WEEK TWENTY FOUR: LIFE AFTER THE RETREAT - DAY 7
MORNING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD: Begin with Prayer to the Holy Spirit
A WRAP-UP OF YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES: In the course of twenty four weeks you have come into close contact with Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Your acceptance of Jesus has deepened your earlier commitment to Him. You have now decided to become His disciple, living in covenant union with Him, offering yourself to Him generously and joyfully, in return for His self-offering to you. You are now ready to live your daily life in covenant with your Savior and Lord who dwells in your heart along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
You can answer the following questions as a Wrap-Up to your experience of the Spiritual Exercises, and in preparation for your life in the marketplace.
Did you do the Acts of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Daily Offering on a daily basis?
Yes, it is a practice that I have added to my morning prayer time along with the Anima Christi.
How did it help your discipleship, and are you committed to continuing this practice?
I so look forward to being in the presence of God each day and being loved by Him. It has been committed to memory as well as ingrained into my thoughts. It has made me realize the depth of my Catholic Faith, it spans a couple of thousand years. Truth can not be denied, it can only be realized, this takes time.
Did you journal regularly? How has it helped you? Yes, on a daily bases. It gets me to ponder life and circumstances, allows me to jot down what I am comprehending and gives God a voice in my life. With the Holy Spirit each day, our thoughts are His when we have developed this practice.
What graces and directions has the Lord given you in these six months?
The grace of a stronger covenant relationship, more of my commitment and understanding of where we are going. He has encouraged me in ways to share the gifts that He gives. There is also a deepening of peace in my life, this is still developing and deepens as events don't impact my spirit for I know God is in charge. The grace of love for Him and His Holy Family deepens, I would say my relationship with Mary is continuing to grow along with Joesph. God is helping with this growth and I am realizing that I just have to be and not always do.
What patterns of sinfulness have you observed through your nightly Examination of Conscience? My night time is still a struggle, this pattern would have to be justification of not taking time to sit and do an examination. I am more conscious of my actions and I do strive to not sin so the words that pop into my head do not come out. Anger for things not going how I think they should has gone away(mostly). I do catch myself slipping up from time to time.
Has the Particular Examination of Conscience become a regular practice?
Not in a formal way as of yet but it is definitely more conscious as I wrap up my day.
Have you become familiar with the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits?
I have to a degree, I find myself recognizing that not all the movements are from God. The rules have helped with that and it will be helpful to come back to them in the future.
Are you committed to practicing the Rules for Eating, Almsgiving, and Thinking with the Church?
Yes I am, yet I realize this is still a part of the journey that I must continue to take. Some of these practices come easy while others are still a struggle.
What is Jesus your Lord and Savior asking of you now in your discipleship?
Jesus is asking me to live out my faith in my daily life, for my life to be my discipleship wherever that is to take me. To also allow others to move at their pace and not try to play God, that is for Him, I am to rest in my faith.
Dear Father, thank You for this deepening of my walk with You, for the understanding of how great You are and the depth of Your love. Thank You for watching over us Father and all that You are doing, especially the rain, nothing grows without Your love. Bless this day Lord and all it has to offer, in Jesus, name, Amen.
Mary, Queen of Peace, Pray for us.
St Joesph, Protector of the Holy Family, Pray for us.
End with Prayer to the Holy Trinity
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior, and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4b
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