(posted by Judy Carr)
When I signed up to do a week on the blog I picked Week Three. When I saw there were two weeks readings to reflect on this week, I thought “maybe, maybe not.” But when I read the material, I knew I wanted to do a little reflecting on both weeks.
Both of these chapters rely heavily on themes found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The Exercises are an intensive “retreat” experience that rely on extended prayer time and scriptural reflection to draw the participant closer to God. The exercises can also be done in “real time” in an extended 40 week process, done locally at The Spiritual Renewal Center. I did the Exercises several years ago and while I jokingly say I “flunked” them, I did take away some concepts which affect my life daily. My “flunking” was related to the amount of prayer time I ended up doing each day; far less than the prescribed hour. But the exercises kept me connected to God during a time when I was having trouble finding Him in the usual places and for that I am grateful that I made them.
In Chapter 3, Paprocki introduces us to the concept of Discernment. I use the word introduces for a reason. I find this brief exposure to the concept of discernment adequate but the actual idea is so much more. Discernment is not about deciding what kind of yogurt I am going to take to work today or about what time I want to get to the retreat house later. Discernment is about the tough decisions of life- the big stuff! It’s about weighing whether it is time to think about retirement. It’s about whether it is time to give up that committee that is just not feeding your spirit. It’s about where you spend your time and best use your gifts (Hint: Covenant Weekend is coming!!) Discernment is about looking at these questions and asking where God is in the decision. Is the result of the decision going to draw me closer to God or erect obstacles which will keep me God? Discernment is a process. It involves prayer and time and thought – and lots of all of these things!
In Chapter 4, we are introduced to the concept of Holding on Loosely. Paprocki focuses on this idea as it related almost exclusively to material possessions. His chapter presents much material and introduces us to the social justice principles of the Church as well. I would, again, like to express that for me holding loosely became much more after my experiences with the Spiritual Exercises. I always joke my sweaters are going to keep me from attaining eternal life. St Peter is going to meet me at the door and say, “really, Judy, the shopping was a bit out of control.” But I am good because I could give all those sweaters away tomorrow and still be happy. I am holding them loosely and that is important. The sweaters are not, really. So I am OK, right!!!????
When I say, hold it loosely, I do not mean don’t care, don’t let it slip through your fingers. I think you can hold something loosely and still be passionate about it. It is good to care about your successes, your relationships, your gifts from God. He wants us to embrace and be happy about all of this. But when you are unable to give it to God if you need to; that is when you are holding too tightly. When it controls your life, you need to loosen the grip. It can be something great and life-giving but when we forget where the gift came from and who is in control of it, perhaps we are holding on a bit too tightly. Not an easy concept to embrace, especially when you think of it in relation to relationships, but one which makes us examine what is really important and what/who is most important. If something/someone was gone tomorrow, how drastically would if affect my relationship with God? Can I let go of what it is that is keeping me from fully embracing my God? Those are the questions we need to ask when making a change or when we are feeling like God is taking the second seat.
So, while I probably could have gotten a lot more out of the Spiritual Exercises if I had been more observant of the prayer time, I did take away some life changing ideas of how to be more present to the role of God in my life.
When I signed up to do a week on the blog I picked Week Three. When I saw there were two weeks readings to reflect on this week, I thought “maybe, maybe not.” But when I read the material, I knew I wanted to do a little reflecting on both weeks.
Both of these chapters rely heavily on themes found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The Exercises are an intensive “retreat” experience that rely on extended prayer time and scriptural reflection to draw the participant closer to God. The exercises can also be done in “real time” in an extended 40 week process, done locally at The Spiritual Renewal Center. I did the Exercises several years ago and while I jokingly say I “flunked” them, I did take away some concepts which affect my life daily. My “flunking” was related to the amount of prayer time I ended up doing each day; far less than the prescribed hour. But the exercises kept me connected to God during a time when I was having trouble finding Him in the usual places and for that I am grateful that I made them.
In Chapter 3, Paprocki introduces us to the concept of Discernment. I use the word introduces for a reason. I find this brief exposure to the concept of discernment adequate but the actual idea is so much more. Discernment is not about deciding what kind of yogurt I am going to take to work today or about what time I want to get to the retreat house later. Discernment is about the tough decisions of life- the big stuff! It’s about weighing whether it is time to think about retirement. It’s about whether it is time to give up that committee that is just not feeding your spirit. It’s about where you spend your time and best use your gifts (Hint: Covenant Weekend is coming!!) Discernment is about looking at these questions and asking where God is in the decision. Is the result of the decision going to draw me closer to God or erect obstacles which will keep me God? Discernment is a process. It involves prayer and time and thought – and lots of all of these things!
In Chapter 4, we are introduced to the concept of Holding on Loosely. Paprocki focuses on this idea as it related almost exclusively to material possessions. His chapter presents much material and introduces us to the social justice principles of the Church as well. I would, again, like to express that for me holding loosely became much more after my experiences with the Spiritual Exercises. I always joke my sweaters are going to keep me from attaining eternal life. St Peter is going to meet me at the door and say, “really, Judy, the shopping was a bit out of control.” But I am good because I could give all those sweaters away tomorrow and still be happy. I am holding them loosely and that is important. The sweaters are not, really. So I am OK, right!!!????
When I say, hold it loosely, I do not mean don’t care, don’t let it slip through your fingers. I think you can hold something loosely and still be passionate about it. It is good to care about your successes, your relationships, your gifts from God. He wants us to embrace and be happy about all of this. But when you are unable to give it to God if you need to; that is when you are holding too tightly. When it controls your life, you need to loosen the grip. It can be something great and life-giving but when we forget where the gift came from and who is in control of it, perhaps we are holding on a bit too tightly. Not an easy concept to embrace, especially when you think of it in relation to relationships, but one which makes us examine what is really important and what/who is most important. If something/someone was gone tomorrow, how drastically would if affect my relationship with God? Can I let go of what it is that is keeping me from fully embracing my God? Those are the questions we need to ask when making a change or when we are feeling like God is taking the second seat.
So, while I probably could have gotten a lot more out of the Spiritual Exercises if I had been more observant of the prayer time, I did take away some life changing ideas of how to be more present to the role of God in my life.