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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