1. One Day Retreats or Days of Recollection
2. Individualy Directed silents retreats
3. Retreats to Groups with preached sessions.
The following section is designed to aid those who will be taking the 8 Week Busy Person's Retreat with me as their director.
Commitment Level:
1. Participants make a commitment to pray each day for at least 45 minutes with a specific Scripture Passage.
2. Participants will meet with a spiritual director once each week for eight weeks for about an hour.
Entering Into Prayer:
1. Find a suitable place to pray – free from many distractions
2. Realize that harmony of body and spirit is important
3. Spend a few moments of quieting yourself before praying. Allow yourself to come into the presence of the Lord.
4. Ask for the grace you most desire. (What do you want?)
5. Read the Scripture Passage s-l-o-w-l-y.
6. Pause where you feel most drawn…keeps you “engaged”.
7. Stay with it and/or ponder it as the Blessed Virgin Mary did.
8. With your heart and being, respond to God in a simple way as if you were conversing with God directly.
A Way to Enter into Prayer:
1. Acknowledge – Relate – Receive – Respond (A.R.R.R.)
I would like to start these reflections on prayer by inviting to you to simply pray and read over the Sunday Gospel and while doing so open yourself up to this process that the Institute of Priestly Formation (in bold) lays before us as a method of prayer:
You have sat with God’s Word. You have entered into the scene. Now, once you feel God is saying something to you, acknowledge what stirs within you. Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and desires. These are important.
Once you’ve acknowledged what’s going on inside your heart, relate this to God. Don’t just think about what’s going on. Don’t simply think about God. Don’t think about how God might react. Relate to God. Tell him how you feel. Tell him what you think. Tell him what you want. Share all your thoughts, feelings, and desires with God. Share everything with Him.
Once you’ve shared everything with God, receive. Listen to what He’s telling you. It could be a subtle voice you hear. It could be a memory that pops up. Maybe He invites you to re-read the Scripture passage. Perhaps you feel something in your body. Perhaps he invites you into a still, restful, silence. Trust that God is listening to you and receive what He wants to share with you.
Now respond however you want. It could be more conversation. It could be a resolution. It could be tears or laughter. Respond to what you’re receiving.
Finally, journal. Keep a record this season of what your prayer was like. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering, it could be a sentence or two about what God told you or how that day’s reflection struck you. Regardless of how you do it—Journal.
2. Thoughts, Feelings, and Desires
While praying it is important to pay careful attention to your thoughts, feelings, and desires. These thoughts, feelings, and desires are the beginning and substance of prayer. These are the things that God wants you to communicate to Him and how He communicates to you.
3. Two methods for praying with Scripture.
Option 1
1. Find a quiet place where you focus on what you are about to do and can be silent. Try to find a place with as few distractions as possible.
2. While getting comfortable remember not to get to comfortable to where you might fall asleep.
3. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. A simple prayer like “Holy Spirit, please help me be attentive to the Word of God that I am about to read. Help me to be alert to the stirrings of my heart, so that I may feel your presence and discern your will for me” or something similar is a great start.
4. Begin to slowly read the passage of Scripture until something strikes you. There is no rhyme or reason at this point to why the passage may strike you. It is something of a gut feeling that this passage for one reason or another stands out to you.
5. Begin to reread that passage of Scripture over and over again while allowing yourself to meditate/reflect/chew on the words.
6. Pay close attention to your heart, what are you feeling, what is God saying to you? Eventually you may even find yourself sitting still and in silence feeling God’s presence. Stay there as long as you can.
7. As you come to the end of your prayer, take the time to make some sort of resolution as you return to everyday life.
Option 2
1. Find a quiet place where you focus on what you are about to do and can be silent. Try to find a place with as few distractions as possible.
2. While getting comfortable remember not to get to comfortable to where you might fall asleep.
3. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. A simple prayer like “Holy Spirit, please help me be attentive to the Word of God that I am about to read. Help me to be alert to the stirrings of my heart, so that I may feel your presence and discern your will for me” or something similar is a great start.
4. Slowly begin to read the passage of Scripture imagining yourself in the Biblical scene. Using your imagination try to get the story to become as real as possible to you.
5. Play close attention to the details, how does the weather feel, who is present, what are people’s reactions.
6. Play close attention to your heart, what in this scene is touching your heart or driving you to act? How are the other characters behaving? How are their behaviors affecting how you feel and what you believe?
7. As your prayer time comes to an end, compose a little prayer asking God to help you bring His love to the world.
Review of the Prayer Time: Awareness
1. What passage was I with?
2. What did I seek? What did I ask for? What did I desire?
3. Did I find myself inwardly pulling toward God in deeper trust, faith, and love?
4. What was my mood? Where they any changes in my mood?
5. Was the prayer enjoyable? Distasteful?
6. How did the prayer-time end?
Suggested Prayers to begin your prayer:
A prayer from St. Anselm
O Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You and where to find You. Teach me to seek you for I cannot seek you unless you teach me or to find You, unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in my desire. Let me desire you in my seeking. Let me find you by loving you. Let me love you when I find you.
Come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, Grant, that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Prayer at the End of the Day
Option 1
Look over your day briefly:
1. What are you grateful for?
2. Ask God to show you what you need to see that will draw you closer to Him and to others….
3. Take time to be aware of your strongest inner “drawings” (positive or negative) this day. One or two thought are fine.
4. What might God be saying or inviting you to with this inner awareness.
Option 2
1. Quiet your heart and reflect upon the events of the past day.
2. List five things that you are grateful for. Mother Teresa did this so that she could become more aware of God’s presence in her life.
3. List five things that you are sorry for. Mother Teresa did this so that she would remember how much she needed God’s grace.
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. To be in touch with y desires for this retreat.
2. to know (experience) God’s love for and fidelity to me in a personal and unique way.
Reflections
Day 1: Isaiah 43:1-5 “You are precious in My sight: I am with you…”
Day 2: Psalm 139 “Lord, You know me…”
Day 3: Jeremiah 29: 11-14 “I know the plans I have for you…”
Day 4: Mathew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary…”
Day 5: Romans 8:26-39 God comes to help us…
Day 6: Psalm 103 “Remember all His kindness…”
Special Assignment: Take some time to look over your life and see how God has been with you.
Day 7: Continue anything from the above prayer times that remain with you still.
Remember in Week 1
1. Find a comfortable place to pray
2. Relax and be yourself
3. Be with God as you really are
4. Reflect, “be”, talk with God
5. Enjoy this quiet, personal time with your God!
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. For a deeper confidence and trust in God’s personal care for me
2. And for more of a sense that all is gift from God.
Reflections
Day 1: Luke 12:22-32 “the Father knows what you need; do not be anxious…”
Day 2: Luke 11:9-13 “the one who seeks, always finds…”
Day 3: Psalm 62 “rest in God alone.”
Day 4: Hosea 11:1-9 “How could I part with you?”
Day 5: Wisdom 11:21-27 “You love all that exists, Lover of souls…”
Day 6: Ephesians 1:3-14 “Blessed be God… Who has blessed me…”
Day 7: Go back to any of the above prayer times where you continue to feel drawn and want to spend more time…
Remember in Week 2
1. Relax; Be yourself, just as you are.
2. Speak with God ; let God speak to you
3. Be aware of your desires, deeper feelings thoughts.
4. Don’t rush through prayer suggestions.
5. Enjoy your time with God.
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. Knowing that I am loved uniquely and gifted richly by God, I know also that I am capable of rejecting Him in my life.
2. Still, God has shown Himself to be eager to forgive me and to welcome me again….
Reflections
Day 1: Genesis 3:1-13 sin alienates me from God… and others… even those I hold dear…
Day 2: Romans 7:15-24 the inward struggle
Day 3: Luke 15;11-32 “I will return to the Father.”
Day 4: Psalm 32 “Happy the one whose fault is forgiven.”
Day 5: Luke 5:1-11 the call of Peter in his weakness…
Day 6: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 “When I am powerless, I am strong….
Day 7: Go back to any of the above prayer times where you continue to feel drawn and want to spend more time… or Psalm 103
Remember in Week 3
1. From your prayer this week, what might God be inviting you to?
2. Let God look into your heart, and speak of His desire for you.
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. To deepen my interior knowledge of and love for Jesus
2. to be able to follow Jesus more closely
Reflections
Day 1: Mark 1:29-39 A typical day in the life of Jesus… What is He revealing about Himself… and His Father…
Day 2: Matthew 14:22-23 “Courage!” “It is I. Come”
Day 3: Luke 7:36-50 “many sins forgiven her…” What was that like for her? What was in Jesus’ heart?
Day 4: Matthew 20:20-28 “Come to serve…”
Day 5: John 10: 10-18 “I know mine… they know me.” What was it like to have Jesus KNOW you?
Day 6: Luke 10:17-24 “Happy the eyes that see what you see…” What are you “seeing” about Jesus and your relationship with Him…?
Day 7: John 15:9-17 “As the Father loves Me,…”
Remember in Week 5
1. To what might God, in Jesus be inviting you?
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. To deepen my understanding and appreciation of Jesus’ passion and death as His expression of love for me…
Reflections
Day 1: John 11:1-54 “unbind him” “Jesus groaned within… and was troubled…”
Day 2: Matthew 16:13-27 “Who do you say that I am?”
Day 3: John 17:1-26 (read slowly-reflectively-stop where you are drawn)
Day 4: Luke 22:14-20 Last Supper – “With great desire I have longed to eat this meal with you…”
Day 5: Luke 22:31-34; 54-62 Peter’s Denial – “The Lord turned and looked at Peter and Peter remembered…and wept bitterly…”
Day 6: Luke 22:39-46 Gethsemane: “Father, if possible… Thy will be done…”
Day 7: Luke 23:33-49 Crucifixion: “Father, forgive them…” “Father into Your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Remember in Week 6
1. To what might God, in Jesus be inviting you?
Grace to be Desired (What you are looking for?):
1. To experience the hope of the Risen Lord in my daily life.
Reflections
Day 1: Be with Jesus and Mary as Jesus came to her after He rose from the dead. What might that experience have been for them?
Day 2: John 20:11-18 With Mary Magdalene at the tomb.
Day 3: John 21:1-22 The Risen Jesus with Peter…. “Peter do you love Me?”
Day 4: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Called to be compassionate like the Father.
Day 5: Corinthians 5:17-21 “God reconciled us to himself.” “We are ambassadors of Christ…”
Day 6: Mathew 28:16-20 The Ascension of Jesus - “They worshipped through some hesitated.”
Day 7, Ephesians 3:14-21 For your hidden self to grow strong….”
Remember in Week 7
1. To what might God, in Jesus be inviting you?