Any way of prayer or mediation may be considered a spiritual exercise. Just like physical exercise it helps to have a plan, a coach and some discipline. The Spiritual Exercises (notice the capitals) are a series of meditations and contemplations which 16th century St Ignatius of Loyola composed from his own prayer experience, and then taught to his followers, who became the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). The Exercises are mostly contemplations of scenes in the gospels, where we are to use our imagination to place ourselves within the scene so as to meet Jesus intimately, allowing the gospel account to unfold as we watch, listen, feel and take part. Following the contemplation of the scene is a prayer dialogue with Jesus about whatever we experienced and learned. Woven throughout the program of gospel scenes which Ignatius chose are some specific meditations on sorrow for sin, choosing to follow Jesus, and then giving yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus. The Exercises can be don...
The Ladder of Inference is an idea developed by Harvard professor Chris Argyris to show how we can often make inferences in the way we perceive other people and their actions towards us. With several steps on this ladder, there is plenty of room for error on our part if we assume that we always know what is right and that we are hearing other people correctly. A humble stance can allow us to acknowledge that perhaps discernment is needed. Two examples I used in a recent homily are below.
Amazing!!! These cloud pics are definitely great for a homeschool weather topic😊
ReplyDelete