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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Spirituality: The First Week review of my sins

In the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius directs retreatants to meditate of their sinfulness and to prepare for forgiveness. Content with the call of John the Baptist to acknowledge and repent of our sins so that we can turn to Christ, Ignatius urges retreatants to do likewise. In the second exercise of the first week, Ignatius gives these instructions:

First Point: This is the review of my sins. I will call to mind all the sins of my life, year by year and period by period. Three things will help me in this: first, to remember the place and house where I lived; second, my relationships with others; third, the positions I have held.

Second Point: This is to weigh the gravity of my sins and see the ugliness and malice....

Fourth Point: This is to consider who God is against whom I have sinned, reflecting on the divine attributes and comparing them with their contraries in me: God's wisdom and my weakness, God's justice with my iniquity, God's goodness and my sinfulness.

Fifth Point:  This is a cry of wonder with growing emotion as I consider all creatures. How have they permitted me to live and sustained me in life? ... Why have the heavens, sun, moon, stars and elements, the fruits, birds, fishes and animals, served my needs? Why has the earth not opened up and swallowed me up, condemning me to final separation from God?

Colloquy: I will conclude with a colloquy, praising the mercy of God our Lord, pouring out my thoughts and giving thanks to the Lord for granting me life up to this moment. I will resolve with the help of God's grace to amend for the future.


(Tetlow, Spiritual Exercises, pp. 26-27)

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