IGNATIAN SPIRITUAL EXERCISES TRAINING (ISET)
2023-BLOCK ONE – SESSION 1
Russell: [00:00:00] So, good morning, good afternoon, good evening to everybody. It’s good to be with you. Welcome to, ISET 2023. It’s really exciting to have you all with us for the journey of the next 10, 11 months. So, my name is Russell Pollitt, I’m a Jesuit and I’m working at the Jesuit Institute in South Africa, and I think you all well know that this is an exciting venture because it continues to grow.
It was the Jesuit Institute and the Martin Institute and Conversatio and now we have Richmont University in the mix as well. And Gary’s going to say a little bit about that just now, but it’s really wonderful to be with you all. And welcome, welcome, [00:01:00] welcome. So, Gary, I’m going to hand over to you to say a few words.
Gary: Thank you, Russell. It’s just a delight to see all your faces. I’ll be very brief. Just welcoming you on behalf of the Martin Institute. We love partnering with the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. Last year was fantastic.
It may well have been the best educational experience I’ve ever sat in on. We’re so happy to see this happening again. Conversatio is involved. It’s a website. It will be where you’ll be able to find recorded sessions and notes later, and maybe in a couple of weeks, we’ll bring in Avo for a little training session for just a few minutes on how to get the most out of the website. And of course, of course, of course, the biggest contribution of the Martin Institute is Pam Stewart, who you are already very familiar with.
And then we just found out that, there’s a graduate institution in Atlanta—Richmont—that for anyone who wants it, past or present, [00:02:00] what you’re going through has been deemed to be worth nine hours of credit in a Doctor of Ministry program in Spiritual Formation and Leadership if that’s something of interest to anyone downstream. Thank you.
Russell: Thank you very much Gary and thank you also for connecting us with Richmont I think we need to say that as well and for helping us to make that relationship possible.
So, to begin today, I, I just want to introduce the teaching team. So, I’m one of them. I am working here in Johannesburg. I’ve been director of the Jesuit Institute here for the last six years now. Before that I was pastor of a downtown parish in Johannesburg, and also the university chaplain. This is my second year on the ISET team, and I’m very excited to be with you all. Originally born here in Pretoria in South Africa but did most of my growing up in [00:03:00] Johannesburg. I’m going to ask, Anne Marie Paulin Campbell to introduce herself and then after that, for our other three team members as well—Adri-Marie van Heerden and, Brenda Timmer and then someone who I’m sure is known to all of you, probably, the most well-known of the group, Trevor Hudson. So, Anne Marie, I’ll hand over to you.
Anne-Marie: Thanks, Russell. It’s really, really great to be with you. My name is Anne Marie. I was born in Johannesburg. I’ve lived here all my life. I’m on the Jesuit Institute staff team and the main work that I do is the training of spiritual directors and people to give the exercises and supervisors of spiritual directors.
I first encountered the exercises when I was 19 at University and they absolutely were life transforming for me. And ever since then, it has been my [00:04:00] core compassion and mission to equip people to give the exercises. and more and more that’s been happening around the world and across denominations and cultural backgrounds and I find that incredibly exciting.
My other real area of interest is the spiritual exercises and women and I’ve done some writing around that. Yeah, I’m just delighted to be with all of you and to go on the journey with you. I coordinate the teaching part of the course—just getting the trainers and teachers together so it is really lovely to be with you on this journey and welcome.
Russell: Thanks, Anne Marie. So, Adri- Marie.
Adri-Marie: Hi everyone, it is so good to be with you. I’m a good friend of the Jesuit Institute. I have an organization called Tending the Fire, which basically is about [00:05:00] caring for the caretakers of society.
That is my deep love and passion. It’s for those who are giving a lot of themselves, which I would reckon most of you fall under–their particular well-being. My background is also education and community work, and in that context that I first discovered the exercises. That was also a deep encounter for me about well-being and friendship with Jesus, so that kind of all knits together.
I fid stay in Joburg all my life until March last year, so now you will find me on the garden route in South Africa—worth a visit if you’re ever this side.
Russell: She’s just trying to say that she stays near the sea, and those of us in Johannesburg don’t. So, we’re going to go slightly up from the garden route, slightly north to a place called KwaZulu Natal to introduce Brenda Timmer to you.[00:06:00]
Brenda: Hello, everyone. Yes, I’m sitting looking out at the sea Russell as we speak. I am glad to be with you and looking forward to this journey. As Russell said, I am in KwaZulu Natal at a place in Durban looking out over the busiest harbor in South Africa, I am in pastoral ministry. I’ve been in pastoral ministry for 26 years now, but discovered the exercises about 12,13 years ago, and like the others said was transformative for me.
So, part of my work is I do a great deal of directing, giving of the exercises, supervising of those who do and so a great passion for accompanying others as they journey with Christ. So, I’m really looking forward to sharing that with you over the next weeks—the next year.
Thank you, Brenda. [00:07:00] And, last but certainly not least, I’m going to go to someone well known, I suspect, to many of you, and that’s Trevor Hudson.
Trevor: Hi, Russell, and hello to, to each of you. I’m sitting here stranded in Auckland in the midst of the floods, and wanting to try to get home, but it’s a delight to be with you and to see your faces.
Vocationally, I’m a minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, and after 40 years stepped away from the acts of pastorate, stepped away from that about seven or eight years ago and spend much of my time. in the world of the exercises, both training and both offering them. I was able to do the [00:08:00] exercises in 1990 and they were really a great gift in my own life vocationally in terms of discernment.
So, it’s just a, a real joy to be able to be with you today, and I’m grateful for that privilege.
Russell: Thank you very much to Trevor, and we hope, Trevor, that you will find your way back eventually to South Africa. There are also mentors who we will introduce to you a little bit later and talk a little bit about them.
And also, you’ll hear something about supervisors, so we will give you more information as we go on. What we really want to do today is just [00:09:00] have a bit of time to get to know each other and give you all the information you need; and then next week, really dive in and start with the course itself.
What we like to do always when we begin, is to spend some time in prayer. And so, I’m going to ask Brenda to lead us in prayer this evening, or this afternoon, or this morning, wherever you find yourself—I have to keep reminding myself that people are in various parts of the day—so, Brenda’s going to lead us in prayer and we say to people as well, if for this time of prayer, you want to make yourself comfortable and also if you would like to put off your camera, you can do that. So, Brenda, I’m going to hand over to you.
Brenda: Thanks, Russell. So, I invite you to do whatever you need to do to be comfortable for a time of prayer and so if you want to switch off [00:10:00] cameras; make sure you’re muted so that we don’t get disturbed. That is helpful.
And so, we take a moment just to settle into the space,
to breathe, to allow ourselves to be present in this moment,
to lay aside all that calls our attention,
to be conscious of our bodies.
It may help you to just notice how your body is feeling. Is there any tension anywhere in your body? Are your shoulders tight?[00:11:00]
Maybe you’re clenching your jaw.
As you pay attention, you may want to then consciously relax.
Allow yourself to settle into God’s loving embrace.
Look at God who looks at you in love,
Or perhaps for you, it is listening to the silence of your soul.[00:12:00]
And as we settle,
as we rest in God’s love,
allow yourself to become conscious of what it is you ask of God as we begin this course.
What is it that you desire as we embark upon this time?[00:13:00]
And we listen together to some verses from Psalm 119. I’m going to read them through slowly twice. Listen for a word—a phrase that chooses you.
Your hands and love created and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may live fully in you. Those who follow the ego are in darkness. May they see how you have [00:14:00] transformed my life with light. May they rejoice. And turn away from empty paths.
May they find hope in you.
May I always welcome love and assurance and offer these gifts to those who weep and live in illusion. Let your mercy and compassion wash over me. That I may ever work on behalf of justice. And grant me a generous heart, Oh my friend and teacher. For I would give freely of my time and energy in your name.[00:15:00]
We listen again.
Your hands and love created and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may live fully in you. Those who follow the ego are in darkness. May they see how you have transformed my life with light. May they rejoice and turn away from empty paths. May they find hope in your way. May I always welcome love and assurance and offer these gifts to those [00:16:00] who weep and live in illusion.
Let your mercy and compassion wash over me that I may ever work on behalf of justice and grant me a generous heart, oh my friend and teacher. For I would give freely of my time and energy in your name. (Psalm 119:-73-80 Nan Merrill)
So, we spend some time just quietly with whatever has chosen us.[00:17:00] [00:18:00]
Your hands and love created and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may live fully in you. Those who follow the ego are in darkness. May they see how you have transformed my life with light. May they rejoice and turn away from empty paths. May they find hope in your way. May I always welcome, love and assurance.
And offer these gifts to those who weep and live in illusion. Let your mercy and compassion wash over me, that I may ever work on behalf of justice. And grant me a generous heart, O my friend and teacher, for I would give freely of my time and energy in your name.
As we’re ready, [00:19:00] we begin to draw our attention back into the group, and putting on our videos so that we know that we’re together.
Russell: Thank you, Brenda, for leading us in that prayer. We asked you all to prepare a symbol. You would have seen that in the instructions. And so, to lead us through that part, now I’m going to ask Trevor to take over.
Well, I’m trusting that you have the symbol near you and obviously [00:20:00] we’re quite a big group and we have certain limitations around time, but wondering whether you could introduce yourself and your symbol, maybe just with a sentence and perhaps the sentence could start—“I choose this symbol today because . . .” Really hoping that through the sharing of your symbol we’ll catch a glimpse of your own present life and faith. So, I’m not going to go around the screen. When you’re ready to do that, please simply, as it were, put on your microphone and [00:21:00] share and it’ll be a great gift to listen to your voice as well as to see your face in this moment.
So, the screen is open. We can’t wait too long between people because of the time constraints.
Olga: I’ll begin.
Trevor: Thanks, Olga.
Olga: My name is Olga, and I chose this symbol of a heart with the word gratitude in etched on it because I’m grateful for God’s daily grace, who through His indwelling Holy Spirit enables me to notice His love, His beauty, and his work in everyday moments of my life.
Trevor: Thank you, Olga. Appreciate it.
Maria: [00:22:00] I chose this figurine. it’s a hand with a small child inside as it reminds me that God welcomes me fully as I come.
Trevor: Thank you, Maria.
Denise: I’m Denise Brill and I bring this bowl that is wide and open. And I chose that because that’s how I am coming ready to be filled to be poured out.
Trevor: Thank you, Denise. I
Christelle: I brought binoculars because I feel like exploring some more in my faith and, maybe zoom in on things that I don’t notice as, as easily as I should have, or I can only notice with binoculars, and I feel like exploring. So, it’s good.
Trevor: Thanks, Christelle. Welcome. I[00:23:00]
Angela: I brought a hand labyrinth because at this time in my journey, I’m really embracing the outward journey of a labyrinth.
Trevor: Thank you, Angela. Appreciate that and I think Heather was the other voice there.
Heather: Thank you. Thank you, Trevor. I’ve also bought binoculars and it’s because I feel a real call to live, to look at my life differently and to focus and draw closer and to get rid of all this peripheral stuff and just, God is sort of calling me to look at the detail in awe and wonder, you know, to experience the detail of life. Yeah, so that’s why my friends are with me. Thanks Trevor.
Trevor: Thank you, Heather.
John: Well, I brought a—if you can see it—it’s just a Celtic icon [00:24:00] that kind of shows my desire for integration of my head and my heart and my body and my integration with my relationship with the Lord.
Trevor: Welcome, John. Thank you for that. Appreciate it.
Bob: My name is Bob Johnson. I brought my little elephant because he represents a plodding cadence and a great memory that is very meaningful; and that’s kind of how I see God working in my life.
Trevor: Thank you. Thank you, Bob. Welcome.
Monica: Hi, my name is Monica, and I have this eye mask that I use for sleeping and my invitation right now is to befriend the unknown. [00:25:00]
Trevor: Thanks, Monica. Welcome.
Shirley: My name is Shirley. Can you hear me?
Trevor: Yes.
Shirley: And I brought a rock with a reservoir of oil because it reminds me that through all of the seen, I live my life from the reservoir of the Holy Spirit deep within.
Trevor: Thanks. Thank you, uh, Shirley. Welcome.
Melanie: My name is Melanie, and I brought this oil lamp, and I chose it to represent my response to God letting my light shine for no other reason than this is what light does and it frees my light to simply be what it is.
Trevor: Thank you, Melanie. Welcome.
Laura: My name is Laura and I brought [00:26:00] this sculpture and I don’t know if you can see, but there’s a person inside and the title is “Transformation Begins from the Inside,” but I chose this sculpture because I’m feeling a lot of space, and maybe some emptiness and echo from God right now. So that’s where I’m at.
Trevor: Thank you, Laura, and welcome to you. I think I heard Jaco’s voice.
Jaco: Yeah, I’m here. Hi. My icon is a sticker on the wall right here behind me. It’s the footsteps, footprints, because first of all, I love hiking in nature. It’s so beautiful to enjoy. That’s where you so often experience the Lord. But more importantly, as I am following Christ, my wish would be that others can see that in my life as well. Yeah. [00:27:00]
Trevor: Thanks, Jaco. Good. Good to be with you. Welcome.
MaddyChristine: I have a hand. My name is Maddie Christine by the way. I have a hand that I made, and it holds welcome, which fits with my word for the year and I’m welcoming mystery because I think—I know what I say welcome to, and I think God will have a lot of surprises to what I’m actually saying welcome to this year.
Trevor: Well, welcome. Welcome to you, Christine, and I think I heard Diana.
Diana: Hi
Trevor: Hi, Diana.
Diana: Hi. I brought a blanket to symbolize rest, warmth, and embrace, and also a desire to share God’s warmth, rest, and embrace.
Trevor: Welcome to you. Good to be with you.
Watiri: My name is [00:28:00] Wateri and I brought a diffuser because my desire is that I will be a sweet fragrance of God’s presence wherever I go.
Trevor: Welcome, Wateri. Lovely to be with you.
Wateri: Thank you.
Elizabeth: I’m Elizabeth, and I brought this. It’s very small. I don’t know if you can see it, but it’s a small feather, because to borrow words from a saint of old, I have a “growing yearning, to be a feather on the breath of God.”
Trevor: Thank you, Elizabeth, and welcome. Welcome to you.
Beth: My name is Beth Laury, and I have a box of tissues, because I suspect there’s going to be some journeying into some deeper places in my heart, which often [00:29:00] brings some tears.
Trevor: Thank you, Beth, and welcome to you.
Shelley: My name is Shelley and I brought a book. I’m traveling, so I needed something that I could travel with or was traveling with. Coming out of the exercises, it was clear discernment that I was to spend a long season in 12 step theology and kind of bring those together. So, out of no deference to Trevor, I’m traveling with Trevor’s book on12 step theology, and it reminds me of a path that I’ve been called to.
Trevor: Awww., good to be with you, Shelley. Welcome.
Shelley: Thank you.
Gavin: Perhaps you can see my picture of the eye and I’m grateful to be part of the group and of successful cataract surgery. In seeking Jesus, I long to see myself [00:30:00] and others more clearly through his loving eyes.
Trevor: Hi, Gav and welcome.
Josi: Hi, My name is Josie and good morning; it’s morning here in Denver. I chose this and it’s a little hand with a child also. Just the idea that it represents how the Lord has held me this last year and His right hand upholds me.
Trevor: Good to be with you, Josie. Welcome to you.
Josi: Thank you.
Rhonda: Good morning. I’m Rhonda and I’m using this passport to remind me that I [00:31:00] am free to travel on the journey where the Lord’s leading me on the Ignatian exercises, the stage of life I’m in of traveling back and forth from Denver to Mexico. So, I’m choosing freedom and that’s it. Good to see you all.
Trevor: Thank you. Yeah, good to see you and welcome to you.
Rhonda: Thank you.
Nada: Okay. My name is Nada and I’ve chosen this symbol. it’s just a ring of tiny seashells, and I feel drawn to the natural beauty of it, which I feel is speaking to me where I am right now in my faith journey; [00:32:00] being open to co creating beauty, becoming aware of beauty, living slower, noticing the simple things in life.
Trevor: Thank you, Nada. And good to be with you and welcome to you.
Nada: Thank you.
Trevor: I’m also needing the help of my colleagues to ensure that we have listened and received and welcomed each person.
Annemarie: I’m wondering if there are a few more. There’s Liz.
Trevor: Yeah, right. I
Liz: I’m Liz Emery, and this is an Ekebana arrangement and the 3 [00:33:00] flowers represent the 3 parts of my career life, and the top branch represents God over it, and this is the branch of my love with my husband and the 2 ferns represent my daughters and this branch,
which is growing here is representing what I’m going to be doing next, which is flowering pear. T
Trevor: Thank you, Liz, and welcome to you.
Annemarie: And I don’t know if any of the mentors were also wanting to share now. If there is anyone, please feel free.
Doreen: My name is Doreen Miller, and I chose this twig because it’s part of a hedge, a growing [00:34:00] hedge. I love being part of the larger community here. It’s pruned, but it’s still green and growing and full of hope.
Trevor: Good to be with you, Doreen. Welcome.
Vivian: Hi, I’m Vivian. I brought these nesting dolls that open and there’s lots of layers and, to me, they represent finding all the different parts of myself and making them all come home to themselves and be integrated together. So, I’m looking forward to learning and growing more in that with God.
Trevor: Good to be with you. Welcome.
Kathy: My name is Kathy, and I chose this symbol because I’m in a season of resting and waiting.[00:35:00]
Trevor: Hi Kathy.
Kathy: Hi Trev.
Trevor: Welcome.
Kathy: Thanks.
Anne: I’ll go next. I’m Anne and I brought a cotton wool puff and so I have a strong sense that God is inviting me to a softening of my gaze in a new way; thank you.
Trevor: Hi, Anne. Good to see you. Welcome.
Becky: I’m Becky and I brought a labyrinth ball that a friend of mine makes and your fingers can run and there are different parts of me that are going to the center, and there are parts of me that are coming out. Vivian’s doll and my labyrinth ball should get together and how there’s parts of me that are going around the little tight corners and it feels so [00:36:00] tight and then there’s parts that are resting in the center. So, this is kind of what represents me today.
Trevor: Welcome, Becky and good to be with you.
Tracy: Hey, I’m Tracy. So, I brought this block that has a heart and then a little yes at the bottom of it. And it represents one, this desire to say yes to always moving towards union with God’s heart while also saying yes to become a place of encounter with God for others.
Trevor: Thank you, Tracy. Welcome. I’m looking around [00:37:00] my screen. Anyone else that we need to just create space for and welcome and hear your voice?
Annemarie: I don’t know if Carolyn would like to introduce herself. Carolyn?
Carolyn: Sure. Hi, I’m Carolyn and I did bring something. I brought the sunflower. It’s artificial because I’m visiting my father in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It’s minus 40 degrees here today Celsius, which is the same as minus 40 Fahrenheit, but my mother loved sunflowers and kept them around to cheer her during the winter, but this is an aspiration for me, maybe more of a learning to be like a sunflower, inwardly learning to turn my face to God and the grace of light [00:38:00] and I’ve recently learned that sunflowers, even during the night face east in the night—in the night season—waiting for the light. And I really love that that image. So, that’s me.
Trevor: Thank you, Carolyn. Good to be with you. Well, a big thank you to each of you for, yeah, for the thoughtfulness and creativity and, yes, for your generous willingness to let us catch a glimpse, of how you are, where you are, hopes and longings. Thank you so much and I’m going to hand back to you, Annemarie.
Annemarie: Thank you, Trevor.
Russell: Thank you, Trevor.
Trevor: Sorry, Russell.
Russell: For [00:39:00] leading us through that. Just one little technical note to everybody—if we can just make sure that we’re on mute, especially during the formal sessions, it just helps if there’s any background noise and also prevents any feedback. So, if you can just make sure you’re on mute.
So, something like this has got a number of bits and pieces—logistics involved—so, I’m going to ask Anne Marie now to begin to talk us through the logistics and we’ll see how we go. At some point, I might just put the brakes on, and we’ll take a little comfort break and then we’ll come back. So, Annemarie, over to you.
Annemarie: Thank you, Russell. So, thank you, each of you, for sharing your symbol. t was just lovely to hear your voices and to just get a tiny glimpse of where you’re at. I’m really just going to talk us through a little bit [00:40:00] of an overview of what’s going to be happening in the course and how things work etc. Don’t worry if you feel like it’s a lot of information coming at you because everything you have in writing as well so you can always go back and check if you forget something and you’re always welcome to check in with your mentor or with me if something isn’t clear.
But just to give you the lie of the land and to orientate you a little bit, I’m going to talk us through various things. So, I’m going to just start us off, seeing as we’ve already been looking at introductions, just to kind of get a bit of clarity around who’s who and just to make sure we know who the various people are who will be involved in offering the training.
So, the trainers, we introduced ourselves at the beginning, myself, Russell, Trevor, Audrey, Marie and Brenda will be doing inputs, [00:41:00] for you during the course of the year and then we have a very important group of people who have just all introduced themselves at the end of that sharing and they are going to be responsible for really just helping you as you journey through the course. As we go through each week,
they’re going to create a space for you in mentor groups to really unpack some of what it is that we’ve been talking about and to allow there to be space to reflect on your own experience in the light of what you’ve heard. So, we’re very grateful for their generosity in being willing to offer their time.
They’re all people who have been through training. Some of them were involved with us last year. Some have been involved with us in various different ways for a while. So, that is Doreen Miller, Anne [00:42:00] Hart, Kathi Tarantal, Tracy Busse, and Becky Grisell, and Vivianne David. So, all of them will be permanent mentors so they will be here every Monday that they can be, which is almost all the Mondays.
And then we have a couple of people who are very generously a part of our pool of step in mentors. So, if your mentor is for some reason unavailable on that week, we do have some people who will step in to fill the gap. And one of those is Carolyn Hindmarsh, so we’re grateful to Carolyn and you’ll meet others as we, as we go along the route. So, thanks to all of them.
So please, just a few things in relation to the role of the mentors. The mentors will really be there to be your first point of contact in terms of the course material. So, if you’re not sure about something, if you’re struggling, if you have some [00:43:00] issue in your life that makes it difficult for you to attend a session; if you can just drop your mentor a little email just to let them know and they will stay connected with you. And if there’s something that they can’t answer or they’re not sure about, they will refer it to, to me as the course coordinator. So, they are really very important people on this journey. I
I also want to just introduce to you, I think you all know her by now, and Gary mentioned her as well, Pam Stewart. Pam, do you want to say hi to the group and just a sentence or two about yourself, and then I’ll tell people what you do.
Are you there, Pam, or have we lost you, Pam?
Pam: I’m here. I was on mute.
Annemarie: Oh, great. Great. Thanks, Pam. Sorry. I didn’t spot you on the screen.
Pam: Oh, that’s fine. That’s fine. [00:44:00] My name is Pam Stewart. I was involved with the group last year, and it was quite a privilege and a blessing, and I am so excited to get to be involved again.
I am a pastor’s wife; we’ve been in ministry for 45 years, most of our married life and I’ve had the privilege of working with the Renovari Institute, with the Fuller DMN program, and lots of different things that Gary and Trevor engage me in. And I love it, and so I’m just here to help you along the way.
If you have any questions or concerns, I am always here to try to answer them and if I can’t, I give them to Annemarie.
Annemarie: Thanks, Pam. I think of Pam as the anchor because Pam kind of just holds everything steady [00:45:00] and if you have anything that you are unsure about, Pam is the course administrator and she really just holds the detail of what’s going on and keeps track of things, and she is so much better at admin and detail than I am. I’m not an admin and a detailed person. I’ll admit that up front and so. I’m so grateful to Pam because she holds that so beautifully and really intersects with all of you. So, if you want to do something like, you know, let us know that you’re not going to be absent or that there’s a crisis and you need an extension on an assignment or something like that, please, email Pam.
She will let me know what’s happening, but it also means that she can kind of put it on a spreadsheet and keep track of the various bits and pieces because it’s a large group and we want to make sure that nothing falls through the [00:46:00] cracks. So big thanks, Pam and really great to have you with us in helping keep us anchored.
We also have someone who’s working behind the scenes, who’s not here, who is Ursula von Neurop, who is the Deputy Director at the Jesuit Institute. She’s also the person who’s in charge of finances, so she will have sent you your invoice, and she will manage any correspondence around finances. So don’t send that to Pam or to me, but if you could send that to Ursula, that would be really helpful.
Gary also mentioned Avo, Avo Adourian, who is the whiz behind the website and he works with the Conversatio website and all of that technology, and he will come on one of these [00:47:00] meetings to help you to understand and to see how the website functions because all of the classes will be recorded and put up on the website along with all the resources that you need.
We will send you things by email, but you will also find them on the website under the relevant session. So, that will be another important part of the process and Avo is the man who is behind all of that. So, those are all the people I think who are involved in the training, unless I’ve missed someone. Anyone that I might’ve missed? Okay.
So just to also mention that down the line, there are going to be another group of people who will be involved, and they are supervisors. So, [00:48:00] around about the end of April, beginning of May, we will connect each of you with a supervisor. We’ll put you into a supervision group. And at that time, you’re going to start the practical work of accompanying someone through the spiritual exercises in daily life.
And you will have a group that you will meet with along with a trained supervisor who will be your guide through that process. We won’t start you on that yet because we want to get a little bit ahead of the process and get to the point where you’re a number of weeks down the line in terms of the content before you take anyone into the exercises. Butjust so you know that there will be a supervisor for you and that’s a different person to your mentor.
Also, to say that Your mentor is not going to be the same person for the whole year, and your [00:49:00] mentor group is not going to remain the same for the whole year. The idea behind that is that we want you to be able to get to meet a number of people on the program and to connect with them. So we don’t want you with the same three people for the whole year. But you’ll have a number of swaps. We’ll swap at the end of block one and at the end of block two. So, you will have the experience of three different mentor groups and three different mentors so that you get a kind of a broad sense of what’s happening and a bit of variety and connection with different people.
Just telling you that now so you don’t get too attached to your group and think you’re going to be with them for the whole year; just so you know that it’s a block—a chunk of time.
So, the course is divided up into four blocks and you will see if you look [00:50:00] at your course brochure, the outline of which session happens on which date. I got Pam to send that out to you again today in case it’s lost somewhere in your emails. I know that when I get a deluge of emails, sometimes one slips into the bottom of a pile, and I might not be able to find it so easily. So, we’ve re-sent it to you. So, if you read through that material, you will see the length of each block and what’s happening, which topic is happening on which day, all of that kind of information.
And what’s quite important to notice is that occasionally, there’s a break. We will warn you when there’s going to be a break and a holiday, but just to maybe keep in mind that it’s 36 Mondays of the year, so there are some gaps in between. a little kind of chance to [00:51:00] catch your breath and have a rest between blocks and occasionally where there’s a holiday that falls on the Monday, we’ve given you that Monday off as well. So, have a look at that for yourself so that you can see what’s happening there. So, for example, block one runs for 12 sessions. We’re starting today with the course introduction. Next week, we’re going to be doing the autobiography of Saint Ignatius, all the way through to session 12, which is on April the 24th, and then you have. a number of weeks off and we come back on May 15. So just for yourself, have a look at that and diarizewhich days we’re going to be busy with the course.
Important to say also that although we do record each session, we are requiring you to take part in at least [00:52:00] 32 of the 36 sessions live. So, it’s not that you can just say, well, I’m not going to attend. It’s more convenient to kind of watch the recording, because we are going to have time in those discussion groups and the learning really happens in conversation with one another. So, we don’t want you to be missing out on that learning opportunity.
So, it’s really, really important that you attend each of the classes. Obviously there may be a time when you’re traveling or you’re sick or something unforeseen happens and you have to skip a session, but in general terms we are expecting you to attend the sessions live. I know that for some of you, like, Watiri,–if I’ve got her name right—it means being online at 4 30 a. m. or some really early hour of the morning because she’s sitting in New Zealand. So, real [00:53:00] dedication, so thank you for that. And so, we know that for some of you, it’s very early in the morning or it’s difficult in the evenings, but we really do encourage you to please attend as many of the sessions as possible and at least 32 out of the 36.sessions.
The aim of the course is to train you to give the spiritual exercises, not in a paint by numbers kind of a way. So, anyone can kind of pick up a book and you know, think that they’re giving the spiritual exercises if you just give the person the next page in the book. But it’s not really like that because the dynamic of the spiritual exercises, the way that it unfolds has to be applied and adapted to the person who is in front of you.
So, we really want to help you to understand. Ignatius’s intent [00:54:00] in the spiritual exercises, what it is that he’s trying to help the person to receive, so that you can use the material of the text of the exercises themselves, other resources that might be supplementary resources, and apply them in a way that is going to be helpful to your particular retreatant or person that you’re leading through the exercises to help you to be faithful both to the process and the dynamic of the text and the exercises and to that living experience of the person that you are or accompanying.
We’re going to often ask you to reflect on your own experience of making the spiritual exercises and hopefully you kept a journal as you went through the exercises. So, if you don’t have it readily to hand, I’d encourage you to go and dig it out and have it with you when you come to the [00:55:00] session so that you can look back on your own experience of the Principal Foundation or the first week or wherever it is that we are working in the course. That is going to be a very valuable resource for you—your own notes.
The syllabus that I have pointed out, which is in your course brochure, we will stick pretty close to that, but we may on occasion decide to swap a topic, around and if we do, we will make that clear to you so that you know which session is which and the fact that we might be swapping something and that’s also because we want to be responsive to the group and every group is different. And so, if it feels as though it would be more helpful for us to swap a topic around for the purposes of the learning, we may do that. [00:56:00] So it’s not cast in stone. There’s a little bit of flexibility.
Trevor always says that we don’t want to, uh, to offer you canned or defrosted food. We want to offer you food that is freshly prepared and so we do really try to prepare the topic afresh every time we offer this course. And so that is part of adapting and applying the material to this particular cohort and group.
Sometimes we will ask you to read something in preparation for the session. So, we may send you something by email like an article or whatever in advance for you to read. More often we’ll send you something to consolidate what we’ve talked about. So more often you will find an email in your inbox from Pam a day or two after the session saying [00:57:00] We spoke about this or that. Here’s an article that, unpacks that a little bit; we’d like you to read it.
We’re giving you a choice of a number of articles to look at, and I encourage you to really make sure that you keep those articles because they will be really helpful to you when it comes to writing your assignments, because we do expect you to read widely, and the articles that we offer you are generally ones that obviously we think are worth reading and that are important. So, if you can save those somewhere where you can find them, or if you are good at going online, you’ll find all of those things on the Conversatio website as well.
We are assuming that everyone in this program does already have basic skills in spiritual accompaniment. And that’s why we asked you to fill in an application [00:58:00] form and we had conversations with many of you, because we’re not teaching the basics of spiritual accompaniment on this course. We’re assuming that you have those skills already. And what we’re really trying to do is to focus in on how you take people through. the spiritual exercises.
So please do remember what you’ve learned in the past about listening skills, about rapport, about all the important aspects of journeying with another person, because all of them apply in this context and we’re really building on that foundation.
So just to recap the primary course requirements, I’ve already spoken about the fact that we want you to really be sure to attend the sessions on a Monday, and that you need to attend at least 32 [00:59:00] of the 36 sessions and really to catch up on any of the sessions that you missed by watching the recording, You need to submit and pass four assignments, one assignment per block.
We’ve upped the game a little bit, and we are going to be asking for 5,000 words per assignment. So that’s the requirement. You know if it’s 4,600 words, that’s fine. If it’s 5,200 words, that’s fine. Please don’t go sending me, very, very long assignments. If it’s anything over 6,000 words, I promise you, I will send it right back so that you, cut it down for me because, that’s too long. But ,if you’ve written under 4, 000 words, you probably haven’t gone deep enough. So, we’re looking at a recommended word count of [01:00:00] 5, 000 words.
You also need to take one person through the spiritual exercises starting around April or May. So if you can start looking out for a likely candidate, that would be good even from now. And it shouldn’t be a friend or someone that you have a, another kind of relationship with, but somebody who you don’t know well at all, who might be interested in taking their spiritual life deeper and who already has some kind of prayer life so be on the lookout for someone and really start praying that God will send you the right person for you to take on that journey. But we’ll help you with that, but just to have that in mind. And along with that, you will attend your monthly supervision group, starting in May, for two hours once a month.
So, those are the four important things. [01:01:00] To attend the course, to submit and pass your four assignments, to take one person through the spiritual exercises, starting at the end of April, beginning of May, and to attend a monthly supervision group, starting in May.
You will have seen that I have sent you some information about assignments and how to write your assignment. I’ve sent you the due dates for all four assignments, so you have them in advance. You can put them into your calendars now. That was sent to you by Pam just before we started today. So, if you haven’t seen it, you should find it in your inbox when you go and look.
The first assignment is due on the 17th of May, and you’ll see the other due dates for your assignments are set out there with instructions, and I’ve put a list there of [01:02:00] important things to remember about assignments, so please pay careful attention to that. It’s got some of the things that I recognize trauma. The first time that we did it are really important to spell out right from the very beginning, so I’d invite you to please look for that.
We’re becoming stricter about extensions and that sort of thing. So, the kind of rule for this year will be that an extension will only be given for one assignment per year. So please don’t ask for an extension unless you really, really need it, because you might need it more for your next assignment and an extension can only be given for two weeks.
Obviously, if there’s some dire thing and you’re in hospital for three months or something, well, there’s always an exception to every rule, but that’s [01:03:00] the general rule that we will put into place in terms of assignments. And please, please, please—my big thing, so I’m going to put it in there now, uh, check the spelling of Ignatian authors. The number of poor Ignatian authors whose names who get mutilated in assignments is very sad. And the spelling of words like Ignatius and Ignatian and all of those things. So please be really careful as you do that, but you’ll find that all put down there for you.
We’ve made some suggestions about resources that are good to have. There is only one absolutely essential resource that you have to have, and that is your own copy of the spiritual exercises. because we will refer to that a lot as we go through the training. [01:04:00] So every time you come to class online, we ask you to have your copy of the text of the spiritual exercises at your right hand, because you’re going to really get to know, the actual text of the exercises themselves.
We encourage you, if you can, to get hold of a copy of Fleming’s version of the text. I don’t know if any of the mentors or team have a copy right beside them right at this moment. Kathy, I think, has. She’s reaching for it. If you look at Kathi Tarantal’s screen, she’s holding up a copy of the purple book. It’s a sort of maroon-y color. That one’s really helpful because it’s got a contemporary translation and it’s just really useful to have. You don’t have to have that one. We’ve also recommended some other options like Michael Ivens or [01:05:00] George Gantz or this one. Those are the three recommended ones.
Another one that you could use is one by Louis Poole. Please don’t use any other versions because there are some very dodgy versions of the spiritual exercises out there. There are literally dozens of translations and some of them are really very poor. So please make sure you’re using one of the translations that we are saying, “Yep, that’s good to go.” You can use that.
So, any of those four and maybe Russell can put those names in the chat for us. So, Iven’s, Michael Ivens, David Fleming, George Gantz, or Louis Poole. Any of those four are fine.
We also recommended some other options of books that we will find helpful. One is Like the Lightning. Some of you were struggling to get hold of that but it’s really good if you [01:06:00] can get a copy. Not a huge train smash if you can’t.
Also, a book called Stretched for Greater Glory and you’ll find that all in your welcome letter if you go back and look for it. So those are three good books to start with.
There’s also a book called Understanding the Spiritual Exercises by Michael Ivens as well. He’s one of those who wrote a translation. He’s also written a commentary. It’s a little bit more expensive, especially in the hardcover, but it’s a really good resource to have in your library when you can afford it or access it.
We also encourage you to start putting together a file of resources as you go along. Our resource expert is Kathi Tarantal, who we’re very blessed to have as a mentor on this particular training. We’ll be offering you some of Kathi’s resources later on, and we’ll have a whole session [01:07:00] on resources, but you might like to just start collecting poems and pieces of things as we go along and mention helpful resources, Add them to a file because they will be helpful to you as you go along.
So, I’m going to just keep going for another five minutes and then I’m going to give us a little break. And I’ll finish the last things that I have to say when we come back from the break. So, our outline of each session will generally run this way. The first thing is we will have a time of prayer for about 15 minutes, which we will lead you through, usually something connected with the part of the exercises that we’re dealing with.
We will then have a 45-minute input from one of the trainers on the topic of the day. There’ll be a 10-minute comfort break, which is also a time for you to go away and have a bit of a [01:08:00] reflection space for yourself. We’ll come back for half an hour into mentor groups to talk about what you’ve heard with a couple of guiding questions.
And then finally, we will come back to the big screen, for some question and answer, reflection, discussion, all of that. So, that’s the kind of process that we will follow each time, which gets us into a nice pattern and rhythm. So, I would like to pause us there and give us a little break. We’re at 10 minutes past the hour now.
So, if you could come back at 25 minutes past the hour. Does that give us 15 minutes? Yeah.
Okay. So, at 25 minutes past the hour, we will come back to the screen, and we will continue. So have a cup of tea, a stretch break, [01:09:00] and we’ll see you again in about 15 minutes.
Russell: So, we’ll just take a few more minutes to consider logistics. Annemarie is just going to wrap up some of those important logistics.
Annemarie: Thank you, Russell. So just something that Pam reminded me of, just to let you know. When it comes to handing in assignments, please do send them to Pam and not to me, so they don’t get lost somewhere. Am will send them to me in a batch each time, so please, the assignments go to Pam.
One of the things I just want to say before we go into mentor groups is that part of what we’re wanting to do is to build up a community of learning, [01:10:00] a kind of a safe place, a place that we can enjoy each other’s company. We can learn together. We can learn from one another, because many of you have experience that you bring from many different contexts.
And so just to remind us of a couple of things that I’m sure you’re very familiar with, but just to kind of put a top of mind for us. The first is really that in your mentor groups, there will be things that you may share that may be quite deep as you go on that journey and share things about your own experience of the exercises, for example, so just to really see that space is a very privileged space of sharing and to honor the confidentiality of what is shared, not to share someone else’s experience in the plenary without having explicitly gotten their permission.
But really to when you come to the big group to the plenary to share from [01:11:00] your own experience or to share the kind of meta things that you’ve learned from the journey of listening to others in your mentor group. But even in the big group, sometimes things that are shared are quite deep, so just really for us to have a very, respectful, generous, holding of what is shared by one another.
Ignatius, as you will know, or if you don’t know, you soon will know, talks about openness and generosity as being the two great gifts that are needed at the beginning of the spiritual exercises journey, and I guess probably at the beginning of this journey, it’s the gifts that we are asking for too, or the graces that we are seeking—the graces of openness and of generosity. So, we’re really asking for that.
And part of that is It’s taking some risks in terms of being generous with our [01:12:00] sharing, because we really do learn so much from the questions that other people ask or the insights that one brings. So, we encourage you to be courageous and generous and to share what you bring into the space because the group that we form as we go through this journey together is a group that is unique that comes together for this particular journey. And that is a gift for each of us.
Obviously in your small groups, the usual things about small group sharing is important, so not to be correcting each other or advising each other, particularly if something personal is being shared.
The groups are a little bit of a mixture of personal sharing and discussion. So, there will be those two different elements that will be going on in the small group at different times. Sometimes it will [01:13:00] be more the sharing of personal experience. Other times there might be something of a discussion around something that you’ve heard in the input, and that has maybe a little bit of a different quality to it.
There might be a kind of more a discussion and trying to make sense of things. Your mentors will help you as you navigate that process and that balance between sharing and discussion. And I think one of the huge gifts of this group is the diversity—that we have people from many different parts of the world and from different continents.
Off the top of my head, I’m thinking we have people from Canada, we have people from the U. S., from New Zealand, from South Africa and from many different cultural backgrounds and heritages and also from different religious denominations—Christian denominations, so there’s a wonderful [01:14:00] gift of a richness of experience that I think is one of the great, blessings of having a group that is so diverse.
Yeah, we just really can learn from and enjoy the richness of the different perspectives that we bring to the group.
I think it’s quite important for us also to really be praying for one another on this journey, particularly, as we begin, to pray for yourself for those gifts of openness and generosity, but to also pray for each other.
and I think to really have a sense that there is something quite wonderful and quite remarkable about what is happening here, that there is an incredible legacy that we are inheritors of—this legacy of spiritual exercises that has been passed [01:15:00] down from generation to generation over the past 500 years. And it kind of comes anew differently as we bring our own context and our own questions and our own grapplings into dialogue with the text of the exercises. And I get goosebumps just looking at the screen and just feeling the amazing power of what it is that is happening. And I think that Ignatius would be absolutely thrilled to have a sense of the seeds that were sown and how that is blossoming still in this global community of the spiritual exercises that we have brought together from around the world, and you will give the exercises to others, and they, in turn, may learn to give the exercises to other people, and so there’s an incredible ripple effect that happens. [01:16:00]
So, I think there’s something about just pausing for a moment to notice that something very wonderful and very special is happening, and there is no accident about the fact that anyone is here. It’s a real sense that it’s God who takes the initiative. It is God and the Holy Spirit who has drawn each of you here at this time to be part of this journey. And so just, yeah, really hoping that it’s going to be a graced experience for each of you and a life changing experience. And so that’s all I want to say.
I added a little bit onto logistics, but just to say that there’s something I think that is just very, very special about what it is that we’re doing in terms of this community of learning.
So, I’m going to invite us now to go into our mentor groups for the [01:17:00] first time. By the time you’re in your groups, it’s going to be 35 minutes past the hour. So, if we could come back at 10 minutes past the hour, That gives you 35 minutes, just a little extra time in your group this time.
We want you to introduce yourself in your group just a little bit more than you’ve had a chance to do already and also to think about or to share with the others in the group what it is that has drawn you here at this time? What is your deep desire? What is your hope for this time in the training? And so, to share that, and if you have any concerns or any questions, they might come up as well, there’s space for that.
And then if there are any questions left over, once you’re done with your mentor groups and back in the main screen, there will be an [01:18:00] opportunity to clarify anything that’s still unclear or that you want to just check out. So, if there’s anything from what I’ve said that isn’t clear by the time you come back from your mentor group, then please, we’ll have a space to just raise any questions. So, I’m going to ask Pam now to open the groups and we’ll see you in 35 minutes at 10 past the hour.
Pam: Here we go.
Annemarie: So, we’re just going to wait for the last of the groups to come back in. They’ve got a few more seconds.[01:19:00]
So welcome back everyone. I hope that you had a good time to connect in your small groups. We’ve got about 10 minutes now. If there are any questions about anything that’s a little unclear or anything that you’re wondering about that you’d like to ask. So, the screen is open if there are any.
Jaco has put a question in the chat box. This is a South African source for David Fleming’s book. [01:20:00] One might be able to just check with the Catholic bookshop, Jaco and I can give you the connection for that. Otherwise, it’s probably best to order from the Institute of Jesuit Sources overseas in the U.S.
Russell: Annemarie, just maybe to say that I know for quite a few people that that book was quiet, quite costly. so don’t feel that you absolutely have to have it .If you can get it for a good price, but it was quite expensive.
MaddyChristine: Thanks. I will say that I was able to find a book for $30 off of Amazon. It seems very available right now. It is a paperback, but that was a [01:21:00] major change from the 98 dollars that I found it last year. So maybe that’s helpful.
Annemarie: Thanks, Maddie. So maybe go on Amazon and see what’s What might be available now,
Denise: Annemarie, you mentioned about some dodgy, not reliable other sources. So, if we have those on our bookshelves, do we just kind of set them aside or not refer to them?
Annemarie: Yeah, yeah, I would. I would throw them away. It probably sounds a bit sacrilegious, but it depends I guess on what—maybe just check first what the edition is that you have—run it past us because there may be, you know, we can check whether it’s, a good one or not, but there are some that are really not helpful [01:22:00] at all. So those ones you could use as paperweights or, you know, something else.
Denise, do you want to tell us—just drop me an email if you’ve got one that you’re not sure about.
Denise: Okay. Yeah. I enjoyed it, but I don’t know if it’s a bonafide version. Okay.
Annemarie: What we’re talking about here is the actual text—Ignatius’s actual text itself. So, there are other resources, you know, like Larry Warner and Kevin O’Brien and Tetlo and Veltri and those kinds of people. Those are kind of secondary sources, but what I’m really needing you to have a good copy of is the actual text of Ignatius’s writing of the exercises.
Denise: Oh, I see. I see. So, the secondary resources are still good, but not to be used on the course. Gotcha. [01:23:00] Okay. Thank you.
Annemarie: I mean, the secondary resources we will use, we will make use of those, but we want you to have a really good version of the actual text because we’re going to go back to Ignatius’s actual words, and you want to have a translation that is kind of faithful to what Ignatius was trying to get it. So that’s why it’s really important to have a reputable kind of version.
Russell: There’s a message from Vivianne on the chat, which I think also applies to the exercises. She says she’s able to find Fleming’s book used online at thrift books.
I also noticed that Fleming’s translation of the exercises. I saw that as well. I think it was on thrift books. So, if you don’t have it, you may want to look there. Sometimes you do pick them up second hand for pretty good and pretty good condition for pretty good prices.
Annemarie: Denise, that looks like an [01:24:00] older copy of Fleming, which is great. You can use that.
Denise: 1978.
Annemarie: That’s okay.
Denise: It’s, okay?
Annemarie: Yep! It doesn’t give you the contemporary version, which would be really helpful, but it’s a good version. It’s a solid version. You’re welcome to use that.
MaddyChristine: This may be a little premature, but you mentioned that we can start putting out our feelers in terms of finding retreatants.
And you also mentioned It should be someone you really don’t know very well. I was thinking that I have, like, two directees that feel, like, so ready for this, but obviously . . .
Annemarie: No, that’s okay. That’s great. So that’s an ideal kind of scenario is when you have someone that you’ve been journeying with in direction that seemed kind of ripe for the exercises That’s perfect.[01:25:00] So, you know, you might start kind of just very tentatively sussing out whether it’s something they might be interested in Um, and that’s absolutely fine.
What I’m talking about is you don’t want to think, well, you know, my best friend is interested in the exercises. You know, let me line them up to use them as someone to take through the process, or my colleague that I’m working with every day, but if it’s someone that you have in spiritual direction, that’s a really good scenario.
MaddyChristine: And you mentioned one person. I’m thinking right away, what if someone like does not connect at some point or there’s some life circumstances and wants to like finish when I’m not finished yet. Is there some wisdom in starting with two people or even three? Like, what do, what would you suggest?
Annemarie: It’s something we’ll unpack a bit [01:26:00] more as we go along, Maddy, but it’s probably best to start with one, and maybe if you find you are managing that, kind of three months down the line, you might want to pick up a second one. It’s a very big commitment in terms of time because it’s every single week.
So, you really have to be cautious about taking on too much. I wouldn’t go for three people at the stage—one or possibly two—if you’ve got the time and the capacity for it, would be my recommendation.
Russell: There’s a question in the chat, Annemarie, from Denise. How many weeks do we take people through the exercises?
Annemarie: So, the answer is, it depends. It depends on how long it takes that particular person to make the exercises journey. And for some people that’ll be a journey of nine months; for some people it’ll be a journey of a [01:27:00] year; for some people it’ll be a journey of a year and two months, perhaps.
So, you can’t predict how long the exercises are going to take, because we’re not doing a paint by numbers version where you just hand them a piece of paper for the next week and keep going. We’re going to help you to stay alongside that person and move them only when they’ve received the grace of that part and they’re ready to move.
So, the answer is it depends, but somewhere between nine months and a year or a year and a bit is kind of the average, and it will spill over into 2024. because you are very unlikely to finish by the end of 2023. And so, you start your supervision and your practical work around May, and you will have support and supervision until you finish with your first person, which will take you into probably April [01:28:00] /May of the following year, so you’ve got that support and you’ve got the time that you need to finish taking them through the process.
Does that help Denise?
Denise: Yes, but I’m just wondering if we have regular directees that we’re meeting with once a month or twice a month—how frequently would we be taking them through the exercises?
Annemarie: So, you would be meeting with them every week.
Denise: Every week.
Annemarie: Yeah. Yeah. But all of this will be explained, so don’t worry about it at the moment. It’s stuff that will be unpacked as we move through this 1st block. That’s why we have the 1st block before we get you into doing this work so that there’s plenty of time to really explain how the process works and how you take someone into it. So, it’s really at the moment just to have your feelers. Out and your antennas up as to, is there someone hovering on the edges who might be interested? [01:29:00] Don’t worry too much about the detail at this stage.
Okay, if there are any more questions, please feel free to pop them into an email to me, but we are going to be unpacking things as we go through. There’ll be lots more conversation about resources. There’ll be lots more about how to take people through the exercises and into the exercises. Today is really just to give you a big picture overview of the course and what we’re going to be doing. So, we’ll be taking it one step at a time.
So, I’m going to hand over to Adri-Marie who’s going to lead us through some prayer for the end of our session. But if there is something that you’re really concerned about that you haven’t had time to ask, or that you really want to check out, please just feel free to drop [01:30:00] me an email this week. Thanks, Adri-Marie.
Adri-Marie: So, there’s only one first meeting where everybody still feels like strangers. That there’s lots of unknown faces, but already tonight we’re a little bit less strange than before. Well, maybe we’re still a little bit strange, but you know what I mean. So, I wonder if you could think about just one word that would describe where you are right now.
Maybe it’s still, maybe it’s confused, maybe it’s excited. I wonder if a few of you, won’t you just share with us in the chat? What is that one word that perhaps just catches something of what you are feeling right now in the moment? And if you could just share. with [01:31:00] us in the chat.
Open, expectant, grateful, fortunate, sweet thrill, grateful, anticipation, grateful, generosity, honored, serene, blessed, waiting, hopeful, anticipation.
And as you are sitting there, I want to invite you to just for a moment close your eyes.[01:32:00]
And if you consider entering into this space tonight, all the introductions, the bringing of a symbol, the hearing of practicalities, meeting in mentor spaces, and remembering an opening prayer. If you consider all of those. Won’t you just, for a moment, together with God, remember a moment where you felt your heart burn.[01:33:00]
And now, together with God, just consider what it has been like so far. And perhaps a moment where you felt disconnected or anxious and just invite [01:34:00] God into that or offer that also.
And as you are just now, just gently ask for what it is you need for the rest of the day.[01:35:00]
Precious God, we thank you for the joining of so many, hearts that burn for similar things. Thank you for the beautiful, beautiful privilege of co-listening to what you are doing in others’ lives. We are so honored, [01:36:00] to stand on this holy spaces of people’s lives. Help us to see also your movement in our own lives.
With generosity and openness. Amen.