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IGNATIAN SPIRITUAL EXERCISES TRAINING (ISET)

2023-BLOCK ONE – SESSION 6

ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS – PART 1

Russell: [00:00:00] Hello, everybody. Welcome to tonight, this morning, this afternoon, wherever you find yourselves, to session six. It’s good to be with you all again and to have this time of learning together. And so, to begin our time, I’m going to hand over to Carolyn, who’s going to lead us in prayer.

Carolyn: Good morning, everyone. Let’s bring ourselves here from all the corners of the world at all times of day. And so, if you’d like, you can turn your screens off and we’ll pray together. Let’s  just bring our bodies to the present moment, feel your feet [00:01:00] planted on the floor, and take a moment to breathe.

We can say with Francis de Sales’ in the spirit of Ignatius, “Oh my heart, my heart, God is truly present.”

In fact, let’s take an imaginative journey together this morning, sitting right here, feet planted on the floor in your particular place and imagine that Jesus is standing right outside the door of the room you’re in. Many of us think of immediately of that famous painting by William Holman Hunt.[00:02:00]

William Holman Hunt. Have I got that screen up for you? There we go. It hangs in Keewell College in Oxford and some people have said it’s one of the most toured paintings in the world. A replica of this painting toured all over the world in the early 20th century—the picture of Jesus standing outside a door, overgrown, no handle on the outside of the door, and he’s knocking, and this painting may feel to a lot of us like a sentimentalized version of the Jesus we would imagine standing outside our door. But it might help us to know that the young man who painted [00:03:00] this painting, he was 21 when he started it. He took, I think, six or seven years, at least, to paint it—a number of years to paint this image.

He actually journeyed to the Holy Land to see what the moonlight looked like at night in Israel. He had two verses inscribed on it—“ I am the light of the world,” said Jesus, “whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,” and he called the painting, Jesus Light of the World. He also had that verse we all know in Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me.”[00:04:00]

So, we won’t have years to compose this image to imagine ourselves in our room with Jesus outside the door. Our imagination might not get that far. This is a sketch, one of the earliest sketches of this painting that William Holman Hunt made on the back of an envelope. You can see the postmark there to a friend in Belfast and here’s a later sketch–so many initial sketches.

So, let’s just sketch in our minds and our imaginations. Bring yourself back to your chair, your feet on the floor.

Jesus is standing outside the door.

He’s knocking.[00:05:00]

He’s calling your name.

Can you hear his voice?

This is the moment maybe you realize that your room is messy. It’s a little cluttered, like your heart; maybe there are thoughts buzzing around in your minds. Martin Laird says our thoughts in our reactive minds, we can find ourselves like in the olden days when we had phone booths, like someone trapped in a phone booth with a bee buzzing around. [00:06:00] Maybe you have thoughts and feelings buzzing around, preventing you from being really fully present and hearing that voice.   Let yourself be really still so that the bees quiet down.

Listen again. Jesus is still knocking at the door. Why is he there?[00:07:00]

Perhaps there are more thoughts going through your mind now as you imagine Jesus outside the door. Thoughts like that old song from the 1980s, “let my love open the door, let my love [00:08:00] open the door to your heart.”

What’s it like for you to stand up, open the door and invite Jesus in—into your room, into your heart, just the way it is. So, we bring these hearts to the Lord this morning, these ones. [00:09:00] We invite him in; we open our hearts—open and listening.

So, we’ll bring a hymn, a 12th century hymn to pray with as we close here and go through this door of prayer into our session this morning—a 12th century hymn by Bianco of Siena, invoking the Holy Spirit in words that I’m sure St. Ignatius would love.

We’ll pray this through a couple of times.

“Come down, O Love Divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit [00:10:00] it with thine own ardor glowing, O Comforter. Draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn to dust and ashes in its heat consuming. And let thy glorious light shine ever on my sight and clothe me round the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be, And lowliness become mine inner clothing; True lowliness of heart which takes the humble part, and o’er its own [00:11:00] shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long, shall far outpass the power of human telling; For none can guess its grace till they become the place wherein the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling.”

And one more time—find where your heart lights up and linger there.

“Come down, O Love Divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit [00:10:00] it with thine own ardor glowing, O Comforter. Draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn to dust and ashes in its heat consuming. And let thy glorious light shine ever on my sight and clothe me round the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be, And lowliness become mine inner clothing; True lowliness of heart which takes the humble part, and o’er its own [00:11:00] shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long, shall far outpass the power of human telling; For none can guess its grace till they become the place wherein the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling.”

So, friends, when you’re ready, you can turn on the [00:14:00] screen and rejoin our group.

Annemarie: Thank you, Carolyn. So, we’re going to hand over to Brenda today to lead us in our input time. So, Brenda, thank you.

Brenda: Thanks Anne Marie and good morning, evening, afternoon to everybody. Today we are at the place where we start getting really practical. You actually need to have your copy of the exercises nearby.

We did send out the PDF in case you don’t have your copy, and I’d like for us to be using the contemporary translation, Fleming’s Contemporary Translation as we read together. [00:15:00] if you would grab your exercises and have them close by because I’m actually going to ask people to read as we go through the annotations, so have them on hand. I see people darting off to go and fetch them.

All right. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been building up to actually talking about this exercitant sitting in front of us. What do we do? How are we going to guide them? And the annotations and additions are really what that is about. How are we going to accompany this person through the exercises? They are an explanation of what’s to follow.

We’ve said that the exercises are really a manual for directors [00:16:00] and that’s especially true and focused on the annotations and additions. We’re going to start this week, probably get through to annotation 13 or so, and then next week, Annemarie will pick up with 14 and onwards.

We’ve already made some of the annotations. If you remember last week, Adri-Marie spent quite a bit of time with 18, 19, and 20, but we’re going right back to the beginning now.

The annotations are and It is Ashenbrenner who calls them preliminary profound practicalities. They are the practical stuff—top tips. I grew up in Benoni. Trevor spent time there. In Benoni English, these are the top tips—the hints for directors. This is what’s going to help us. Fleming calls them notes or introductory observations. [00:17:00] In Spanish, it’s—I have no Spanish—Anotaciones—anyone speak Spanish and want to say it better than me? No one’s putting up their hand, so you’ll have to, ah, there we go—Olga, you want to say it for us, please? You’re muted though, Olga.

Olga: Okay, what is it that you want me to translate?

Brenda: It’s Anotaciones, I think.

Olga: Anotaciones, you have it. Anotaciones.

Brenda: And how would you translate that?

Olga: Anotaciones.

Brenda: Yeah, what would you say that means in English? Little notes?

Olga: Anotaciones are short notes. Yes.

Brenda:  Short notes. There we go. We’re on the same page. Thanks Olga. Thank you so much. These are the practical wisdom that Ignatius drew together through his experience. They are his [00:18:00] advice after the period of reflection, writing, giving the exercises. In fact, In the period after Ignatius, those who followed also drew together their wisdom, and those were collected in directories, but we always have to read carefully because some of the advice in some of the directories may even contradict Ignatius. We’re sticking with Ignatius tonight.

They’re not just practical, though. They’re not sort of manual and mechanistic. They also include a lot of insights about God, about faith, about flexibility. So, they really are about prayer. They’re the practical foundation for giving the exercises. They’re also the place where [00:19:00] Ignatius advises us on how to adapt the exercises.

If you remember last week, Adri-Marie kept reminding us that it’s about faithfulness to the text and adapting for the person who’s in front of us. And in the annotations, we have a sense of how Ignatius is inviting us to consider the person who’s making the exercises, the one that we were accompanying. It’s about creating a necessary attitude, the foundational approach at the beginning of the exercises. The annotations assume— presume that the one giving the exercises is familiar with them. So, we presume that the person has made the exercises and is aware how they were adapted for us.

But then is also [00:20:00] aware that in my experience. how my director gave me the exercises is not the way, you know, it’s not the formula and I just have to copy what was done for me and then I’ve got it right. The annotations remind us that for each and every person making the exercises, we’re adapting, we’re looking at their context, we’re making sure that we are with them and helping them. The reality is we are part of a living tradition, and as we accompany people, the annotations are helping us pay attention to that.

Just to note that the annotations are at the beginning of the text, before we enter the first week, before the principle and foundation. The additions, which we’ll look at next week mostly, are spread [00:21:00] throughout the text, but the annotations you’re going to find from about page four or five, if you’re looking at Fleming’s Draw Me Into Your Friendship, from paragraph one onwards is where we’re going to find the annotations. I think I’ve said all that I want to say about the introduction, so we can move on to annotation one.

Actually, I haven’t. Ignatius was also clear. These annotations are for both us as directors, and for the exercitants. So, some of them, Ignatius would give to exercitants, and he encourages us to do the same. So, annotations 1, 4, 5, and 20, Ignatius would give before giving the principle and foundation. Right in those very disposition days, 1, 4, 5, and 20. [00:22:00] And then after giving the principle and foundation before entering the first week, annotations 3, 11, 12, and 13 could be offered to the exercitant’s for them to pray with and consider. So, I’ll point you out to those as we go through, just so that you’re aware that these are ones that are for the exercitants. They’re going to help them as they prepare to make the exercises.

So, let’s start with annotation one. I wonder if someone would volunteer to read annotation one from the contemporary version. So, on page five of Draw Me Into Your Friendship. Anyone volunteering? Ah, thank you, Rhonda. Thank you.

Rhonda: The phrase spiritual exercises takes in all the formal ways we have of making contact with God, such as [00:23:00] meditation, contemplation, vocal prayer, devotions, examination of conscience, and so on.

We are familiar with the great variety of physical exercises such as walking, jogging, playing games such as handball, golf, or even the demands of yoga and isometrics. These physical exercises are good for tuning up muscles. improving circulation and breathing, and in general for the overall good health of the body.

So too what we call spiritual exercises are good for increasing openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit, for helping to bring to light the darkness of sinfulness and sinful tendencies within ourselves, and for strengthening and supporting us in the effort to respond ever more faithfully to the love of God.

Brenda: Thanks so much, Rhonda. So, Ignatius is helping us understand what the exercises are about [00:24:00] by comparing them to physical exercise. And just as if you’re wanting to get fit, you do a range of exercises and you build up your strength and you show up with discipline and you persist. So too for the spiritual life.

We want to train our spirit. We want to shape up the soul and we want to find God’s will for us, our own unique sense of what God’s will is. And so, the spiritual exercises—all the prayers, all the meditations, all the reflections are part of that process. By comparing it to physical exercise, there are a few things that are important.

The first is that anyone who’s tried to get fit, and I’m really not an exercise person—I’m like really not, but I know that if you want to get fit, it takes persistence. It takes self-discipline. It takes showing [00:25:00] up day after day, week after week, as you journey. And so, by making the comparison, Ignatius is suggesting to us that these spiritual exercises involve us being intentional. They require of the exercitant a decision, a sticking with it.

The second thing that his comparison helps us with is if we look at the older translation, he speaks about strolling, walking, and running. In the contemporary Fleming puts in all the different sports, but in the more literal translation you’ve got for strolling, walking, and running are all bodily exercises.

So, the reality is as people start the exercises, their ability to do the long stretch may not be that good. They [00:26:00] may not be able to sit the full hour. They may not know how to stay with something, even if they’re feeling uncomfortable, but as they keep practicing, they build up their capacity. And so, there’s something about recognizing that this takes practice. It takes us wanting to stick with it, to grow in our ability to be open.

This annotation also has at its heart the reminder, though, that this is not just about what we can do. It’s not just about me deciding that I’m going to do this and then making it happen. The exercises are a response to the grace of God. It’s about a collaborative movement with God. It’s a graced collaboration. [00:27:00] We collaborate or cooperate with God who works within us and draws us with the end, with the goal, with the desire for a conversion of hearts. So, it’s all about transformation. It’s all about freedom from those disordered affections, those things that we hold on to, we love, we desire, we hate, we fear, paying attention to the different levels within us. As we progress through these exercises, the goal is transformation, freedom, liberation, salvation of the soul.

The first annotation is also a reminder that there are a range of exercises. I like the way that Fleming puts it in that contemporary translation. He lists all the [00:28:00] different ways that we are going to be exercising our souls through the exercises, where there’s going to be vocal prayer, contemplation, meditation, devotion, examination of conscience. All of these are exercises; not just one thing and there’s the sense of movement as we journey through the exercises that it’s all about growing our spiritual fitness if we extend that image in collaboration, graced collaboration with God who is working within us. We’re not fit necessarily as we start the exercises, as we begin, and gradually as we move through the process, we’re hoping that we’ll be responding with greater integrity and freedom through every step.

And so, this annotation reminds us what we’re about—all  [00:29:00]that stuff that we spoke about—what are we doing in making the exercises. This is one to definitely give at the beginning, before you give the principal and foundation, perhaps as part of the disposition days is to let the retreatant have a sense of what they’re about, to offer it for prayer.

And so, Ignatius begins by setting out what are we doing in this first annotation. This is what we’re about—becoming attuned and more responsive as we pray and as we pay attention to God.

Would someone like to read the second annotation for us? Annotation two? Thank you, Olga.

Olga: The director’s role is that of [00:30:00] being a helper to us in retreat. We receive help by the directors explaining the different ways of praying. The director helps by suggesting the matter to be considered in a prayer period and does not hinder God’s movement in us by imposing interpretations of scripture or of theology. The exercises are above all a time for intimate contact between God and a retreatant.

We, as retreat ants will profit far more from the understanding and love aroused by the grace of God within us than from the rhetoric or brilliant insights of a retreat director, for in a retreat, we do not find knowledges satisfying us, but rather deep-down tastes and feelings that sensitize us to what really matters.

Brenda: Thanks, Olga. This is Ignatius’s advice for us as directors. And basically, if I can put it in simple terms, don’t talk too much. [00:31:00] Say enough, and then let God deal with your retreatant or exercitant and don’t get in the way. I’m a person who likes words and so I tend to have to remind myself, it’s not about me and my brilliant insights into what this prayer period may be about.

It’s about giving the exercitant enough so that they can go away and receive from God the gifts that God wants to give them. Ignatius’ point is quite clear. We profit much more from the insights gained through our own prayer, through experience rather than when someone gives us a lecture. So, when we are with an exercitant, the advice is—give them only what they need.

Ashenbrenner puts it really nicely. He [00:32:00] says, “the director is one who welcomes you into God’s word and then leaves you alone with the one who wants to address you personally and uniquely.” We welcome an exercitant into the mystery of the prayer. We’re conscious in—coming from this annotation—and we’re paying attention to what is the context within which this exercitant knows the scriptures.

We are helping them pray with the scriptures and not study them and we want to be very careful that we are not becoming a Bible teacher. All we are doing is offering them the mystery with which to pray. It’s about that movement from head reasoning into heart knowing. So, we want to say enough that [00:33:00] the person has something to work with and pray with and then get out of the way.

The dangers are both ends of the spectrum. The one danger is saying so much that there is no space for the person to work out and pray with what they’ve got. And the other danger is saying nothing and then leaving them confused or feeling that they’ve got nothing to work with. So, we’re giving them enough. but not too much.

The other point that this annotation is wanting us to pay attention to is that the whole process is about moving from head or discursive reasoning to affective knowledge, knowing that intimate personal relationship with Jesus and so we want to give what will help and not [00:34:00] presuppose what God may want to offer that exercitant.

The official directory says—and Ivens points this out— “that it is the director’s job to point out a vein that the exercitant will then go and mine. That sense of our job is to say, “go pray here and then wait and see what God will bring up.” We’re wanting to help people drop to that inner space, that place where God connects with them, an inner knowledge rather than a head knowledge.

And so, the second annotation for me, say enough to help them and then keep quiet and [00:35:00] let God deal with the person or the creature which we’ll come to next week. Say enough, but not too much.

Let’s move on to annotation three if someone wouldn’t mind reading for us. I’m not seeing the second screen, so you may want to, if you’re offering, you may want to just speak up. Annotation three, would someone read?

Melanie: I can read it.

Brenda: Thank you very much.

Melanie: Melanie

Brenda:  Thanks, Melanie.

 

Melanie: As we enter into the spiritual exercises which follow, we retreatants find ourselves sometimes doing much thinking and reasoning things out. At other times, we experience far more of the response of our hearts with little or nothing for the head to be concerned about. It is good to [00:36:00] remember that we are always in the context of prayer, whether the prayer is more meditative or more effective. We should always try to maintain a spirit of deep reverence before God, especially when our affections are involved.

Brenda: So, this is another one that Ignatius advises that can be given to the exercitant, probably given after they prayed with the principle and foundation, but it’s an introduction to how we are to pray and the real core of it is reverence; that attitude to God of reverence. It was very important for Ignatius, and he says, especially when it’s got to do with our affect, with our inner world. It’s about how do we bring ourselves to God? So, reverence is primarily an attitude of heart. It’s how [00:37:00] we come to God and loving reverence is the primary way for a creature to be before God. It’s mostly an attitude of heart, but it does have bodily implications as well.

In all cultures, there’s different ways that we would show reverence and that’s quite important as well, to notice that how we show reverence will vary in the diversity of the people that we accompany. For some people, kneeling is a really important way of showing reverence and for others, that just is not something they’re used to.

But the invitation is to be very conscious of how we approach God—that it’s not just our heads, but that the whole of our being comes before God. Ignatius also warns us that because this is primarily about [00:38:00] this personal intimate relationship with Jesus, irreverence is going to get in the way. Any irreverence is going to be a block and so we want to authentically express our reverence, our devotion, our coming to God gently.

There’s a beautiful description of how Ignatius himself would pray. Peter Canisius tells of how, and he often observed Ignatius at prayer up on the roof of the Jesuit, home in Rome, and this is how he describes how Ignatius would pray.

He says, “He would stand there and take off his hat. Without stirring, he would fix his eyes on the heavens for a short while. Then, sinking to his knees, he would make a lowly gesture of reverence to God. After that, he would sit on a bench, for his body’s [00:39:00] weakness did not permit him to do otherwise. There his head was uncovered, tears trickling drop by drop in such sweetness and silence that no sob, no sigh, no noise, no movement of the body was noticed.”

In this annotation, Ignatius is inviting us to help exercitants be aware of how they come to God—that invitation for reverence that we come before God with loving reverence, with loving humility that we are conscious that we don’t burst our way into God’s presence. I suppose the question he’s asking is, are you ready? Get ready to come close to [00:40:00] God. Don’t barge your way into prayer. Come gently with loving reverence.

Let’s look at number four—annotation four if someone would read for us.

Elizabeth: I can read that, Brenda. It’s Elizabeth.

Brenda: Thank you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: The makeup of the exercises is rather simple. The basic division is into four parts called weeks, although there are no fixed number of days within these respective weeks.

The first week is set in the context of God’s creative love, its rejection by each of us through sin, and God’s reconciling mercy in Jesus. The second week centers on the life of Jesus from its beginnings through his public ministry. The third week fixes upon that very special time in Jesus’ life, his passion, crucifixion, and [00:41:00] death.

The fourth week considers the risen Christ and the world which has been renewed in his victory. We move from week to week according to the grace which God gives to us. Some people come to an appreciation of a certain mystery of God’s dealings with them more rapidly than others. For each retreatant, it is the director who determines whether the time of the week should be shortened or lengthened in accord with the movements of God’s grace and each one’s ability to respond.

We note, however, that the full exercises should be completed in approximately 30 days.

Brenda: Thank you, Elizabeth. So, this is some of the content that we covered in the dynamic of the exercise’s session, right? That sense that they’re the four weeks, that we move from week to week, that essentially as the graces arrive and move us from one stage to the next,[00:42:00] that the director will determine by listening deeply when it’s the right time to move the person on when the grace has been received, that it will be quicker for some folk than for others. Some may need to linger a bit. Others may receive the grace more quickly, that it’s dynamic. This is not just a program, you know, on day one this, and day three that, on day seven that, but that we’re listening deeply as each person moves through the exercises.

Ivens makes the point that the correct pace for the exercises is the pace of the exercitant in front of you. So, there’s no right and wrong; you’re going to move with that exercitant. The graces, both those that are in the exercises themselves, the text, and the ones that arise for the person [00:43:00] making the exercises will be part of that journeying, and that to trust the process almost, to trust that the dynamic will lead you through.

There is the proviso at the end though—that there’s a boundary—that the full exercises should be completed in approximately 30 days. We’re not going to carry on forever, certainly in a residential retreat, and even in the 19th annotation, you don’t want to be sitting at two and a half years. There needs to be some boundary to the process. This annotation underlies the adaptability, that whole thing that the annotations are about. Adapt, adapt, adapt. This is how it will work for this person. The weeks can be shortened or lengthened as this person needs.

All right. Annotation five. This one’s [00:44:00] very important. You might want to underline it or put a highlight next to it in your text. Don’t forget this one. Someone want to read for us.

Shelley: I can read. This is Shelley.

Brenda: Thank you, Shelley.

Shelley: The most important qualities in the person who enters into these exercises are openness, generosity, and courage. As retreatants, our one hope and desire is that God will place us with his son so that in all ways we seek only to respond to that love which first created us and now wraps us around with total care and concern.

Brenda: Isn’t that beautiful? Let me read it just for you in the older translation.

It is very helpful to him or her who is receiving the exercises to enter into them with great courage and generosity towards their creator and [00:45:00] lord, offering God all their will and liberty, that God’s divine majesty may make use of his person and all they have according to his most holy will.

This is the fundamental disposition that Ignatius is saying is the bedrock. This is what is going to ground the whole process. This is what people need to come into the exercises with. It anticipates the language of the contemplation on divine love, the total self-giving of the person in response to God, a generosity, a total trust.

Of course, we’re not anticipating that as someone begins the exercises, they have that fullness. But in this annotation, Ignatius is saying, and assuming that anyone who wants to make the exercises has already got a [00:46:00] measure of generosity, of trust, of courage, of magnanimity, of bigness to God.

And there’s an interesting thing that Ignatius always assumes. You know, this is how God is for us. God is generous and magnanimous and extravagantly loving. But we are invited to be the same as we begin the exercises as an exercitant—a  generosity, an extravagance of trust. And of course, as I’ve said, we won’t necessarily, no exercitant is necessarily going to “be there,” if I put it in inverted commas, but that’s the desire to be open and generous to God.

We’re seeing it as people begin their exercises, aren’t we? If someone’s going into a 30-day retreat, they’re putting their [00:47:00] entire lives on hold. They’re probably spending a lot of money. They have withdrawn from family and work, and they’re coming with a generosity. I still see that in people making the 19th annotation. They’re anticipating an extended period of meeting with someone. There’s quite a time commitment; they’re conscious that in their normal everyday work life, they’re going to have to be giving, setting aside time for prayer. It’s not necessarily cheap either. And so, they’ve made a commitment that is a sign of their willingness to be open to God.

It’s interesting for me that this annotation was originally placed with the presupposition and the heading of the exercises. So, it was originally in a bit of a [00:48:00] section on its own showing just how important Ignatius felt this was—this fundamental disposition.

They are the qualities of a person beginning, and I’ve written in capital letters in mine, always give this to the exercitant at the beginning before the PNF. Invite them in some way to pray with this invitation—this invitation to generosity and offering to God their whole selves. Of course, there’s also Ignatius’s view of who God is, the God that loved us and who first brought us into creation and now wraps us around with total care and concern. This is the quintessential essence or spirit of the exercises as we begin; this is how we start.

Annotation six?[00:49:00]

Angela: I’ll read that.

Brenda: Thank you very much. Thanks, Angela. So helpful.

Angela: A director expects that in the course of a week, we as retreatants will be moved in various ways. When nothing seems to be happening in prayer, the director should ask us how we go about our prayer, at what times we pray, where we pray, and in general, how we are spending the day.

Sometimes what appears to be an action or event of small consequence can affect the course of prayer for the whole day, or even a number of days. This is a situation in which the director can be a great help by the kind of questioning that may uncover what blocks our openness to God’s call.

Brenda: Thanks, Angela. So, this annotation deals with the director’s nightmare of an exercitant who[00:50:00] comes in week after week or day after day and says, “Nothing is happening and everything seems flat and I don’t know what to do” and you know, nothing; there’s no movements to work with. So essentially the advice is if an exercitant is coming in and there seems to be nothing happening, there are a few things to look out for.

Number one, start by checking out how is this person praying? Not because we think they’re not doing it right, and we want to be clear about that, and not because we distrust their report, but we want to check what might be out of place. So maybe, perhaps, there’s some resistance or blockages going on. So, by examining what’s happening, we may help them notice something that is getting in the way, or maybe how they are praying is not—they might be missing [00:51:00] out elements of the prayer. They may be skipping something. They may be misunderstanding something that we’ve described and offered to them as a way of praying and so, things are not gelling together.

We of course are presuming, or we know because of faith that God is there; just because there’s nothing seeming to be happening or felt, we know that God is there and active. And so, we are wanting to help the person work out what’s going on, what might be causing the flatness. This is particularly at the beginning. It’s not always a sign that something’s wrong if someone is saying nothing happened. There are points later on, and we’ll talk about them later in the training, where actually flatness is part of what the third way of discernment, [00:52:00] you know, of making an election.

We might anticipate some kind of stillness, but we do want to just check what’s going on. We also don’t want to interrogate them, but we want to kind of tease out what might be going wrong. The directories add in here that if things are going well, we don’t need to spend too much time with the, with the exercitant. We might unpack a little and then leave them to be with God and allow God to deal with the creature and the creature in turn with God. So, if things are going well, we don’t need to dig for more information. As we try and suss out what might not be working, it’s important that we don’t make the directee or the exercitant feel like they’ve done something wrong or that we are irritated with [00:53:00] them.

We need to be holding that positive regard and even if they could have done better, that sense of helping them feel that they’re being HELD and that we are helping them discern what is happening—why things feel so flat and that would lead us into annotation seven.

Someone volunteering? Thank you so much. Remember to unmute. Gavin, I think.

Gavin: When we find ourselves in a time of temptation or desolation, the director is meant to be a kind listener and a gentle support.  The director should help to expose the [00:54:00] ways in which the powers of evil attempt to block our ability to respond to God. The director reminds us that God continues to be at hand, even at such times, with the necessary grace of strength and light.

Brenda: Thank you so much, Gavin. So, essentially, that is, what? What are we doing when someone is in desolation? And that’s the danger, you know, coming out of that sixth annotation, that if we start interrogating, although the sixth is someone who’s flat, nothing is happening, here we’re talking about desolation, but we want people to feel held.

We want people to, if they are in desolation, for that sense of kindness, gentleness, hat they feel safe. Also, that kindness may also [00:55:00] mean helping them notice that the bad spirit is at work. So, part of our encouraging may be helping name what they’re not noticing. That sense of being able to help them see differently, to have a sense of what is happening rather than feeling judged for that.

I suppose Ignatius is warning us as directors against that frustration that sometimes creeps up when you’ve got someone in desolation and we don’t seem to be moving anywhere and, you know, and not to be harsh, I would hope that none of us are in that place, but it’s a timely reminder. The thing is to also be aware that sometimes despondency and bitterness can come from a person wanting to do well. Sometimes they want [00:56:00] to do well, they want you to, as their director, to approve, and so they can then get upset when they’re sitting in a desolation and it’s not going anywhere. So, we wanted to create that kind, encouraging, gentle space that will help them stay with the praying in the place where God can bring the graces that they’re longing for.

Here we are wanting to be paying attention to the rules for the discernment of the movement of the spirits,  which we will cover, and that sense of how do we deal with spiritual desolation? How do we move through? What are the things we need to know? So, we, as a director are wanting to make sure that we pay attention to those.  We’re helping them notice what is going on. We are a kind and gentle companion in faith, encouraging them [00:57:00] as they move through a desolation and not berating the for what they’re not doing or whatever.

We kind of are under time pressure, but I’d like to get through the next blocks. So, eight (8), nine (9), and ten (10) are a block. If I could have someone to read number eight, someone to read number nine, and then we can read number 10 as a block.

Maddie: I can read 8.

Brenda: Thank you so much. Is that Maddie?

Maddie: Yes.

Brenda: Thank you.

Maddie: As we begin to be aware of the various movements in ourselves, whether of consolation or desolation, the director determines when it would be helpful to explain further the ways for discerning the sources of such movement so that we might be better able to understand how to respond to God.

Brenda: Thanks, Maddie. Maddie. Someone can then [00:58:00] read number nine for us.

John: I can do that.

Brenda: Thank you so much. Thanks, John.

John: Since there are different sets of instructions about the way we are moved in the 1st week in distinction to the 2nd week and thereafter, the director needs to be careful to present and explain only what is most immediately helpful to us for where we are at the present in our retreat. Otherwise, we will only get confused by the very explanations, which were meant to be a help.

Brenda: Thank you, John. And then number ten (10).

Shirley: It’s Shirley and I can read it.

Brenda: Thanks Shirley.

Shirley: In the first week, it often happens that we will be tempted to discouragement or rejection by thoughts about our own unworthiness before God to a despair about the cost of such a loving response. or to a [00:59:00] fear for what others might think and say of us. The director may find the guidelines for the discernment of spirits for the first week in 313 to 327 below helpful to present to us at this time.

By contrast, in the second week, the temptation which we often face comes more from the appeal and attraction of some good, real, or apparent. At this time, the director may find the guidelines for the discernment of spirits for the second week below more helpful for us.

Brenda: Thank you. So those paragraph references to paragraphs detailing the discernment of spirits.

So, I’ve just said with annotation seven that it’s helpful for us to have the movements of the spirits pointed out to us. These three annotations are telling us [01:00:00] which rules we’re going to share, and they’re also advising us that we need to be careful in terms of what we are offering to the exercitants.

We aren’t going to hand out a list of all the movements of the spirits and the rules for discernment of the spirits and say, here we are, go away and read it.” But rather we’re going to say, where is this exercitant? What is happening and offer them material or offer them ways of discerning what’s happening now. What’s practically happening in their lives?

We don’t necessarily have to give them notes to study— the word is explain; we can do that simply by saying, it sounds like this is happening and offering them insight. You don’t have to give all the rules. You may only give the one that applies to what they’re experiencing.

There are different sets of rules for [01:01:00] or for different stages of the exercises. In the first week or at the beginning, the movements are bigger, and the temptations are different  and as you move through the movement of the bad spirit may be more subtle, coming under the guise of good, and we’ll discuss all of this in much more detail later in the course.

But these annotations are saying, be aware of where your exercitant is, and give them what is helpful for them now. Pay attention. In fact, if you give them too much, it may get confusing and actually disrupt stuff. So, pay attention to where they are and give them what is helpful in discerning now—for where they’re at.

In the old language, in the translation of the 10th annotation, there’s the words [01:02:00] purgative, illuminative; that part of that approach to the spiritual life is a purgative movement and illuminative and a unitive and the link of perhaps the purgative, the conversion from sin being part of the first week and there are different rules there. Then the illuminative, that more interior response to God connected with the second week perhaps; different rules apply. Perhaps it’s helpful for us as we begin to get a sense just to go—we’re aware that we’re only going to give what they need now. We’re not going to give them more than they need.

And then finally, for tonight, let’s just have a look at 11, 12, and 13. These are the ways that we might try to avoid what’s happening for us in the exercises. So, some advice for if someone’s trying to [01:03:00] avoid the process. Number 11?

Jaco:  I’ll do that–Jaco.

Brenda: Thanks, Jaco.

Jaco: When we are involved with the exercises of the first week, we should not try to escape from total attention upon these considerations by looking to the matter of the later weeks. At each stage of the retreat, we need to work as if our whole response to God is found in the material at hand.

Brenda: So, this is one of the reasons why it’s really helpful not to hand out the exercises, or to have them, with the book reading ahead. Remind them not to read ahead because when we’re in a space, there may be the distraction of moving ahead. I summarize it as the advice is to participate, don’t anticipate; be in the now— this invitation to the existence, not to get [01:04:00] involved in what’s coming or get distracted by what’s in the past. It’s the focus on being with what’s happening with us now, where God is.

So that encouragement to them to stay with where they’re at and not trying to escape either into what’s happened before or into what’s going to happen down the line. Stay here. And then number 12 and number 13?

Heather: I’ll read 12.

Brenda: Thanks, Heather.

Heather: In making the exercises, we ordinarily spend one full hour of each formal prayer period suggested by the director. When we feel tempted to cut short the hour, we should recognize the temptation for what it is—the first steps of taking back from God, my total gift, and extend the time of prayer for a few minutes [01:05:00] beyond the set time.

Brenda: Thanks, Heather. And let’s read number 13 at the same time.

Josie: I can read it.

Brenda: Thank you so much.

Josie: When we find prayer comes easy and is a joy, we may well be tempted so to prolong the period of prayer that soon we find ourselves responding to the consolations of God more than to God. At such times, the observance of the set of hour is a safeguard against subtle self-seeking, even in prayer.

When we find prayer dry, or even a burden, we must be sure to spend the full hour as part of our attempt to respond by waiting for the Lord.

Brenda: So, the other way that we might be tempted to escape whatever’s happening in the process of the exercises is by playing with the timing of the prayer. So, either it’s dry and it’s dull, and so we want to cut it short, [01:06:00] or it’s so wonderful that we’re going to just stay there forever, but then of course that makes prayer dependent on how we’re feeling. This advice is to be conscious about what the gift of time is, to discern what an appropriate time is for each prayer session, and of course to be realistic about that. Especially at the beginning, some people starting may not be able to do the full hour. There’s nothing magical about the full hour, but whatever time you have discerned is this is what I’m giving into prayer is the time to stick with. The however being, if it’s dry and tough and you are tempted to cut it short, maybe extend it, that agrere contra, to work against, to offer the opposite of what we’re thinking and [01:07:00] so, to be intentional. The danger in staying longer, if it’s wonderful, is that prayer becomes haphazard and it becomes just about the warm fuzzy and then when it’s not warm and fuzzy, then we want to give up. And so, Ignatius’ advice is, Stick to what you’ve agreed.  That thing about the gift, we’ve discerned this is the generous gift of time I’m giving to God. If we want to cut it short, why are we deciding to take back from God the gift we’ve already discerned?

And so, it’s quite simply, whatever you’ve discerned, stick with it. Don’t give in to the temptation to cut your prayer short or extend it at all because it’s feeling so wonderful. Be generous. and realistic about how you’re [01:08:00] praying.

I think I’ve taken 10 minutes too many. This last 11, 12, and 13 are ones that you can give to the exercitants of the principle and foundation because they’re very practical advice.

It’s time for a break. On the bottom of the sheet are some questions to consider. Think about what annotations you were given when you were making the exercises. Do you remember receiving any? What struck you? And we’re going to have a break. I think Annemarie will just guide us on timing.

Annemarie: If we take just about 10 minutes for a break now and then come back for our small group. So, 20 past the hour.

[Break]

Annemarie: So welcome back everyone. Before we go into our plenary [01:09:00] conversation, just two things to alert you to. The one is that for some people in some parts of the world, its daylight savings time changes happening before our next meeting. So, if you can just make sure that you kind of just remember the time change implications from your side and maybe just look it up and check it if you need to.

It doesn’t affect everyone, but it does affect people in some parts of the world. So just a heads up about that and also just advanced notice that in two weeks’ time, we’re going to be doing a topic change. So, the topic we were going to be doing on the 20th of March, we’re going to do on the 27th of March and what we would have done on the 27th of March, we’re going to do on the 20th of March. We’ll tell you and remind you of that near the time, and it doesn’t really affect you, but just so that you’re aware that we are going to do that minor shift in the program, which [01:10:00] we think is going to be better for the flow. So, just to let you know about that. Thanks, Brenda.

Brenda: Thanks, Anne Marie, and welcome back, everyone. So, I am wondering—I packed in a whole bunch of words and information, and if you felt a little bit shell shocked, don’t be surprised. But I’m wondering what you noticed, what comments you have or questions.

I’ll try and watch, but if you could, if you do know how to put up your hand, raise the hand. It is easier because you come to the front of the screen, but I’ll try and keep an eye out for everyone. I wonder what you notice or what you’d like to name.

Heather: Brenda, it’s Heather.

Brenda: Okay. I [01:11:00] think I noticed that the annotations are actually a gift. I was petrified of them, petrified of the name, petrified of everything about them. Even when I read them myself, I didn’t actually get it. But I think the way you explained it, it just made me realize that they are such a gift.

So, I’ll thank you for that. It’s like, oh my word, you know, I just loved it. Thank you.

Brenda: So, there’s a sense of noticing the tips that actually make it easier. There’s some gratitude for that? Thanks, Heather.

Heather:  Yes, definitely. Thank you.

Brenda: Okay. I wonder. One of the questions was what annotations were given to you when you made the exercises and perhaps how that affects what [01:12:00] you think about using them with exercitants down the line for yourselves. I wonder if anyone’s got anything you want to share around that? Your own experience of the annotations?

Maddy: I think I realized that I was not given them, I think. I was given an article that maybe prefaced some of this, but I was sharing in my group how apart from desire, I really had no clue what I was doing and hearing today’s lecture, I’m hearing language that she’s been using all those 10 months with me.

So, she kept encouraging me with wow, your generosity to Jesus. And that [01:13:00] touched me so deeply. It was such a sweet language. And now I hear all of you speaking that language and I had no clue that that’s what she was doing. I find that very interesting and it does make me think about these annotations we talked about today.

I’m meeting with someone tomorrow evening who has said, Hey, I’m interested in maybe for you to lead me. And so, I’m wondering—okay, how—I think there’s a very organic way to talk about these things without just giving her a copy of these three annotations, but how important it is for me to use that as my guideline to ask her to really assess, is she in a place that she’s ready for this? Can she commit?  So, in that sense, I think it’s really helpful.

And just one thing that really stood out for me today is how much time we give. [01:14:00] It doesn’t have to be an hour, but whatever you discern is right for you to stick with that. I’m really intrigued by do not give more or when you’re in desolation, give a little bit more. I gave more in Desolation, and then again, my director was, “Oh, Maddie, that’s great.” In Desolation, you’re generous. You always give a little bit more. Now I understand why. But I’m intrigued—I spend a lot of time, and so, to discern if someone is spending too much time, I find very intriguing.

Brenda: I suppose it’s not necessarily too much time, but it’s rather, is the amount of time dependent on how I feel. That’s really the issue. So, it’s not about the minutes and hours. It’s about the vagrancies of  [01:15:00] what I feel like in the moment, determining how much time I spend in prayer. That is the danger more than. . .

Maddie: It’s motive, right?

Brenda: Yes, exactly. Exactly.

Maddie: I love that you pointed that out. I love that. I can be aware of that now.

Brenda: And thank you for also just pointing out for us, Maddie, that it doesn’t have to be, as I said earlier, a piece of paper with a typed up, but that the language was shared with you in ways that now you’re realizing, hang on, that’s where it came from.

So, it doesn’t have to be head knowledge studied, but the wisdom is offered. I’m not sure if the team, anyone from the team wants to say anything extra around this point at this stage?

Annemarie: I think that’s absolutely right what Brenda is saying. I think the one thing that I would maybe add is that [01:16:00] you want to help people to get to a good chunk of time that they can do.

So, you know, if someone is kind of prolonging the prayer to an hour and a half, two hours in daily life, you probably would encourage them to rather keep to the hour and if they are only praying for 10 or 15 minutes, you’re going to say, well, maybe you can work towards building that up. An hour is generally a good amount of time, but I think that key thing is not to change the amount of time. So, if you have committed to 45 minutes or whatever it is, that thing that Brenda is saying is it’s not dependent on the consolation or desolation, but that faithfulness, that commitment to be present. That isn’t about the kind of the warm fuzzies that you get [01:17:00] when it’s a time of consolation, but it’s about that  deep commitment.

Brenda: And maybe also just as we become more spiritually fit that annotation one, the time through the disposition days, we might be building up the time towards an hour, so that it becomes more intentional. But that intentionality is, is helpful. Thank you, Maddy, that was helpful. Did I see Gavin? Did I see you moving to unmute?

Annemarie: I think Elizabeth’s got her hand up as well.

Gavin: Okay. So, you are still muted Gavin, if you were trying to speak. And then Elizabeth.

Gavin: I’m okay.

Brenda: Okay. Thank you, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: Yes, I wanted to know [01:18:00] when we should start the exercises with a retreatant? If we’re supposed to be searching for them now, how long will that search process go because they may say, I’m ready right now. And when should we start it with them? When are we ready to start it with them?

Annemarie: Yeah. So, if I can jump in here, you’re not ready to start it with them yet. We want to make sure that you’ve gotten to the end of the first week or at least a fair way into the first week before you start the process with them.

But because it can take a while to find someone, you might want to be on the lookout now and kind of be gently putting out feeders with people as to whether they’re interested. And if they say yes, and I want to start now, you can just be clear that you’re only available to start from the end of May.[01:19:00] Around the end of May is when we’re going to look at encouraging you to begin with the disposition days, with the introductory stuff. So, we want to get through Easter and that liturgical season behind us, so we don’t have clashes. And we also want to make sure that you’re ahead of the process enough that you know what to do as you’re guiding the people through. So, don’t worry about it yet, but if you are putting out feelers, that’s good so that you’re not starting in May to think, well, you know, is there someone I can think about who might be interested? But you’ve already been thinking about it from now.

Elizabeth: And should we mention it to them?

Annemarie: Yes, I think you can mention it to them and explain what kind of commitment that it would be and say that as of end of May, you’ll be potentially taking someone through this journey and just to suss out where there’s interest. And often it [01:20:00] might be that it’s a directee of your own that you think might be ready for the exercises and so you can start now to have that conversation with them.

Elizabeth: Okay, thank you.

Brenda: Thanks, Elizabeth. Anyone else? Any of the annotations strike you in a new way this evening that you kind of went, oh, haven’t thought of that?

Trevor: I think Nada wants to say something.

Brenda: Thanks, Trevor.

Nada: Thank you, Trevor. Thank you, Brenda. Yes, something about the annotation that mentioned about your retreatant being in a space of desolation and I suddenly recognized why I would sometimes have the urge or the temptation to maybe say too much or talk too much. And specifically in a [01:21:00] situation where I am creating a space or trying to create the space for the retreatant so that they connect with God in this space.

I’ve tried it a couple of times and they’re just not going into that space. They keep on going into the head space or talking about everything else. And then I would then say something, you know, maybe provide an insight or maybe kind of like nudge them in the, in the direction.

It’s a relief to me to see it’s not—I don’t always have that temptation to say too much, but there’s definitely specific moments.

Brenda: And so that self-awareness is really helpful, that sense of what might be tripping you up and you get in the way? [01:22:00]

Nada: Yeah, and going through the annotations tonight as you guided us through them, it just suddenly jumped out at me when we got to that.

I was able to recognize my own journey and then just see that as myself not being the one giving the exercises, we are maybe stepping off into this chasm, the Grand Canyon next to me.

Brenda: Thank you for sharing that and it just shows as well how practical Ignatius’s advice is. You know, it’s for real people making this journey.

One of the commentators makes the point around if we’re uncomfortable with desolation, then we may either, as you say, be tempted to put words into it, or we can be harsh. And so, our own self-awareness, our using of supervision,[01:23:00] being attuned to what we’re doing is also really helpful. It’s Ivens who makes that point, just in case you go and read further.

Thank you so much for sharing, Nada.

Nada: Okay. Thanks Brenda. Thank you.

Monica: I have a question.

Brenda: Thanks, Monica.

Monica: I’m curious about annotation three (3) and six (6) for those who’ve given the exercises. Have you had experiences or what have been your experiences with people who, I mean, I don’t think I quite understand the importance of number three (3) or what Ignatius was getting at. And is there an experience that you’ve had with a directee where that was important to bring up annotation three? And also, with six I’m curious about experiences with directees and what were the common [01:24:00] reasons why people were feeling flat, or nothing was happening and what have you learned from taking retreatants through? I imagine that’s a common one that nothing’s happening.

Brenda: When nothing happens?

Monica: Yeah.

Brenda: I’ll come in first on number three (3) and then see what the team also want to share around their experience. So, for me, annotation three has really to do with that people who get stuck in their heads. It’s that invitation to the inner experience. And so, the reverence is that movement from head to heart, from thinking about to responding to God. My own phrasing that I’m using with an exercitant [01:25:00] often will be something like, it sounds like head and it’s that movement into the affect—my response to God as opposed to thinking about—so it’s often just that reminding people not to get stuck in their heads for me.

I’ll think about six while others talk about their experience or around that. I think Annemarie’s here, and Trevor might be here.

Annemarie: So, Monica, I think, six is a really important one for me because Ignatius expects there, generally speaking, to be quite a bit of movement, because the retreat itself is a really intense experience, and you generally find, particularly in the 30-day context, but also in the retreat in daily life, that there is a lot of consolation and desolation and those movements going on. And that’s not surprising because the person [01:26:00] has stepped into that space of encounter with God with so much generosity. There is a sense of a bigger picture in terms of the cosmic dimension of, you know, just the movement of spirits and the different pulls that are going on.

So, it’s unusual for there to be too much of nothing much happening. If people are seriously praying every day and coming to direction and week after week, they’re saying, “well, they didn’t experience much at all,” and there’s not really an affective feeling impact of what’s going on, then the dynamic is not really working. The dynamic is not really kicking in, because the graces are not going to be received, and it’s not going to push you into the next part of the exercises.

So, yes, there are sometimes cases of quiet and not much happening, but if that’s pervasive, if that’s not shifting, I would [01:27:00] generally be asking the retreatant some deeper questions. Some translations of that annotation say, if nothing is happening, ply the retreatant with questions. That’s one of the more literal translations, which is a bit stronger than this contemporary translation and it doesn’t mean interrogate the person on one level, because you would do it very gently, but it does mean almost dig a little bit to try and discover what’s not clicking? What’s not working?

So often it is that the person isn’t asking for the grace. They’ve kind of forgotten about that and they’ve dropped that along the way. They might have started out doing it and then kind of gotten out of the habit. Or maybe the colloquy, the conversation, that heart to heart encounter isn’t happening.

And so, if the grace or the colloquy are missing, very often something is not going to click in. If, for example, the repetitions aren’t [01:28:00] happening well, the person is kind of thinking, “Oh, well, I already prayed that. Why should I go back and pray it again?” They’re not really understanding what repetition is, that it’s going deeper into the impact of the exercises. That’s also going to potentially mean there’s going to be a stuck-ness, a flatness, nothing kind of shifting. So, I would say to the person, “Look, Ignatius kind of expects that there probably is going to be quite a bit of movement and I’m wondering. It feels like we’ve been a little bit stuck for a while, so let’s unpack together what might be happening” and just trying to understand that with the person.

Sometimes it’s that there’s something else going on in their life. Because remember, when you’re looking at the retreat in daily life, it’s not just the dynamic of the exercises themselves, but it’s the dynamic of the situations in their life that are unfolding. So, you know, is it that they become so busy at work, or [01:29:00] there’s some major crisis in their personal life, and they’re actually not when they’re sitting down to pray, entering deeply into it; they’re going through the motions.

I think it’s a real service to the retreatant when you pick up that it’s not clicking in, that the movements are not happening, to try and stay with that with them a bit and to try and help them to kind of see what might be the missing piece; because generally speaking, there’s a lot of movement in a retreat. It’s not generally a place of lack of consolation and desolation.

Brenda: Sometimes as well, they don’t quite know what they’re looking for—as they say, nothing’s happening—they might be missing quite a bit that’s happening and so we help them see that. I’m not sure if Trevor wanted to add anything before, we go to Maria.

Trevor: Yeah, Brenda, I was just going to underline what you’ve just said now [01:30:00] that a lot may be happening, but it’s a little bit different to what they may be expected to happen and so they say nothing is happening and then just some reflection on their experience via the questions that we could ask maybe helps them to detect movements that otherwise were not noticed. So yeah, just to underline that.

Trevor:  Thanks Trevor. Maria?

Maria: Thank you. I noticed that there are some of the annotations for us to bookmark as the director. What annotations would specifically be the ones that I might want to rewrite and present to the retreatant? If there’s some specific ones that you would recommend?

Brenda:  So, the ones that Ignatius recommended [01:31:00] would be one (1), four (4), five (5) and perhaps twenty (20) to give to them before the PNF—before the principal and foundation.

Annemarie: Or nineteen (19) if they’re doing the retreat in daily life.

Brenda: Yes, or nineteen (19). So those, one (1), four (4), five (5),  nineteen (19) or twenty (20). And then three (3), and then 1eleven (11), twelve (12), and thirteen (13), which are the ones about praise, so not necessarily give them in a printed-out form but discuss the content as they enter the first week.

Maria: Thank you. That’s very helpful. Thank you.

Brenda: Thanks, Maria.

Jaco: Just back to the previous discussion. I find Fleming’s contemporary translation so beautiful, but there’s this beautiful gem in six (6). [01:32:00] Sometimes what appears to be an action, or an event of small consequence can affect the course of prayer for a whole day or even a number of days. I so like that. This brings us to the role of, of the director, to gently discern, to tease out what is happening in this person’s prayer life so that you can help him, to assist him into experiencing his prayer life. So, I was just struck by that sentence. It’s a beautiful way of understanding it. Yeah.

Brenda:  Indeed. Thank you for sharing that or  highlighting that—that sense of the value of an accompanied retreat, of a directed retreat—the gift that we can give— that noticing. Thank you, Jaco.

Any other thoughts or comments on the [01:33:00] annotations?

Melanie: Brenda, may I ask a question, please?

Brenda: Yes, of course, Melanie.

Trevor: Doreen’s got her hand up.

Brenda: Oh, I’m sorry. Thank you. Sorry. I’m not seeing. So, Doreen and then Melanie.

Doreen: One of the things that was really striking me today is that Ignatius wrote these after he had had lots of experience with giving them, and that that gives us a richness that he never had, and maybe that a lot of the people he trained never had for a while anyway.

It’s kind of like us having the scriptures, you know, that the disciples never had—the New Testament and everything. So, we really have been given a gift. But on the other hand, we also will keep learning as we give, [01:34:00] and God knows that, so he brings us the exercitants we need at the time that they need us, and we can just trust that.

Brenda: That living tradition that we become part of as we grow. Thank you for putting it so beautifully Doreen,

Annemarie: And maybe we start writing our own little notes as well as we experience the giving of the exercises.

Brenda: Yeah, that’s certainly true. As you begin your first exercitant is very different to the experience of somewhere down the line as you accompany someone later. It all shifts so our own notes will help us and others. Melanie?

Melanie: Yes. When I was reflecting on what my director gave me [01:35:00] in the disposition days, I got 1 (one), 3 (three), 5 (five) and 11 (eleven). As much as was stressed about annotation 3 (three), I’m surprised that Ignatius didn’t suggest that one, you know, the awe— the attitude of reverence. I think four (4) was talked about slightly. Again, I don’t recall that when I made the exercises that four (4) was really stressed because I was to stay in the now, but I do recall three (3) being like an important—an invitation—that is how I approach.

And so, I was just curious if you have anything to add on that—why that might not have been [01:36:00] suggested?

Brenda: Anne Marie, you got any insight on why Ignatius would have suggested the particular annotations before and after the principle and foundation.

Annemarie: Yeah. I tend not to make too much of four (4) myself, because I think, it’s that kind of thing of letting people discover it themselves. But, as you tell people about the process of the exercises a little bit, you may hint at, we’re going to move through a journey. You don’t have to give it kind of the detail and word for word that you have here.

I think the one that’s, you know, almost as universally seen as critically important to give is number 5 (five). That thing about openness and generosity, that that really is the one, not [01:37:00] only did Ignatius say that, but the wisdom of givers of the exercises through the ages has really pushed number 5 (five) as being really, really important at the beginning.

And I think you’re right. I think that to talk about that attitude of reverence that’s in number three (3), I think that’s really helpful often for a retreatant coming in.  I think with these there’s not a hard and fast rule about which annotations you give, but there is a suggestion from Ignatius about which ones may be helpful to retreatants.

But you, as you’re directing, are again doing that thing of adapting and applying, and you’re noticing, ah, there’s an annotation about that that might be really helpful for this person to reflect on at this point. And so, you may find that you get different ones to different exercitants. You emphasize different ones with different people, but I think as long as you’re not in that thing of handing [01:38:00] them the annotations, but rather offering what feels helpful and important for that person to enter into the process, that helps.

Brenda:  I was going to add to what Annemarie was saying that most often I don’t give a printed version formally for prayer, except for number five (5). Say number three (3), I would cover in describing the shape of prayer, so the framework of prayer. So, the reverence is part of that preparation, the act of the presence of God coming in and so a lot of them, I’m actually discussing with someone rather than giving them a piece of paper and saying, go study that.

And so, they might, like Maddie may say, “I don’t remember ever being given this, but oh, actually I did know this, and I did know that.”  So that’s probably my style along the way as well.[01:39:00]

Annemarie: I wonder whether Trevor has anything on that.

Trevor: Yeah, sometimes, I kind of just have Ignatius in the room with us and I might say to the retreatant, you know if Ignatius was sitting here, I think he had wanted us to be aware of this or that. And somehow just the sense of the cloud of witnesses and we’re traveling together with him as well—especially with the annotations and the additions in a kind of organic kind of way, just to mention, you know, if Ignatius was here, I think he might say this or might say that.[01:40:00]

Brenda: We’ve got time for probably one more question or comment. If there’s something that someone is thinking, now’s your chance to ask that question or make that comment.

Well then, the annotations are your companions for the week to go back and read and digest and you’re over to Annemarie.

Annemarie: Thank you so much, Brenda. Next week we’ll continue the journey of the annotations.  We’ll do part two.

So, I invite you to just sit comfortably for a short time of prayer to close our time tonight and I’m going to read to you again—annotation five (5)—I’m going to read it twice [01:41:00] slowly and just invite you to sit with the word or the phrase that just touches your heart as we end tonight from that annotation.

So, I invite you to sit comfortably, switch off your screen if you wish to, and just take a moment to be aware of God’s gaze resting on you in this moment and on us. And as I read, to just stay with the word or the phrase that resonates for you most strongly.

The most important qualities in the [01:42:00] person who enters into these exercises are openness, generosity and courage. As retreatants, our one hope and desire is that God will place us with his son so that in all ways we seek only to respond to that love which first created us and now wraps us round with total care and concern.

The most important qualities in the person who enters into these exercises. are openness, generosity, and courage. As retreatants, our one hope and desire is that God will place us with his son, [01:43:00] so that in all ways we seek only to respond to that love which first created us and now wraps us round with total care and concern.

I invite you to take a moment or two with that word or phrase and if something stirs in you that you wish to say to the Lord to do so, and to listen for the response,

I invite you to gently open your eyes and perhaps put your screens on so that you can see one another and to pray together the words [01:44:00] of the grace.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.

Amen. Be blessed. We’ll see you next week.