IMAGO DEI: June 2, 2016
www.imagodeicommunity.ca
Lord, teach us to pray. Luke 11:1
One of the handouts that we usually give as part of our yearly Ignatian Spiritual Exercises retreat lists seven principles related to our growth in intimate prayer. As I was sharing this list at a recent retreat I was encouraged enough by its value to want to offer it to the larger Imago Dei community. In order to continue growing in intimacy with the reality of God in your life these principles encourage you to:
1. Understand that God welcomes you just as you are
We will only be free to open our hearts to God to the extent that we believe He welcomes our companionship. Some will come to God eagerly, as a Friend. Others might feel reluctant because they are afraid. Or perhaps they feel resentful or angry at God. Despite any hesitations, we need to be assured that God welcomes each of us as we are. God loves us and has taken steps to establish and sustain a loving relationship with us. He is always moving toward us to help us, forgive us, and embrace us.
2. Recognize that the Holy Spirit is your Spiritual Director
In John 14:26, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. This is especially so when it comes to prayer. Paul tells us that “we do not know how to pray as we ought to” (Rom. 8:26). This should always be the humble starting point for how we approach God in prayer. As did the disciples, we simply ask Jesus to “teach us to pray.”
3. Seek to be flexible
Prayer involves a delicate, personal interaction between your soul and the Holy Spirit. Rules and precepts cannot orchestrate this sacred dialogue with God. Seek to be flexible and sensitive to the moment-to-moment movement of the Spirit during your prayers. The various skills of movement that you learn through prayer will allow you to shift back and forth from one prayer mode to another, adapting and moving with freedom as you seek intimate knowledge of Christ’s ways in you.
4. Learn to be guided through peace or turbulence.
We learn to be attuned to the movement of the Holy Spirit during our prayers by becoming sensitive to the experience of peace, or lack of it, as we pray. By monitoring the inward state of our souls we come to recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is always whispering to us: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Col.3:15). As we become more familiar with contemplative prayer we also learn to linger over words, thoughts, images or silences that seem to be highlighted by the Spirit in bringing a special sense of peace to our hearts. At times, we might also experience feelings of unrest or disturbance in the soul. These too will need to be explored by asking the Spirit to reveal the reasons behind the disturbance.
5. Seek an intimate understanding of the truth
As Ignatius taught, it is better to be impressed deeply with one insight, like finding a precious pearl, than to be lightly affected by many. In encouraging us to savour what we have received Ignatius wrote, “It is not much knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul, but the deep relish of a truth.” What is important is not to get through a great deal of subject matter in prayer, but to grasp profoundly whatever the Spirit wishes to teach us today.
6. Discern what works for you.
The end of every prayer should allow for a time of Review, a few minutes to assess our experience in terms of its value for the future. It is good to ask yourself what you found helpful in achieving the objective of your prayer exercise, and what you found to be a hindrance or distraction. You can then benefit from this by continuing to practice what worked and eliminating what did not.
7. Discuss your prayer experiences with your spiritual director.
It is difficult to remain objective about your prayer experiences. In order to avoid jumping to premature conclusions it is important to present these experiences in such a way that you can look objectively at them. Sharing them with a spiritual director can help discern God’s presence within your experiences much more easily and accurately than trying to do so yourself.
Rob Des Cotes
Imago Dei Christian Communities
(written for May 1, 2014)
FOR GROUP DISCUSSION:
- Do you believe that the Holy Spirit can teach you how to “pray as you ought to?” What posture must you maintain in order to remain teachable? What thoughts or attitudes move you away from this posture?
- In what ways do you experience peace or turmoil during prayer? Do you acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in these experiences, or do you assume these feelings are uniquely your own?
- What questions would you like to ask God regarding your experience of prayer? How might the Lord facilitate your articulation of these questions through a spiritual director?
PRAYER: Thank God for his guidance. Ask the Lord to teach you how to pray. Ask Him to lead you to a more intimate and trusting relationship to His initiatives in your life.