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MAKING
THE FULL SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Thirty-Day
Retreats
Bridge at Manresa
(1988)
a watercolor monotype
by Lily Dudgeon
[click image for other "Manresa"
art]
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The full Spiritual
Exercises may be done in the form of a thirty-day silent
retreat at a retreat house or equivalent location. It means
leaving family, friends and business responsibilities and
dedicating oneself to the discipline of silence and of four
or five hours of prayer each day. Each day retreatants will
meet with their director and reflect about their experience
in prayer.
The thirty-day retreat
is not a panacea to cure all spiritual ills, resolve doubts
of faith or bring about longed-for mystical experiences.
Nor is it a spiritual Mount Everest, a challenge to be met
that proves one's abilities or determination. It is rather,
for those who are ready for this particular step, an opportunity
for significant growth in the spiritual life and in knowledge
of oneself, of God, and of God's will.
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It is important that those
who undertake a retreat of this magnitude be ready for and committed
to the undertaking, since it is a major investment of time and
energy on the part of both the retreatant and the director. If
there is any significant doubt about a person's readiness it would
be advisable to defer such a retreat until a later date. It ought
normally to grow out of experience with shorter directed retreats,
regular daily meditation, and regular spiritual direction with
someone who reflects with you on your experience of God in prayer.
Such a spiritual director, familiar with both your spiritual experience
and with the demands of the Spiritual Exercises, could confirm
for you and for whoever will be directing your 30-day retreat
that it is time for you to make the full Exercises.
Retreat house that have
well developed 30-day programs usually have certain expectations
and requirements of those who wish to make a thirty-day retreat:
- Prior experience with silent, individually-directed Ignatian
retreats seven or eight days in length,
- Daily substantial meditative prayer,
- Experience of spiritual direction for a year or more that
demonstrates awareness of one's prayer experience, the ability
to verbalize it and the trust to share it with another,
- Recommendations that the individual may profit at the present
time from this experience from people who understand the thirty-day
Ignatian retreat as well as the capabilities of the retreatant,
for example, a spiritual director or former retreat director.
Manresa can occasionally
provide both room and direction for a 30-day retreat or can recommended
retreat houses with fully developed 30-day retreat programs. Contact
Fr.
Fennessy for further information.
The
Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life
St. Ignatius foresaw that
some people would be ready for the experience of the full Exercises
but unable get away for a 30-day period. He provided in the Exercises
an approach whereby one can make this retreat in the midst of
ordinary daily life at home with guidance from a spiritual director.
It involves a daily commitment of 60-90 minutes in prayer and
reflection centered on the themes of the Exercises and
a weekly meeting with the spiritual director for approximately
eight or nine months. It is usually called The Spiritual Exercises
in Daily Life, but because Ignatius describes it in the 19th
annotation or introductory note to the Exercises, you will hear
it referred to sometimes as a 19th Annotation Retreat.
As with the thirty-day format, entry into this retreat should
grow out of experience with shorter directed retreats, regular
daily meditation, and regular spiritual direction with someone
who reflects with you on your experience of God in prayer.
This retreat is for those
who seek a deeper relationship with their True Self, those who
long to know Jesus more intimately, to love Him more deeply, and
follow Him more closely, for those who desire spiritual freedom.
We especially recommend beginning this retreat around September
since the usual course of the meditations can be coordinated with
the celebrations of the liturgical year.
Ann Dillon of our staff
is able to recommend to those who are interested in making The
Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life spiritual directors who
are qualified to guide retreatants through this experience and
who are usually resident not too far from the retreatant's home.
For further information contact Ann Dillon at Manresa: (248) 644-4933.
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