Four Key Practices in Ignatian Spirituality Course 

The activity of God is everywhere and always present, but it is visible only to the eyes of faith. This course has encouraged me to seek and see the Lord first in my day. This new approach made so much sense to me and filled me with hope! Want to thank the resource people of this course who conducted all the sessions so compassionately. The break out rooms gave space to all individuals and enhanced the confidence of the participants too. 

 Course Facilitators

 

This group (Group 1) is facilitated by Jacquie McCabe, Head of Ignatian Ethos at Saint Ignatius College, Athelstone,  Australia,  Anne Slingo, Religious Education Leader, and Ignatian Formator, Xavier School, Melbourne, Australia, and Michael Tod, Ignatian Coordinator at Saint Ignatius College, Geelong, Australia. The course is coordinated by Educate Magis.(www.educatemagis.org)

Self Examen

As we get prepared to settle ourselves for self examen ,let us relax ourselves and sit back.

Take a comfortable posture and close your eyes. Be aware of God's presence around you .

Take a minute to stop and to be with God in silence. Remember that you are in God's

presence. God is present in you and in the world around you. Look back on the day and note

the times you felt God was with you, assisting. Feel God with you now and ask to become

more conscious of God's presence. Lord I possess nothing, I owe you everything. My very

self is your gift. The deeper my life in you becomes, the more stuck by a goodness to me. I

thank you for your infinite goodness and love. 

Let us look back with gratitude and review the past 24 hours and notice what you are thankful

for. What happened with you to make you feel blessed?  Let us take a moment to thank for

providing you these blessings. Reflect on the opportunities and the challenges you faced: how

did you respond to them? Pay attention to any strong emotions you felt positive or negative.

What caused these feelings? How did you respond to them? In Silence ask God to speak into

the events of the day. What drew you closer to God ?What pulled me away from God? Lord

has a look back towards the circumstances events and persons of my day let me see how you

have loved me and invited me to love you. As I look back over my feelings, thoughts and

actions, let me see whether I have welcomed your Love readily and loved others discerningly.

We often rush through each day, not pausing to reflect. Doing a deep,  honest reflection of the

past day causes us to learn more about ourself and improve our future actions. 

Focus on the moment during the day where you sinned or failed to do good. Allow yourself

to experience sorrow for your sins and failings. Express your sorrow to God and ask

forgiveness. You might find something God is directing you to work on-an emotion, a

relationship that needs mending ,an unpleasant situation. Pray for it and ask God's guidance to

resolve it. 

Start focussing on your breath now. It is a beautiful way to find serenity in the storm. Focus

on your breath has incredible way of bringing us right here in the present moment. It

transports us to here and now . Inhale deeply and feel the cool breeze around you. Relax your

shoulders and let go of any tension through your body. Focus on the rise and fall of your

breath as you inhale and exhale fully. Fill yourself with peace and calm. Feel yourself

centering, balancing and becoming present. 

As we are becoming present, thank God for His creations and the gift of breath in me . Thank

God for being alive. Communicate with the Almighty by breathing on His command.

Inhale… .. Exhale… Inhale… . Exhale… Dear God, I seek forgiveness for the times I have

been wrong . Lord, I m now ready to gently let go of all my blockages to restore my flow and

vitality. Inhale… exhale… take deep breath . Deeply cleansing and healing as it unveils the

light of our souls. Let your breath tell you, I am present, I am here, I m your breath. Feel the

lightness of your body, feel the awareness of your body. 

Prepare yourself and think for the next day .What opportunities will you have to serve God

and love others? Pray that you will be aware of God's presence. Ask for God's grace to use

your reflections from today to grow in holiness tomorrow. Feel deep gratitude knowing that

god has already answer your prayers and tomorrow is already blessed. Take some deep

breaths and know that all is already well. Inhale…..Exhale….

Neelam Chopra

St.Xavier’s Sen.Sec.School

Jaipur,INDIA