Larry Warner - Journey with Jesus: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

Larry Warner

www.IVPress.com/books

Metamorpha Ministries is a spiritual formation ministry with a particular focus on articulating a distinctively evangelical understanding of the Christian life. Reaching back through our tradition to mine robustly Protestant and spiritual resources, Metamorpha seeks to proclaim the depths of the gospel for a lived existence before the face of God. Our resources seek to be biblically, theologically and spiritually informed, such that Christ never ceases to be the center.

In addition, Metamorpha.com is a ministry resource for pastors, to help them live and lead in a healthy way in dependence upon Christ; for churches, to help them create communities of people growing in grace; and for individuals who are on a journey with Christ, to encourage, guide and nurture an openness to the call of Christ on their lives.

T here is much that went into writing this book and many who played small and large roles in its development. It is a delight to be able to name a few of those who helped the idea of this book to become a reality.

My first words of thanks go to my lovely wife, Donna. I often referred to this as her book, especially as I struggled to write it, for she believed in the value of this project long before I did. She has been a support and encouragement during the long hours that went into writing Journey with Jesus , and she willingly helped me to create the space and time needed for its completion, even as we were in the process of moving to a new city.

I am also indebted to Jan Johnson, who recommended me for this writing project after reading through the materials I had put together on the Exercises. Her belief in this project and in my ability to write it helped to convince me to say yes and move foreword.

Celia Bradley was a godsend. She graciously agreed to edit the rough draft, which at one point was well over 225 pages, offering her wisdom and insight along the way. Her hard work in the initial editing stages helped me to feel much better about all I submitted to InterVarsity Press and saved me much work in the rewrite stages.

Rich and Katy Murray, true friends in the richest sense of the term, allowed me to use their cabin at a critical time in the writing of this book. I was able to work uninterrupted for hours and days on end. This was a huge gift.

Cindy Bunch, my editor at InterVarsity Press, who believed in the value of this project, expanded the reach of the material and gently guided me each step of the way. Her efforts helped the manuscript to take shape and form in ways that would be beneficial for all those who choose to journey through the Exercises. She was a much-needed support to my writing process.

I am thankful to Father Albert Haase and Marilyn Stewart who each read my original manuscript and whose comments and insights were encouraging and extremely helpful. I listened to your wisdom and incorporated much that you suggested. I believe the book is much better because of the input you shared with me.

Finally, I thank Mick and Carol Berberian. God used this couple to bring me into the kingdom more than thirty years ago. I learned and witnessed grace and freedom at their feet and in their home. God has used them greatly to help me to become who I am today by embracing me and freeing me to be the one-of-a-kind creation God created me to be.

Larry Warner has trained in spiritual direction at Azusa Pacific Universitys Graduate School and the University of San Diego. He has been leading retreats since 1980 and is the founder and executive director of b. He teaches for the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot Seminary and is also the author of Imaginative Prayer in Youth Ministry.

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The Daily Elements of the Exercises

T his section provides an overview of what a normal day in the Exercises will look like, while also explaining the components involved. If you desire further elaboration on a specific component, you will be directed where to find this information at the end of the components summary. The format below will appear at the beginning of each week. As your journey continues, you will naturally flow through your time in the daily prayer practices, but at first it can seem overwhelming.

You are expected to spend fifty to seventy-five minutes in the Exercises each day. This period is comprised of the parts delineated below, including the General Examen of Conscience, which is done at noontime and in the evening. There are no individual periods listed for the components (except for the examen; five to fifteen minutes). You proceed as God guides and directs. Some days it may take you a long time to slow down; other days you may spend a long time journaling or sitting in silence with God. There is flexibility within this structure so that you may be free to connect with God as God leads and directs you. The structure keeps you on track and provides you ample opportunity to linger along the way.

If possible, begin each new section of the Exercises on Mondays. This way Sunday, which can be a very busy and demanding day, is a review or repetition daysomething easier to enter into on a busy day than a new meditation. But by all means, feel free to choose any day to be your beginning day.

Opening. Your time each day begins with the opening, which is designed to prepare you to enter into the presence of God and ready you for the assigned meditation for the day. This opening format is made of several components and will remain unchanged in structure for the most part throughout your time in the Exercises.

Prayer. The opening begins with you coming into Gods presence, remembering who you are and who God is. Seek to foster an attitude of respect and also ask God for help throughout your day. This opening is referred to as preparatory prayer and involves a conscious effort to present yourself before God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Rom 12:1) and ready yourself to be present to God.

This is also the time to practice the prayer of recollection. Recollection involves a profound turning of the self at its root toward God, in order to allow God to mark, mold and shape you.

The prayer of recollection involves orienting all that you are, just as you are, to God. This means remembering and reflecting on who you are, on your struggles and difficulties with yourself and with God, and on who this God is into whose presence you are entering. The preparatory prayer and the prayer of recollection provide the foundation on which your daily prayer time is built. It is not to be hurried through. This is all part of offering yourself to God as a living and holy sacrifice, which is pleasing to God.

Slowing down. The next step will be the slowdown. The goal of the slowdown is to settle down and settle into this time with God. (There are a number of suggestions regarding how to conduct a slowdown under Slowing Down below.)

Ask for desired grace. The desired grace is what you will be asking God fornot demanding from God, but asking God for. The grace will change from time to time but, as a rule, each section has one or two graces you will be asking God for each time you enter the days meditation. The graces asked for are the very things that the daily meditations in each section are meant to foster within you. The specific grace you will ask for will be noted at the beginning of each new week.