What is the First Point for Making the General Examen? [43] First Point

March 16, 2023

excerpt from my spiritual journal on March 17, 2023

As I prayed the Rosary with my husband this morning, Jack leading us in prayer...

We came to the last decade of our Rosary, where we pray the 5th Mystery of the Luminous Mysteries, and we pray for the Grace of Thanksgiving to God.  And it came to me that on earth there is no other Thanksgiving To God that is greater than this.

At our Mass, our Eucharistic Celebration, we offer on the altar the body and blood of Christ on the altar, the Crucifix is there, we offer in Thanksgiving this sacrifice of God, His Only Begotten Son, and Jesus offering himself up for us,  And God gives us His Son, the Body and Blood of Christ, to us, to consume, that we may be conformed to his Son.

All of our Thanksgivings for all the Lord does for us are important, we should live lives of Thanksgiving. But the Greatest Thanksgiving of all is the Mass, the Eucharistic Celebration, where we offer on the altar, the Priest being Christ himself, the Holy Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, and God returns his Son to us under the appearance of bread and wine, that we become one with Christ in this Sacrifice of Thanksgiving which is the Mass.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful understanding of the Holy Eucharist.

continued May16, 2023

What has come to me today is: The Greatest Gift of Thanksgiving to God...The Holy Eucharist.

We should run to the Eucharist, run to Mass, if you can't, then go online.

This is the Greatest Gift of Thanksgiving we can offer to God.

It is so great that we should continually offer Thanksgiving to God for everything, every thought, every gift, for all comes from above.

Thank you Lord should be our daily word to Him.

Amen.

I am touched to tears with this new understanding.

Thank you Lord for this gift.

[43] METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN

It contains in it five points.

First Point. The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.

Second Point.  The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.

Third Point.  The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present examen, hour by hour, or period by period; and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the particular examen.

Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.

Fifth Point.  The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

Our Father.

Source:

DRAW ME INTO YOUR FRIENDSHIP

A Literal Translation and A Contemporary Reading of The Spiritual Exercises

David L. Fleming, S.J. 

The Institute of Jesuit Sources, Saint Louis 1996

What is [355] Third Rule of GUIDELINES FOR THINKING WITH THE CHURCH TODAY?

October 5, 2022
Meditation on Luke:11:1-4, The Lord's Prayer

"I am with you, my child, until the very end. I will never abandon you or forsake you, for you are mine, and if I abandon you or forsake you, I also abandon myself, I forsake myself.

Trust in me, my child. I know how hard this is. Your cross is your son's cross, and it can seem hard to bear, but know this: as I carried my cross, so too my Mother carried my cross. As I suffered, so too my Mother suffered. As I agonized, so too my Mother agonized. Look to her to find your Peace. Follow in her steps. Watch and see if you will not find Peace. It is in praying the Rosary that you will find Peace, and the answers to your musings and questionings. For my Mother knows the way, and you will find your way in hers. Pray the Rosary and you will find me and all that I have for you: Peace, Love, Joy, Healing, Wholeness, and Life.
Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest...For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Come to Me.  Trust in Me.  Pray the Rosary.
You have prayed, asked for Wisdom concerning the life of your son, his situation.  This is the way."
***

"Come to Me. Trust in Me. Pray the Rosary."
Thank you Lord God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph.
Angels and saints. Holy Spirit, Holy Father, Lord Jesus.
Holy Trinity. Amen.

***

My heart has been heavy, concern for my younger son, and all my children and grandchildren, but primarily my concern for my younger son's situation, had me frozen.
I spoke to the Lord, about my feelings, frozen, traumatized, stunned, sad, disappointed, and much more. I prayed for wisdom, how to see this. Last night and this morning, I prayed for a sign, as Father Roger had always suggested.
Thank you Lord for your clear direction in this.
***
"Come to Me.
Trust in Me.
Pray the Rosary.
It is in praying the Rosary that you will find Peace and the answers to your musings and questionings."

GUIDELINES FOR THINKING WITH THE CHURCH TODAY

[355] Third Rule: to praise the hearing of Mass often, likewise hymns, psalms, and long prayers, in the church and out of it; likewise the hours set at the time fixed for each Divine Office and for all prayer and all canonical hours.

Reference:

DRAW ME INTO YOUR FRIENDSHIP, The SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
A LITERAL TRANSLATION & A CONTEMPORARY READING
David L. Fleming, S.J.

What is Sitting in Silence with God's Word?

July 27, 2022 

journal entry this day

Matthew 11:44-46

You are the pearl, my child.  I have searched and found you, and you are of great value, precious in my eyes, and I have given all for you.

I came down from the heavenlies into human form, setting aside my divinity, to save and rescue you for I want you with me in eternity.

And so it is with each of my children whom I love with an everlasting love.

You are that pearl, so too your brothers and sisters in the faith, the pearl of great value, that I gave all to save.  I sought you out, and paid the price of all that I AM, to bring you with me into eternity.

You are the Pearl of great value that was found.  Amen.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45

***

Life is not easy these days.

With the ups and downs of life pressing upon me, I feel resistance in sitting in the quiet.  But I stay, I re-read my Scripture for the day, I persevere against the stresses and demands of life that are with me, even as I try to sit in the silence, and I pray, "Speak, O Lord, your servant is listening", because I know, I remember from my prayer times, that the Lord is always here to help me and to bring me Peace.

Thank you Lord for this Word of Love that I needed so much to hear this morning.

Amen.

And the Lord has encouraged me to add this immediately to my Blog, because this is for you too, dear Reader.

IgnatianSpirituality.com - Sitting in Silence

What is illumination in our own lives...what is our Cardoner Vision?

 July 17, 2022

Journal entry

Remember when receiving the Eucharist
As you partake of the Body and Blood
of Christ
You too become Mary's child
From whom Jesus drew
his humanity when

enfolded in her body and blood
in the womb;
You too now partaking
of her body and blood
in the Full Presence of Christ
his Body and Blood now too
in full divinity and
in full humanity
Through the Fiat of your own Mother Mary.
Amen.

On the morning this came to me, I woke with two songs in my heart, sung often during my evening Rosary Prayer Group, one English, the other French...

Couronnée d'Étoiles (Crowned with Stars), and,  Be With Us Mary

...and these songs stayed with me as I prepared for my day.

I came to my prayer time and sang...

And then these words started coming to my heart from the Lord, and I wrote them down.

Thank you, Lord.

***

Two great revelations related to each other:

FIRST

Jesus, in the heavenlies, now in his resurrected divinity and humanity, has need of humankind to rest his head upon our hearts.

"The Son of Man has no place to rest his head.'

Mary now, coming into his Presence, in her full humanity, has consoled him from eternity, dancing before God as Wisdom...

Jesus has need of humanity, us, to come before him in prayer into the heavenlies, to console him in his humanity.

SECOND

As we receive the Eucharist, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ; we also receive the body and blood of Mary from whom Jesus took his flesh.

And she fully becomes our Mother.

We remember this each time we partake of the Eucharist.

We too now, in the Fullness of Christ bring consolation to Jesus in his full humanity in heaven, when we entrust our lives to him, and pray; ask and you shall receive...

***

Hard to put in my own words.

This revelation and the first bring great consolation to my heart as I consider them.

Thank you Lord God. Amen.

References:

Book: A Pilgrim's Journey, The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola

Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J. Ignatius Press

Manresa: Taught by God, pages 78-79, first subscript

excerpt, pages 78-79:

"Ignatius was so caught up in his thoughts that he sat down overlooking the Cardoner and continued his reflections. God flooded his soul with extraordinary light, giving him a profound insight into and a feeling for the mysteries of the faith. He now understood these truths with such a clarity that even though he had reflected on them in the past they were as totally new to him. He now perceived everything in its proper relationship to God."

Couronnée d'Étoiles

Be With Us, Mary

Blessed Carlo Acutis "EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES" Exhibition

What is eyes of understanding opening...what is our Cardoner Vision?

July 15, 2022, journal entry, during morning prayer

Matthew 12:1-8

"I tell you, something greater than the temple is here."

"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Lord Jesus, you are my Lord, my rest, my Sabbath.

You are my Lord, my Sabbath.

In all of this, trust me my child. I will never forsake or abandon you. You too are my rest. For the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The children of the Kingdom do not yet understand this. Here I am in the Heavenlies, and my Mother is my Comfort, in her humanity. I have need of Mankind for it is for you that I came. Fully human, fully divine, I am complete for I have the Father and the Holy Spirit with me, in me, above me, behind me, below me. Yet, I have need of humankind. This is what this means, and continues to mean.  In me, mankind is complete.  You too in me, have a place to rest, for I am in you and you are in me. Yet I have need of all humankind.

    The Son of Man has no where to lay his head.

    In my humanity, I have need of all of humankind. For it is for this reason I came, to redeem man and to bring him into communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Come my child, share in the joy that heaven has for you, I in you and you in me. You will be my rest, a place to lay my head and to reign, and I will be your rest, a place to lay your head and to reign also in my heart, for my heart too has need of you. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Whatever you ask in my name, and according to my will, it will be done for you, for you are mine and I am yours. We are one.

Amen.

***

Thank you Lord for this sweet understanding of your love and need of me, lowly creature that I am. I console you as you console me.

This gives me a new understanding of the words about the joy in heaven when one sinner converts. Thank you Lord.

How great is your love, this even brings new understanding to my heart.

And that we add to what is lacking in the Cross.

All of humanity needs to be at the Cross, worthy or unworthy as we all are, to console your humanity for what you suffered for us on the Cross.

Thank you Lord God, Jesus my Love and my Heart.

Help me not to add to your sorrow, but to be there with you.

Amen.

Jesus, in his Divinity is complete with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for there is Completeness in the Trinity of God.

Jesus in his humanity is in need of all of humanity, as the Mother of God shows us in her presence in heaven, interceding continually for us. Jesus in his humanity in the Heavenly places is in need of humanity, a place to lay his head, in my heart, and in the heart of all of humanity. As Mary comes into the throne room of heaven in her full humanity, she is a consolation and a delight for Jesus. She has danced as Wisdom before him for all of humanity.  Let my heart be emptied of all material things that Jesus the King of Glory may enter in, and find a place to rest his head.

Thank you Lord.  So hard to put in writing what you are bringing to my heart.

As I have need of you, so too you have need of me.

"The Son of Man has no place to rest his head."

Amen.

In our humanity, thanks to Jesus, we enter into the heavenlies, and Jesus in the heavenlies and in his humanity has a place to lay his head. And that place is our heart.

As you are in need of me, so also I am in need of you.

***

Two great revelations related to each other:

FIRST

Jesus, in the heavenlies, now in his resurrected divinity and humanity, has need of humankind to rest his head upon our hearts.

"The Son of Man has no place to rest his head.'

Mary now, coming into his presence, in her full humanity, has consoled him from eternity, dancing before God as Wisdom...

Jesus has need of humanity, us, to come before him in prayer into the heavenlies, to console him in his humanity.

SECOND

As we receive the Eucharist, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ; we also receive the body and blood of Mary from whom Jesus took his flesh.

And she fully becomes our Mother.

We remember this each time we partake of the Eucharist.

We too now, in the Fullness of Christ bring consolation to Jesus in his full humanity in heaven, when we entrust our lives to him, and pray; ask and you shall receive...

***

Hard to put in my own words.

This revelation and the first bring great consolation to my heart as I consider them.

Thank you Lord God. Amen.

References

"Come to me all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and gentle of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

"I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

Matthew 12:1-8

"The Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Book: A Pilgrim's Journey, The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola

Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J. Ignatius Press

Manresa: Taught by God; 30. Fifth, pages 78-79

excerpt, pages 78-79:

"3. Fifth (Grace)  Ignatius was once on his way, out of devotion, to a church a little more than a mile from Manresa...  The road followed the path of the river, and he was taken up with his devotions; he sat down for a while facing the Cardoner River flowing far below him. As he sat there the eyes of his understanding were opened, and though he saw no vision, he understood and perceived many things...He cannot expound in detail what he then understood...but he can state that he received such a lucidity in understanding that during the course of his entire life - now having passed his sixty-second year - if he were to gather all the helps he received from God and everything he knew, and add them together, he does not think they would add up to all that he received on that one occasion."

Cardoner Vision

The Way Journal: The Cardoner Imperative, Gill K. Goulding

Blessed Carlo Acutis "EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES" Exhibition

What is "spiritual relish and fruit" ? [2] Second Annotation

 May 6, 2022, journal entry

(Today's readings: 2Timothy 4:1-5; Psalm 96; John 10:11-16)

"Love and evangelization go hand in hand. You cannot love and not evangelize, and you cannot evangelize and not love.  This is the heart of the Gospel message. This is the heart of your faith.  This is the heart of all that I Am. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.  To know is to love and be in union with. As a husband loves his wife and as she loves him, they are in union, one with each other. This is love. And so it is with the bridegroom and his sheep. So it is with the Shepherd and his sheep. One cannot subsist without the other, for we are one. Trust in me, my child. Though they look not to be following me, their hearts are in my hand. And their mother (my son's wife Sarah, who has passed away - mother to my four grandchildren) is watching over them. You be grandmother to them, and mother, and sister, and friend. I will do the rest.

Trust also in my Mother for she knows the way. And she is the Mediatrix of all grace. She will also show you the way. She pondered in her heart the meaning of many things, and see today the fruit of her life for the world. So it is with you, ponder these things in your heart. I will show you the way. Otherwise you too will be scattered, not physically, but in your heart, mind, and spirit. Trust in me, for I am near and will never abandon or forsake you. Where you are, the Holy Spirit will be your guide, and I am near, shall I not be near also to those you love. Trust in me, my child. All will be well. Only trust in me. Amen."

Thank you, Lord.

As I began my time of prayer, I was feeling lacking in the work of evangelization as I read, and the Lord led me to focus on 2Timothy 4:1-5, particularly:

'I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.'

I felt lacking concerning my children and grandchildren, and the Lord spoke:

'You cannot love and not evangelize, and you cannot evangelize and not love.'

he said, and

'Love and evangelization go hand in hand.'

Thank you Lord for your love and your grace.

In my love for my grandchildren and for my children, they are touched by the Lord. This is a great encouragement.

Great Consolation as I sat thanking the Lord for this time. and the Lord said to me of this Consolation:

"Carry me with you into your day, and I will touch all those you encounter, in person or in prayer. Alleluia. Amen.'

The Spiritual Exercises

[2] Second Annotation. The second is that the person who gives to another the way and order in which to meditate or contemplate, ought to relate faithfully the events of such contemplation or meditation, going over the points with only a short or summary development. For, if the person who is making the contemplation takes the true groundwork of the narrative and, discussing and considering for himself, finds something which makes the events a little clearer or brings them a little more home to him - whether this comes through his own reasoning, or because his intellect is enlightened by the divine power - he will get more spiritual relish and fruit, than if he who is giving the Exercises had much explained and amplified the meaning of the events. For it is not knowing much, but realizing and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.

What is the Principle And Foundation [23] ?

 April 28, 2021

Excerpt from my spiritual journal.

"My child, I know these days are not easy, but you must persist. The enemy's desire is to have you.  None can be taken from my hand. This is true.  But you can get very side-tracked.  You can wander in dry places.  I know that you know this, and yet you persist.  Try my child to stay on the straight and narrow road.  I know these things are tempting.  But their joy is fleeting.  Work with what you know.  That is enough.  I have graced you. You are blessed with many  gifts and talents.  But not all are used for the Kingdom. When you work with love to make something for a loved one, I am there.  Perfection is not the goal.  Love is the goal, the answer to all.  Trust in me my child.  For I know best what is needed in your life.  Trust in me, and I will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun.  Trust in me, and you will know which road to take. Trust in me and I will guide you and show you as it is written, your way of life. Trust in me and me alone, for the enemy of the world is near, and his desire is to have you.  None can be removed from my hand.  Yet you can be distracted, as you have seen. The world is full of good things, but they are not all good for you.  It is yours to discern: which is the better way?  Where is the more? Which is the way to give most the Glory to God? This is your way that I have prepared for you, that you may walk in it.

Trust in me my child.  For I am

The Way,

The Truth, and

The Life.

Only in me can you find

true happiness,

true love,

true joy.

Only in me.

Now go to your day my child and know this...I am near."

I have been struggling - art courses, a bird series I was referred to, television, internet - so many distractions.

And I have felt it in my being, unsettled, nervous, jumpy.

Now I am at Peace. Thank you, Lord. You have shown me the way by your words.

Help me, bless me with the Grace to walk in it.

In Jesus' Holy Name.

Amen.

"For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.'

Ephesians 2:10

FIRST WEEK

[23] PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created.

From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it.

For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so on in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.

DRAW ME INTO YOUR FRIENDSHIP

The SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

A Literal Translation & A Contemporary Reading