On more occasions than I care to count, people will comment to me, “Ignatian spirituality does not have enough to do with Jesus. All you hear about is finding God in all things.” While in my head I am thinking of all the things I really would like to say in response to that comment, I typically take a deep breath and ask them, “Have you ever gone through the Spiritual Exercises? They are all about Jesus and a relationship with him!”
Here are the top five things the Spiritual Exercises taught me about Jesus.
- Jesus was human. This understanding deepened within me during the Second Week of the Exercises as I prayed with the nativity Scriptures, holding a six-month-old in my arms. It was really Mary who showed me Jesus’ humanity, as a mother nurturing her infant son. Mary carried, birthed, and loved a child. I carried, birthed, and loved a child. The infant Jesus went through all the phases of growing up that my own children go through.
- Jesus discerned his Father’s will. Praying through the Exercises helped me understand that Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding. Jesus asked his Father, “What is my next right step?” I, too, am called to ask God, Jesus’ Father, what is my “next right step?”
- Jesus gets suffering. At times Jesus’ discernment of his Father’s will led him to some challenging situations: mockery by family and friends, unwelcome in his home town, betrayal by friends, and physical pain. Walking alongside Jesus and praying with Jesus’ experiences of suffering, especially during the Third Week of the Exercises, showed me how Jesus, a human (see #1), felt pain. Jesus gets our suffering because he experienced his own share in his life.
- Jesus remained rooted in his Father. Through all of the challenging times Jesus faced, he trusted in his Father and turned to him in time of need for strength on his journey. With his Father’s help, Jesus entered Jerusalem and faced his death. What does Jesus’ dependence on his Father teach me? That when my own discernment leads me to face challenging situations, I, too, can lean on God, and God will walk with me through the journey.
- Jesus was hopeful. Jesus’ hope came from his trust in God. Jesus understood that his passion was necessary for God to complete the rest of the plan—the Resurrection. Because Jesus was hopeful, I have a reason for hope in my own life. Because of Jesus’ trust in God, I have a reason to believe that in tough times, light will eventually come.
What have the Spiritual Exercises taught you about Jesus?
Becky Eldredge
Blogs at BeckyEldredge.com
Becky Eldredge is the Product Development and Training Coordinator for Charis Ministries, a Jesuit ministry for those in their 20s and 30s. She holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Education from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans. She has her Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Spring Hill College. Becky has been involved in ministry for 15 years, with the majority of her work in retreat ministry and adult faith formation. While ministry is one of her passions, her greatest joy is sharing life with her husband, Chris, and her children, Brady and Abby.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
A wonderful post. The exercises also taught me that Jesus experienced great joy in his life–that the love he showed us he received not only from the Father but also from his family and friends and even strangers–the compassion he taught us was something that flowed from his human experience as well as the divine. The gratitude he expresses in some moments in the gospels is overwhelming and helped me see that the gifts we receive far exceed our imagination.
The Spiritual Exercises were transformational for me. I have known for many years that I need Jesus but during the Exercises, I learned that Jesus truly wants me to be there with Him in all things. It was incredibly humbling for me to know that our Lord wants me and during the Third Week, as I entered into Jesus’ suffering I truly felt that He needed me to be there with Him.
I learned that Jesus is happy to have me sit at His feet and just be present with Him but He also wants me to go out into His world to look after the lost sheep. It isn’t either/or but my devotion must result in service – contemplation in action. This results in seeing Christ in each person.
Ignatian Spirituality has given expression to what has been in my heart for most of my life. I am incredibly grateful to St. Ignatius.
Jesus’ humanity, I learned, was not just joy or suffering but also frustration (Mark 8: 14-21). I can also imagine how He felt when His parents went looking for Him for 3 days finding Him finally in the Temple. He submitted to the will of the Father by being obedient to Joseph and Mary.
The Exercises taught me, among so many things, that Jesus appreciates the physical, “incarnational” things I have to do as a wife and mom. Cooking dinner has taken on a nobler status since Week 2.
Among other things, the Exercises taught me that Jesus often went to a separate place to pray and talk to the Father. I felt like I finally had permission to spend quiet time in prayer and in experiencing the natural world around me, something that I was taught from an early age was ‘daydreaming’ and not encouraged!!