Ignatian Spirituality in English
Ignatian Guided Meditations: Starting 11th October
We are very fortunate to be given the opportunity to use the Stanislas Chapel on Friday evenings for English meditations. The meditations in Dutch take place in the chapel on Saturday mornings and all are welcome. The meditations are the perfect way to discover Ignatian Spirituality and the amazing benefits it can have on your own life. It also reveals the power of praying together in a circle in a completely silent chapel. Although these are offered weekly, everyone is free to attend as infrequently or as often as they wish. It is important to sign up to the Whatsapp group so that you are informed if the meditation is cancelled.
Guided meditations are given using Bible texts and music. The meditation lasts 30 minutes and is in silence. People are asked to arrive in good time. The text is given on paper and is read aloud by the person giving the meditation. This person will give a stimulus to prayer in the form of a comment or a relevant question about every five minutes. After the meditation there is the opportunity for those who wish to stay behind for a ‘sharing’ of their thoughts and experiences during the meditation. The sharing is guided and contemplative to ensure a safe environment for everyone. What is shared is respectfully received and stays within that room. Coffee or tea with biscuits is always offered during the sharing. The meditation and refreshments are free but we encourage a small voluntary contribution towards the costs involved.
Spiritual Exercises
St Ignatius of Loyola founded the religious order of the Jesuits (The Society of Jesus) in 1541. Our present Pope is a Jesuit. Ignatius developed the Spiritual Exercises based on his own experiences and those of people he guided. It was Ignatius’ vocation to help as many people as possible to live happier, more meaningful and more peaceful lives by prayerfully discerning what God wanted for them.
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola
The Spiritual Exercises are not suitable for everybody and are often chosen by people who are facing an important decision or change in their lives and have some experience praying with Bible texts. The exercises enable people to get to know Jesus very deeply becoming more and more aware of how He saw people and treated them with compassion and honesty. By meditating over a period of months over Jesus’ life, people find themselves becoming more and more like Jesus in the way they look at life and the people around them. This leads to experiencing life in a more peaceful and happy way. The exercises end with a contemplation to attain love.
The Spiritual Exercises were developed for a 30-day silent retreat praying for one hour five times a day but, even in Ignatius’ time, the need for adapting these to be done in daily life was apparent. The exercises can de followed over a period of about 9 months in daily life praying for one hour every day. Ignatius emphasized the need for the exercises to be done with a trained spiritual guide (or director). Each person following the exercises in daily life will talk with their spiritual guide once a week about their experiences and feelings during prayer. It is the task of the spiritual guide to look for, and notice, the particular movements which show God at work with the individual person. The guide brings these movements to the attention of the person doing the exercises helping them to see how God communicates with them. The spiritual guide is also alert to detecting when a person may become lost in negative thoughts not coming from God. The guide is someone who observes how God relates to the person doing the exercises. He or she does not interfere with the deeply personal and individual relationship which develops between God and the person reaching out to Him. The Spiritual Exercises require a deep commitment and a determination to faithfully devote an hour a day to prayer and the time needed to keep a spiritual diary and meet with the spiritual director.
The Three-Month Retreat in Daily Life
The three-month retreat involves a similar commitment as the full spiritual exercises. The three-month retreat is based on the spiritual exercises but is a much shorter and lighter version enabling people to experience the benefits of a commitment to daily prayer and regular guidance from a spiritual guide. Some experience of praying with bible texts is desirable before beginning the three-month retreat. The retreat does require considerable commitment but for less time than the full exercises. Weekly meetings with your spiritual guide are an important part of this retreat.
Spiritual Guidance
Many people do not want or need to embark on a retreat in daily life but benefit from simple guidance in their prayer life from an experienced spiritual guide. A meeting every few weeks to talk about prayer and experiences during prayer, but also during everyday life, enriches the relationship with God. The spiritual guide offers suggestions for prayer.
Costs
All these activities are free and all spiritual guidance is given on a voluntary basis. There are costs involved so if you are able to make a contribution to the Platform for Ignatian Spirituality this would be most welcome. You can do this by placing a deposit on the bank account of the Platform for Ignatian Spirituality: R.K. Stichting Ignatiushuis (IBAN: NL19INGB 0004 9783 00— BIC: INGBNL2A) stating: ‘Gift Ignatius Delft’.