An Ignatian Contemplation Retreat
Moment 1.
Created out of Love
God is Love loving
Prayer: What do you desire from God today?
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God Speaks to Us Through the Prophets
I Knew You (Jer 1:5a&31:3b-4a)
5Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you… 3With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.4 Again I will build you, and you shall stay built…
I called you By name (Selections from Isaiah 43:1-7)
But now, thus says the Lord,
who created you, and formed you,
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name: you are mine.
2 When you pass through waters, I will be with you;
through rivers, you shall not be swept away.
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
nor will flames consume you.
3 For I, the Lord, am your God, your savior.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes
and honored, and I love you,
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
7 All who are called by my name
I created for my glory;
I formed them, made them.
I Am with You (Isaiah 41:10)
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
As you Read and Listen
What word(s) or Phrase moved you?
Select one of those passages to re-read
Select a section, a word or phrase that stands out for you
Take notice of your thoughts, feelings, desires
What image do you have of God from His words speaking to you?
Ask Yourself: How Does God see me?
What is God’s Presence like?
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The Lord is my shepherd (Ps 23)
The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack.
2 In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths
for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
What words or images from David’s response Speak for me?
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You have probed me (Ps 139:1-18)
Lord, you have probed me, you know me:
2 you know when I sit and stand you understand my thoughts from afar.
3 You sift through my travels and my rest; with all my ways you are familiar.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
Lord, you know it all.
5 Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
far too lofty for me to reach.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?
8 If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, there you are.
9 If I take the wings of dawn[c] and dwell beyond the sea,
10 Even there your hand guides me, your right-hand holds me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light”
12 Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.
13 You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.
15 My bones are not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth
16 Your eyes saw me unformed; in your book, all are written down;
my days were shaped before one came to be.
17 How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sands;
when I complete them, still you are with me.
What is your experience of God’s presence in the world Today, Reading David’s response?
Share all of your feelings with God.
How open am I to receiving this level of intimacy?
How does David Experience God’s gaze on him?
How Do I?
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God is Love loving
For God so loved the world (John 3:16 & 1:14)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
What feelings do you sense God felt when He gave Himself to us in the Person of Jesus Christ?
What image comes to mind of what Jesus looked like to the disciples when they saw him in His glory?
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God speaks in the person of Jesus Christ
If God so clothed the grasses (Luke 12: 22-28a)
22 Jesus said to [his] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds! 25 Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span? 26 If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them. 28 If God so clothes the grass in the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you…
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Imagine Jesus speaking those words directly to you. Where are you both? Describe the scene. Hear His words and see Him speaking them to you. Tell him your worries, and wait for His response.
What has God provided for you today?
What worries or fears do I want to let go of, as I move through this retreat?
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