Retreating!

Hey All,

I'm participating in a 13 week at-home retreat based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. I'll be getting together once a week with the other retreatants and the spiritual director (last night was our first night) and then the rest of the retreat is to be done at home (or wherever I am throughout the day).

Anyway, as part of my first week "assignment" I am supposed to notify my family and close friends about the fact that I'm partaking in this retreat. I think it's supposed to help me solidify the commitment I'm making to fully participate in this retreat, by telling others about it. Also, maybe it's intended to let people know so that they can keep me in their prayers and thoughts throughout the 13 weeks. Either way, consider yourself notified!

Dave

Wow, so what do you do on the "retreating"

Sounds like a cult, TB.

Bethany wrote:Wow, so what do you do on the "retreating"

Well, the one day a week that we get together with the other retreatants basically involves a little bit of prayer, but mostly just sharing our insights and experiences from the previous week. And then the retreat director gives us guidance on the scriptures to read for the coming week and what we should be focusing on in our prayer and meditation for the week. And then, my commitment at home is to find a minimum 20 minute block of time each day where I will pray and meditate on the specific scriptures and themes for that week. Here's the summary of the exercises from Wikipedia:

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, (composed from 1522-1524) are a brief set of Christian meditations, prayers and mental exercises, divided in four thematic 'weeks' of variable length, designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days.[1] They were composed with the intention of helping the retreatant to discern Jesus in his life, leading then to a personal commitment to follow it. Though the underlying spiritual outlook is Catholic, the exercises are often made nowadays by non-Catholics. The 'Spiritual Exercises' booklet was formally approved in 1548 by Paul III

So, that's the gist of it.