Our understanding of sin and God’s mercy in the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises also parallels a commitment to follow Jesus in a way that changes the direction of our lives.  We only need to look to the disciples’ response to Jesus’ words, “Follow me,” to get an understanding of what the call to follow Jesus means.  They dropped their nets.  They stopped collecting taxes.  Their lives were altered because of their personal encounters with Jesus.

This leads us to our next bit of Ignatian wisdom.

Bit of Ignatian Wisdom #5:   A lifechanging encounter with Jesus  

The majority of the Spiritual Exercises are spent getting to know Jesus intimately.  During the second week of the Exercises (which is 14 weeks when making a 19th annotation retreat),  Ignatius invites a person to pray with Jesus’ life from the incarnation to his public ministry.  In the third week, Ignatius invites us to pray with Jesus’ passion and death.  Then in the fourth week, we pray with Jesus’ Resurrection.

Getting to know Jesus this closely is a personal encounter with Jesus that changes the direction of one’s life, just as we see happen in the lives of the disciples. It is an encounter with Jesus that transforms our life in a radical way. It changes as Pedro Arrupe, SJ, says, “what we do with our time, who we hang out with, what breaks our heart, and what seizes our imagination.”

The initials S.J. behind a Jesuit’s name stand for the Society of Jesus, and they capture the prominence of Jesus in Ignatian spirituality.

My life-altering encounter: 

The fact that I am writing this post today stems from the life-changing encounter I had with Jesus when I made the Spiritual Exercises.  The call to re-situate my life around Jesus changed everything.  It changed what I do with my time and what guides my day-to-day activities.

As a personal encounter with Jesus often does, it clarified my unique call on how to be part of spreading the Good News in today’s world.   Writing was a piece of this, as was retreat work, spiritual direction all happening within my vocation to marriage and family life.

Jesus encounters each of us: 

No matter whether we are making the Spiritual Exercises are not, Jesus seeks to encounter us and does encounter us even when we don’t realize it.

Do you seek this life-changing personal encounter with Jesus?  If so, bring that hope and prayer to God.  But get ready when it happens, your life is going to change!

Go Deeper? 

• Pray:
  • Matthew 4: 18-22// The Life-Altering Call of the First Disciples
  • John 1:  35-51// The disciples’ encounter the Messiah for the first time
• Reflect:
  • Kevin O’Brien, SJ offers a video reflection on the Call of the King
  • The Ignatian Prayer Adventure week 5 poses the question, “What do I really Want?“

***Prayers for Texas*****

Let us join together in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Hurricane Harvey’s path.  May God fill them with peace as they wait and courage to act when needed.  We pray for their safety and for endurance to re-build.

I encourage each of us to consider how we are being called to act beyond praying so that we may become God’s hands, feet, and hearts for the people in Texas.  This type of flooding is devastating to a city and to people.  What ought we do for the people impacted by Hurricane Harvey for Christ?

Online Busy Person’s Retreat:  Make a directed retreat in the comfort of your home or office!  

In St. Ignatius’ 18th annotation in the Spiritual Exercises, he says, ” The Spiritual Exercises must be adapted to the condition of the one who is to engage them.”  The Online Busy Person’s Retreat takes this wisdom to heart.  This type of retreat is modeled after Ignatian weeks of directed prayer that are offered at parishes, schools, and college campuses.

Each day includes, a one on one session with a spiritual director and individualized prayer materials.  As one past participant from the May retreat said, ” The four days sparked a new depth in my ongoing conversations with Christ.”

Join me and two other spiritual directors this October:

• October 2-5, 2017:  Daily one hour spiritual direction time slots available at 8am, 9:30am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 4pm, 5:30pm, and 6pm (All are central standard times).  Register here!
• October 23-26, 2017:  Daily one hour spiritual direction time slots available at 8am, 9:30am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 4pm, 5:30pm, and 6pm (All are central standard times).  Register here!

Who is the Author of My Life?  Women’s Day of Reflection:  October 18, 2017

Do you ever wonder who is actually the author of your calendar?  Your time?  Your worthiness? Your healing? Your life?  

Spend a day with other women in fellowship, prayer, and reflection as we  seek to place God as the author of our life.  Offered in conjunction with the Diocese of Baton Rouge Office of Evangelization & Catechesis.

For more information and to register go here!

Cultivating Space for God Together: Fall 2017

• September 7, 2017:     Opening Retreat for the Diocese of Baton Rouge Catechetical Leaders
• September 20, 2017:  First United Methodist Church Ministry for Moms
• September 21, 2017:   St. George Parish’s Book Club
• October 10, 2017:        Women’s ALIVE event at St. Robert Newminister Parish, Ada, MI
• October 11, 2017:         Parish Staff Day of Reflection for St. Robert Newminister Parish, Ada, MI
• November 16, 2017:    Women in Spirit, St. Joseph’s Cathedral
• December 5, 2017:      Advent Evening of Reflection, St. Thomas More Parish
• December 13, 2017:    Women’s Advent Evening of Reflection
• December 17, 2017:   “Spirituality for a Busy Person” – St. Margaret Parish, Albany, LA

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.