Here are a few suggestions to help you open yourself to God on the Ignatian Camino:

1.    Enter into the silence of the Camino

Isaac of Nineveh (613-700 AD):

“Many are continually seeking, but they alone find who remain in silence. Everyone who delights in a multitude of words, even though they say admirable things, is empty within. If you love truth, be a lover of silence. Silence like the sunlight will illuminate you in God. Silence will unite you to God. More than all things love silence; it brings you a fruit that tongue cannot describe. In the beginning, we have to force ourselves to be silent. But then there is something born that draws us to silence. May God give you an experience of the ‘something’ that is born of silence. If only you practice this, untold light will dawn on you in consequence. After a while a certain sweetness is born in the heart of this exercise and the body is drawn almost by force to remain in silence.”

Ammonas of Egypt (4th Century):

“I have shown you the power of silence, how thoroughly it heals and how fully pleasing it is to God. It is by silence that the power and the mystery of God will become known to you.”

2.    Invest time in prayer

As you walk, give as much time as you can to hours of relating to God. If you invest much time, your prayer will deepen considerably and this will be a lasting treasure you take from this Camino.

3.    Desire God

If you wish to attain a deeper experience of God on this Camino, desire God. God desires that you desire him. If you want to deeply desire God, ask God for the desire, beg God for it.

4.    Courage and generosity

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) said there were times when she would feel so disgusted with prayer that she had to summon up all her courage to make herself even enter her oratory. “I know how grievous such trials are,” she said. “They need more courage than do many trials in the world.” Also, the God you meet in prayer is going to lay bare your rationalizations, to break down your defences, to make you see yourself as you truly are — and this can be painful. The encounter with God is not always a pleasant, soothing experience. You must approach God with no conditions, in a state of complete self-surrender. If you start out by saying, “Ask me for anything except this” you are putting a serious obstacle in the way of your encountering God. You are not expected to have the strength to do what God wants of you. What is expected of you is complete honesty with yourself and with God.