By Sr. Mary Kansier
Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln
The Church celebrates the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola July 31. He lived in Spain and was injured in a battle in 1521. To pass the time during his extended recovery, he read the lives of the saints. He realized that he experienced great peace not only when reading, but after. This prompted him to realize the emptiness of seeking glory as a soldier. After a pilgrimage and a retreat, he decided to dedicate his life to God. He eventually wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a set of meditations and prayers designed to help others discern their own spiritual paths. Today these are used around the world in retreats and other programs.
Since July 31 is also my birthday, I have always had an affinity for St. Ignatius. However, it wasn’t until I made an eight-day Ignatian Retreat that his spirituality really impacted me. While Scripture was always a mainstay in my daily prayer, I gained a deeper appreciation for entering the Scriptures with my God-given imagination, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart concerning the events of my life. Between making two eight-day retreats, attending the Cenacle School of Spiritual Direction (in Clearwater, Fla.), and making a 30-day retreat, the Holy Spirit has convinced me that Ignatian prayer is anointed.
There are many aspects to Ignatian prayer. The foundation is an understanding of spiritual consolation and desolation. There are three “actors” in the spiritual life: the individual, the good spirit (God, grace, angels, and helpful influences), and the enemy (Satan, disordered tendencies, and harmful influences). Spiritual consolation is any interior movement in the soul that draws it closer to God. Spiritual desolation is any movement away from God and is often a tactic from the evil one meant to discourage drawing closer to God. Learning to recognize the various movements of my own spirit and what motivates me to draw closer to God is a life-long enterprise fueled by daily Examen – looking over my day in gratitude and with the Holy Spirit, finding moments when I was walking toward or away from God.
A second important aspect of Ignatian prayer is using a God-given, Spirit-inspired imagination to see Scripture in an ever-new way. One meditation during my 30-day retreat stands out. Early in the retreat, the Holy Spirit made me aware of an un-Christlike response that had frequently come up in my daily Examen. The meditation was on Zaccheus, the short tax-collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. In my imagination, I was in the tree with Zaccheus waiting for Jesus to come by, when I was reminded of the behavior which needed to change. I spent much of the meditation asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the source of the problem, and no answer came. I returned to the imaginative meditation, and I was in the tree – only instead of Zaccheus, I was sitting next to Jesus. We exchanged a short playful dialogue (“Uh, Jesus, you’re supposed to be down there!”) when he looked me in the eyes and said, “You are worthy.” I realized my un-Christlike responses had been a defense reaction when I felt incompetent or undeserving. His love for me in that moment was deeply personal and healing.
A third element of St. Ignatius’ legacy is surrender. Every Ignatian retreat climaxes with the Suscipe, a beautiful prayer beginning, “Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will.” Surrendering our entire heart, mind and soul to God is a life-long endeavor.
As a consecrated religious, prayer is the most important aspect of life. Daily, my prayer is liturgical, scriptural, devotional, vocal, contemplative, meditative and deeply personal. Over the last 10 years, my meditative prayer life has been re-energized by Ignatian retreats and prayer. I am ever in awe at the movement of the Holy Spirit and the insights given in daily prayer, especially meditation with Scripture. Make it a priority to take time each day with God’s word – He will speak and He will move!
For more information on Ignatian prayer, go to https://www.discerninghearts.com.
