express who I was becoming.

One of the new values that was added was the Value of Gratitude.

Perhaps I added this because I knew my personality bent is "the glass is half empty." I am, using the old word from the Greeks, a melancholy by temperament. I see the pain and brokenness of our fallen world, easily. I can quickly become sad and pessimistic in the face of that brokenness.

Perhaps it was because I know my tendencies toward perfectionism. I am rarely satisfied with what I do or accomplish, always believing it can be better. So the restless energy of dissatisfaction is a frequent companion in my life.

Perhaps it was because I have similar high standards and expectations for those around me. I also value things like excellence, hard work, energetic commitment, results, fruitfulness and success. To use the good word, I am passionate about the Kingdom of God. To use the "not so good word," I can be driven about it as well. And when things are not up to my standards or expectations, I can be critical and negative.

Perhaps it is because my own dark side can deteriorate into narcissistic self-absorption with pity and complaining when things are not going my way.

Probably it is all of this and more. I certainly resonate with these words from Dostoyevsky.

If he is not stupid, he is monstrously ungrateful. Phenomenally ungrateful. In fact, I believe the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped.

(Note: I have collected several quotes about gratitude and have included them at the end of this reflection.)

So when I redid my Core Values, I was acutely aware that gratitude and thankfulness, rejoicing and celebration were not a consistent part of my daily experience. And they needed to be my daily experience. So, I uploaded Gratitude into my revised values, knowing this one was only aspirational and not actual, and that a lot of spiritual work was going to be needed for it to become actual and real.

The Daily Examen:
In the Daily Examen, gratitude has a place of prominence. The spiritual practice of the Examen is theologically rooted in a belief that God is the loving God who above all else, freely gives Himself to us along with all other good things. This idea emerges out of passages like:

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will be not also along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights... (James 1:17).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

The reality of a Good, Generous, Gracious God, who freely and abundantly Gives -- is the theological grounding for the experience and practice of Gratitude. (Sorry, I just could not resist a little alliteration.)

To know we are deeply, unconditionally loved and blessed by such a God, and then to live with gratitude, this is not merely a supplemental idea for Ignatius, it is at the heart of the Ignatian Way and the Daily Examen.

From time to time, when I am talking about sin to a group of people, I will ask the question:

Is there a sin that is more fundamental, more foundational, more "original" than the others? Is there a sin from which the others seem to flow? This almost always generates some intense and intriguing conversation. Ignatius would offer these words as his contribution to that discussion:

Ingratitude is one of the things most worthy of detestation before our Creator and Lord... out of all the evils and sins which can be imagined. For it is a failure to recognize the good things, the graces, and the gifts received. As such, it is the cause, beginning, and origin of ALL evils and sins. (Ignatius letter to Simon Rodriguez, March 18, 1542, quoted in The Examen Prayer, page 59.)

Some Recommended Ways to Practice Gratitude in your Daily Examen:
It is time to move to some practical guidance for how to incorporate gratitude as part of your Daily Examen. These are not rules, just "helps" or "guides" for you to work with. You may come up with some of your own preferred ways of engaging in this part of the Examen.

(1) The simplest way to do this is to walk back through your day, consciously aware that all good things you had and received and experienced were the gift of God to you. As you note each one, practice gratitude, feel grateful, say thank-you.

(2) Sometimes I will focus on a particular part of a day that seems to be especially meaningful for me, and I linger on that experience and sit gratefully with it.

(3) A more advanced and challenging practice is to recall the difficulties, struggles, and even the sufferings of the day, and see even these as the occasion for gratitude. Admittedly, this is a "tricky" path to navigate, but an important one for us. It is harder for North Americans because we live in a pleasure seeking, comfort obsessed culture and it is hard for us to experience struggle and difficulty and not complain about it.

To help you think through this issue, you may want to reflect on an extreme case of suffering and the person's attitude toward it, by looking at Job's initial response to his sufferings in Job 1:20-22; 2:9-10. You may also want to look at Acts 5:40-41 where the apostles rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for Christ. Plus, Henri Nouwen's little book - The Wounded Healer gives some wonderful perspective as to the nature of our sufferings.

(4) Sometimes in an Examen, I will focus on a particular issue or theme or situation, and consider it more broadly than the day's actual experience. For example, if I had a conversation with a friend and I am grateful for that conversation, I may expand my reflection to that friendship in general and be grateful in a broader sense. I may expand that to being grateful for many friends, even if I had no specific encounter with those people during the day.

The other day, in my Examen, I was very grateful for a ministry opportunity that I had. That specific experience became the stepping stone for me to reflect on a number of other recent opportunities and I felt gratitude for all of them, gratitude for being called by God, grateful for my vocation. It was very powerful. In addition, that expanded realm of gratitude launched a reflection later as I was reflecting on the leading of God and moved into a time of discernment concerning some future opportunities.

(5) There are some times when my gratitude is launched out of a reflection on a biblical theme. This fall I have been teaching the letter to the Ephesians. I had a very moving time of gratitude as I reflected on "the every spiritual blessings" I/we have received from God through Christ (Ephesians 1:3). I slowly read through the following verses (3-14) which lists some of those spiritual blessings. As I thought about each one, I practiced gratitude.

This is a very useful way to move into a time of gratitude. I will sometimes pause for gratitude when I read and reflect on a characteristic of God, or about the work of God in the world and in my life. Our reflections on Scripture should often initiate the experience of gratitude.

(6) Here is one more that is not exactly associated with the Daily Examen, but which can be done as a separate spiritual exercise. Perhaps you have heard of a Whole Life Confession. This is an exercise in which the individual "walks" through their entire history, paying attention to the sin dynamics that were at work through the years. You are specific in naming sins and sin eruptions in your life. This is for the purpose of sorrow, confession and repentance... and for moving deeper into forgiveness and freedom about your past. There is much more I could say about that practice, but this is not the place.

However, I use that same model and to a Whole Life Gratitude, which is doing the same thing, but identifying every gift, every blessing, every grace you have received through life. It is a wonderful spiritual exercise and it helps you Find God and His gifts in a sweeping survey of your life. It really gives you a new perspective and orientation about God's presence and work in your life.

***************************

Remember, the movement of Gratitude is just one part of the Daily Examen. On most days, I make my through the entire Examen... but not always. There are times when I mainly practice this part of the Examen.

For the week ahead, I recommend that you simply practice this part of the Examen. Practice gratitude. Practice looking back through your day to discover the presence, the work and the gifts of God, and to be thankful for each one.

Next week I will talk about: Desire and Asking for what you Desire.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Here are the quotes:

All goods look better when they look like gifts. Chesterton, Saint Francis of Assisi

Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone? Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but parent of all the others. Cicero

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank-you,” that would suffice. Meister Eckhart, German mystic

Sometimes the most grateful pilgrim is the one whose road has been the rockiest. James Martin

If he is not stupid, he is monstrously ungrateful. Phenomenally ungrateful. In fact, I believe the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped. Dostoevsky

One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong is worth a thousand thanks when things go right. John of the Cross

Patient Trust (de Chardin, SJ)

2009-11-07T17:14:00.001-05:00

Patient Trust

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability---and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually--let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part Two: Awareness and Centering

2009-11-01T06:48:00.001-05:00

I exercise four or five days a week. I have pretty challenging routines of both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. A common mistake many people make is to dive right in to their training routines at the full intensity. Not only is this a mistake, it can be a costly one. For the body is not yet ready for vigorous, demanding exercise. The muscles are not loose or limber for what you are about to do to them.

Instead, you must warm up. Easy jogging causes the blood to begin to flow which warms up the muscles. Stretching helps loosen muscles that are tight. Light weights with slow moving repetitions prepare the muscles for greater demands.

How long a person needs to warm up is entirely personal, but I find that 5-10 minutes are about right for a good time of physical exercise.

I think the spiritual body needs warmed up as well. You aren't going to risk injury to your spirit by not warming up. But, without the warm up, I don't believe you will be as focused and ready for the Ignatian Workout (the title of Tim Muldoon's book, by the way.)

The spiritual warm up prepares your heart, mind and soul by helping you put aside distractions. Your attention is scattered and drawn to many things. You want to gather your attention to refocus it on God's presence. Your mind is naturally wandering (or racing) and you want to slow things down and redirect them in the way God is inviting you to walk.

Awareness and Centering is the first movement in the Daily Examen. Gallagher says, the Examen is "...profoundly relational... before all else we become aware simply of being with the God who is looking upon us."

This awareness is gained when we slow down refocus on the God who is with us and who loves us. There are several ways I use to do this.

ONE that works well for me is the slow repeating of a phrase that I use as a prayer of longing, desire, and invitation. The phrase changes, although I have a few that I use more than others. Most of them are very short and are the words of Scripture. This is not the time to be "wordy." It is a time to (1) feel your own desire for God and (2) to become conscious of the God who is with you. Too many words can be distracting.

Here are some phrases I use. I mainly use one phrase to begin an Examen. Sometimes I may use more than one, but usually, it is just one, repeated several times.

Come Lord Jesus...
My soul longs for you...
I love you Lord...
I seek your face O Lord...
Here I am Lord...

A SECOND way is to use your imagination. Imagination was a favorite and frequent spiritual exercise that Ignatius recommended. Ignatius wanted the heart engaged with God and he knew the power of the imagination to stir the affections toward God. In this case the imagination focuses on a story or an idea from the Bible that shows relationship.

I have used imagination to recall:

God walking with Adam and Even in the garden.
Moses standing before the burning bush.
David (the Psalmist King) in the quiet of the night pouring out his heart to God.
Jesus inviting his disciples to come and be with him.
Mary sitting listening to Jesus.
Jesus walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

The way of using any of these stories is to imagine God with the person and to sense the longing of the person and to know that God desires to be with them. And then for you to experience that same longing.

A THIRD way is to sit in silence and practice slow breathing. When I do this, I will often use the name Jesus to focus my attention on Christ. I sit in a comfortable chair with good posture. I'll have my hands resting on legs with the palms turned up in the posture of receptivity. Sometimes this is sufficient, and other times I move into the first practice I mentioned.

A FOURTH way is to have a few favorite verses from the Psalms that are about longing and desire for God,or about your need for God. Again, you don't want to be too wordy. This is not a Bible study time, nor even a lectio divina (spiritual reading) time. One or two verses read prayerfully, spoken out loud prayerfully, repeated two or three times... and always with the sense of desire.

*************

This "entry way" into the Examen does not take very long. If I am very distracted and my mind is racing, it may take a few moments to become quiet interiorly (in the interior of your being). If there are distractions around you, they will intrude, so be sure to practice the Examen in a setting where external distractions are at a minimum.

This entry way is like the front porch or a foyer of a house. You are not meant to stand in the entry way for long. It is just the "way in" to the house. I don't have a watch with me, but I doubt it spend more than 2 or 3 minutes in this first step. Sometimes it takes only a few seconds for my attention and awareness to connect with God.

But this entry way is valuable for getting in touch with desire and longing for God. It is useful for preparing the mind and heart for reflection. It is useful for letting go of the distractions of the day.

This week, you may want to experiment, practicing this first step into the Examen.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

The Daily Examen, Part One: Introduction

2009-10-25T18:53:00.002-04:00

When I first began my exploration of and experience with contemplative spirituality, the Daily Examen was THE discipline at the center of this journey.

I was in pretty rough shape at the time. Burned out. Disillusioned with the ministry. Tired of leadership. Tired of being a bad leader. Frustrated and scared of how little I knew or experienced God. Wondering if God loved me. Doubting that I loved Him.

I learned how to do the Daily Examen from a class I took with John Ackerman (to the right) about ten years ago. John was a deeply spiritual and wonderfully wise and gentle teacher. The slow, halting, inadequate practice of this discipline was my lifeline. Every night, late at night, I would be in my study (sometimes for hours) doing the Examen... reflecting, journaling, praying, crying, seeking...

Through the Examen, I begin to pay attention to what was going on in my external environment, what was going on in my inner world in response to the stuff happening around me, and above all - where was Christ in both external and internal worlds. Attentiveness happened early... awareness took longer... insight was later in coming... transformation tagged along last.

Ten years later, the Examen is still a part of my "Regula."

******************

Some interpreters of Ignatius believe that the Examen is the central Ignatian spiritual exercise. I think they are right. Ignatius was not the first or only one to use the Examen, but it has come to be so associated with him, that if you do a Google Search, most of the top references have to do with the Ignatian Examen.

Ignatian spirituality has a core belief that God communicates with human beings through their experiences. The experiences of one's day become the "conTEXT" for one to do a "spiritual reading." Daily experience is the place where God is at work (John 5:17) and where Jesus is present (Matthew 28:20) and about which Jesus wants to speak with us (John 14:26).

Presence... Work... Word...

The Jesuits were committed to Finding God in All Things and the practice of the Daily Examen was/is the main spiritual disciplines to do this.

The Daily Examen is one way to receive illumination and enlightenment concerning the Presence, Work and Word of God (Ephesians 1:17-18) in one's life.

As an evangelical, this completely resonates with me. Our tradition is Word centered. We love the Scriptures. We love to study the Bible. We value it enormously as the Word of God, revelation and truth. Through the pages of the Old and New Testament the Person and the Way of God is revealed to us.

I do not think we always know how to engage with the Scriptures in ways that actually connect us with the heart of God and which transform our lives... but that is another post. The point here is, the Bible is the central avenue to walk in our search for knowing God.

Ignatius believed this and that is why Scriptural reflection is so central to the Spiritual Exercises.

In addition to this, Ignatius believed hundreds of years before Henry Blackaby (pictured above, to the right), that God is present with and working through the experiences of every day life. We must learn how to discover God in those experiences. Ignatius also believed that the same God was at work in our hearts and that this work is most clearly discerned as our hearts respond to the events of the day. Provided we have a way to notice this inner and outer work.

*************************

43. Method of Making the General Examination of Conscience
There are five points in this method.

The words above are how Ignatius begins his one page explanation of this method. (By the way, the numbers refer to the paragraph section and not to a page.)

Here is one way (and how I) practice the Examen. I will give you the "steps" or "movements" today and in the weeks to come, take one step each post and explore it a bit more fully. You do not need to wait to begin practicing the Examen until I have presented all the steps. It is worth your while to practice each step and add to it as the weeks go by.

ONE: Awareness and Centering Prayer... this is really the preparation for Examen.

TWO: Gratitude... becoming aware of what you have received during the day that was God's gift to you. And being thankful for those gifts. (This is actually the first step Ignatius gives.)

THREE: Desire or Prayer... asking God for what you deeply desire in terms of your Examen.

FOUR: The Review of the Day... this is at the heart of the Examen and can be practiced in different ways. This is when you walk through your day, remembering both the experiences of the day and your responses to the day (your inner responses and your external responses). And paying attention to where God was at work and speaking but you did not notice "in the moment." (Some teachers of the Examen will recommend that you then pick "one" experience and response and move in to it more deeply.

FIVE: Forgiveness... asking for grace and pardon for the faults discerned and seeking healing concerning those things. (Some teachers of the Examen add more general petitions in to this movement as well.)

SIX: Amending and Anticipating... this is the action step of prayerful commitment to move forward and looking ahead to the next day. How will I live differently by God's grace? What will God's grace have for me in the day to come? (With this, the Ignatian method is ended.)

SEVEN: Some approaches encourage a final moment of rest, contemplation and awareness of how God has been with you in the time of Examen.

If steps two through six are the rooms of the Examen house.
Step one is the front porch entry way.
Step seven is the back porch departure.

A Few Ignatian Nuggets and the Jesuits in Cordoba Argentina

2009-10-20T22:38:00.002-04:00

I am writing this while in Argentina teaching... so I don't have time for substantial writing on the Exercises. But here are a few nuggets that I hope will be as meaningful for you as they are for me.

FIRST, an accolade from Ron Hansen, novelist (left).
"I have simply been trying to figure out how to live my life magnificently, as Ignatius did, who sought in all his works and activities, the greater glory of God."

SECOND, an illumination from Howard Gray, S.J. (below)."Ignatian spirituality is at heart a discerning pilgrimage to God guided by three important elements: the reality of Christ, the mission entrusted to the church and human experience."

THIRD, a prayer from Ignatius.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will - all that I have and possess. You, Lord, have given all to me. I now give it back to you, O Lord. All of it is yours. Dispose of it according to your will. Give me love of yourself along with your grace, for that is enough for me.

*****************

I too would like to live magnificently as did Ignatius.

That means, I too,(most likely) must be on a discerning pilgrimage to God guided by the same elements that guided Ignatius.

And it means I need to genuinely pray prayers similar to what Ignatius did.

Cordoba was one of the center's for Jesuit mission. If a future life, if I have the time, I would love to walk some of the Jesuit trails in Latin America. Doing this in Argentina would be nice. For two nights, I was staying one block away from the Jesuit block. The block is literally a city block near the center of Cordoba. It is a church and place of learning and residence for the early Jesuits in Argentina. The next time I am here, I am going to do a proper tour of the place, which now has a museum in it as well. While I was there, I did buy a copy of the Exercises in Spanish.

What was also real interesting is that several of the Protestant leaders that were at the training course are interested in the Jesuits and the Exercises. But, a few who had the book, made the observation that is at the heart of my motivation to produce a useful "manual." They said, they couldn't figure out how to do the Exercises!

I surfed the web looking for good resources I could link for anyone interested in this little tid bit of information. Here is the best I could find.

Lugares Magazine: The Jesuits in Argentina has some basic history, short and easy to read.

A website devoted to Jesuit Stamps from around the world! Who would have ever guessed! But this was really fun since I use to be a stamp collector and you can get a nice little bit of history added in to describe the stamps. This link is one that shows you the Cordoba Block which is also pictured below.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Check Back Later in October

2009-10-14T21:38:00.001-04:00

I am on a missions trip and probably wont' post until the last Sunday in October.

Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com