In Him Alone is our Hope (Magnificat)

When I take the time to examine my spiritual life, if I am honest with myself I can find a lot of shortcomings: things I wish I did better. It seems that prayer is always at the top of this list. I wish to be better at this discipline. I strive to be better at this discipline. Sometimes I progress. Sometimes I regress. I keep trying though, and that is important. St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises have intrigued me. It has always been a practice that has escaped me, but I have been reading about it a lot lately.

Recently, I picked up the book In Him Alone is Our Hope, courtesy of Ignatius Press. In this book, the then Cardinal Bergoglio preached a Holy Week retreat for the Bishops of Spain using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The retreat starts with Cardinal Bergoglio asking the bishops to reflect on how their vocation started. It quickly progresses to asking the bishiops how their vocation has grown and evolved over time. In this time of prayer, the bishops are asked to also reflect on their tasks, duties, and responsibilities as shepherds of the Church. However, he is also asking them to reflect on their personal lives and grow closer to God in this retreat so that they may serve the Church better.

There is a particularly beautiful passage in this book where Cardinal Bergoglio talks about what it means to "keep watch." He first starts by referencing the Scriptural passage of the Agony in the Garden, where none of the Apostles could stay awake with Jesus and keep watch. Then, he contrasts the task of 'keeping watch' against similar tasks like supervision and diligence. To summarize his points, he says, "To supervise and to be vigilant both entail a certain degree of control. To keep watch, on the other, hand speaks of hope." This means that the bishops are called to be like God - allowing us to make our own choices, but always keeping watch ready to welcome us home when we err. One can see this message of love and forgiveness in his short papal reign so far.

One could argue that the audience for this book is only bishops. However, I believe that there is spiritual wisdom in this book for priests and laity as well. Some might read this book and learn more about the vocation of being a bishop and how our current Pope views their role in the Church. Others might read this book and see Pope Francis' possible reform program for the Church. I personally tried to take some of the advice he gave to his brother bishops and apply it to my own life. We can all stand to grow closer to God, and the way to do that is by surrendering to God and allowing him to form us and mold us in His image.

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Ave Maria Press: The First Spiritual Exercises

I must admit that I am not a big retreat guy. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of retreats. I'm just awful at executing them properly. Instead of focusing on my relationship with God, I spend too much time looking at others on retreat. In doing this, I end up feeling inadequate, like I don't love Jesus as much as everyone else there. Then, when people start crying from joy and I remain dry-eyed, and I start feeling that other people can sense my feelings of inadequacy. I mention all of this because Ave Maria Press has published a book on the classic Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with a new twist.

The First Spiritual Exercises are a series of retreats designed for people looking to begin Ignatian Spirituality. Each retreat is designed to bring you closer to God and help you discern his will for your life. Each retreat is four weeks and comprises elements of Scripture, prayer, meditation, and contemplation. There are four retreats in all, and they all center around finding Inner Peace. Unlike most retreats, you don't have to perform the first before you can form the second through fourth. They are designed for wherever you are in your life at the moment. Specifically the four retreats are:

1. Inner Peace in Divine Love
2. Inner Peace in Darkness and Light
3. Inner Peace in Friendship with Jesus
4. Inner Peace in the Service of God

Each retreat takes four weeks. Monday through Thursday you spend anywhere from twenty to forty-five minutes praying while reading Scripture and meditating on it. There is also a weekend exercise to perform and receiving the Eucharist on Sunday. I wasn't entirely sure which one to choose, so I picked the logical choice and attempted the first retreat. I'd love to say that my entire life was instantly made better. However, that isn't how retreats work. If you make some steps in the right direction, then it is considered a success.

My favorite part of the retreat was the Program for Life on the last Saturday. In it, you reflect and answer what time you can take to enhance your family life, work life, personal life, prayer life, etc. Once you have finished answering these questions, you have your Program for Life. As the retreat reminds you though, you need to make it practical and sustainable or else you won't follow through with it. Remember, small steps are the key to success.

If the idea of going on a retreat intimidates you, then this is a book for you. If you're looking to learn more about Ignatian Spirituality, then this is a book for you too. I still think you should take the time and go on retreats with other people, even if it makes you uncomfortable. This is advice I am giving to myself as well. However, this a five star book that will get you started and might help you build up some courage and comfort for the group retreat setting. So pick up a copy, and make some steps toward Inner Peace with God.

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