NOTE. FIRST, IT IS WELL TO REMARK TWO THINGS:

The first is that love ought to be put more in deeds than in words.

The second, love consists in interchange between the two parties; that is to say in the lover’s giving and communicating to the beloved what he has or out of what he has or can; and so, on the contrary, the beloved to the lover. So that if the one has knowledge, he give to the one who has it not. The same of honors, of riches; and so the one to the other.

[232]   First Prelude. The first Prelude is a composition, which is here to see how I am standing before God our Lord, and of the Angels and of the Saints interceding for me.

[233]   Second Prelude. The second, is to ask for what I want. It will be here to ask for interior knowledge of so great good received, in order that being entirely grateful, I may be able in all to love and serve His Divine Majesty.

[234]   First Point. The First Point is, to bring to memory the benefits received, of Creation, Redemption, and particular gifts, pondering with much feeling how much God our Lord has done for me, and how much He has given me of what He has, and then the same Lord desires to give me Himself as much as He can, according to His Divine ordination.

And with this to reflect on myself, considering with much reason and justice, what I ought on my side to offer and give to His Divine Majesty, that is to say, everything that is mine, and myself with it, as one who makes an offering with much feeling:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my intellect, and all my will — all that I have and possess. Thou gavest it to me: to Thee, Lord, I return it! All is Thine, dispose of it according to all Thy will. Give me Thy love and grace, for this is enough for me.

[235]   Second Point. The second is to look at how God dwells in creatures, in the elements, giving them being, in the plants vegetating, in the animals feeling in them, in men giving them to understand: and so in me, giving me being, animating me, giving me sensation and making me to understand] likewise making a temple of me, being created to the likeness and image of His Divine Majesty; reflecting as much on myself in the way which is said in the first Point, or in another which I feel to be better. In the same manner will be done on each Point which follows.

[236]   Third Point. The third is to consider how God works and labors for me in all things created on the face of the earth — that is, behaves like one who labors — as in the heavens, elements, plants, fruits, cattle, etc., giving them being, preserving them, giving them vegetation and sensation, etc. Then to reflect on myself.

[237]   Fourth Point. The fourth, is to look at how all the good things and gifts descend from above, as my poor power from the supreme and infinite power from above; and so justice, goodness, pity, mercy, etc.; as from the sun descend the rays, from the fountain the waters, etc.  Then to finish reflecting on myself, as has been said. I will end with a Colloquy and an Our Father.

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Remember two things about love: First, love is act, not talk; it shows itself in the deed done, not simply in words spoken. Second, love works itself out in mutual sharing, so that the lover always gives to and receives from the beloved—everything: gifts, money, convictions, honors, position.

I begin by asking the Lord God to let me become aware of myself in the divine presence, and I offer myself to God.

Then I use my fantasy. I imagine that I am stand­ing before the throne of God, and all around me I see saints and martyrs, angels and powers and dominions. They all smile at me and seem to recommend me to God the Lord.

Then I ask God for what I want right now. I want to have an intimate understanding of myself and my life as gift, and all my world as gift, so that I will be incandescent with gratitude, and then go beyond that to love the Giver of all this, who loves me vastly in deed and in sharing.

Now, I divide my consideration of all God’s gifts and giving into four parts:

FIRST PART

I just run through my mind all the splen­dors of the created world. I wonder at the vast plains and mountains and the tiny wildflower. I let my mind run among the stars and planets, and then delve into the tiniest atom with its elegant particles and forces. I remem­ber that God has created and does create all humankind, and that God has redeemed and does redeem all peoples. And I remember how much God gives me in all this.

I consider this, and ponder it, letting my heart go out to God. The Lord has done much for me. He lavishes on me life, light, under­standing, desiring, free choice, and the sum­mons to love and to be loved.

Most astonish­ing of all, God plainly wants to and does com­municate God’s Self to me.

   Then I think about my own case, about my own life history and my own self. I am being created by this great Lord to live and function according to gifts coming from God’s Self. How am I to love in return? What makes sense except to do as God does, to give as God gives? What would be right except to offer all that I am and all that I have?

So, I say the prayer below, putting my whole mind and strength into the offering and the petition.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me only your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.

SECOND PART

   I look at all the varieties of creatures on the earth and in space and let it come home to me that God continues creating them and dwells within them. Through eons and eons, God faithfully stayed present to each kind of living thing, energizing by the divine presence through all the centuries the genetic codes that opened each phylum to its proper evolution. At this very moment, God gives each order and kind of creature what God can give it: To rocks, weight and solidness and presence. To plants, affinity for light and an inward im­pulse to grow and to mature authentically according to its kind. To animals, sight and smell and feeling, and the enormous range of impulses and instincts that move herds to migrate and butterflies to sip nectar from flowers. All of that God sustains.

   Then I consider and ponder this, that God remains present at every moment to every creature. God stays there always, sustaining existence and life and reflection. For at the core of the core of all creation flames the crea­tive love of God, summoning out of chaos and nothingness all that exists and lives and com­prehends.

   Finally, I think about my own case. I turn to myself and ask what this means to me? God present at my conception. God present at my birth and my growth into infancy. God faithful to me as I came to the use of reason and to freedom. God loyal to me who com­mitted myself to be a soldier of Christ, and through my other permanent commitments. All along, the energies of God rising through mine, through digestion and gesture and muscle growth and seeing and interpreting. God the ground of my being. God the core of myself.

So I wonder what I ought to do and offer to God, now. And I say with all my heart the prayer below.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me only your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.

THIRD PART

I consider that God—to use St. Peter’s words—works busily in all creation. I use a metaphor here, of course, but I can see that if God attends to each and every creature and keeps shaping instincts and consciences and raising the energies that form our weather and our interactions, then I make a lot of sense when I say that God works busily. I let my mind run through all created things: the far reaches of space, our own galaxy, the globe of the earth, imagining how God labors to keep their magnificent order and functioning. Then I enter into living things, perhaps into individ­ual birds or animals and individual persons, imagining how God keeps nerves crackling and bone marrow producing blood, and the like. I might consider a tiny little bug or flower, and imagine how many other living and nonliving things conspired to bring it to life and sustain it.

I consider this and ponder it, letting my heart go out to God. How great God is! How full of life, and how eager to have others exist, particularly other rational creatures. God labors and hopes and keeps sustaining us even when we destroy.

Then I think about my own case, about my own life history and my own self. How did God have to labor to keep me alive? to keep me growing and learning and believing and hoping? Were there no times when I realized that God was working in me? for me?

So, I say the prayer below, putting my whole mind and strength into the offering and the petition.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me only your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.

FOURTH PART

I consider that all the good that I see and know comes to be as a share in the divine good. That is, all power echoes the divine power whose action elicited it from chaos. All beauty mirrors the divine beauty and comes from it in the first place the way an image in a mirror comes from the Origin. All holiness on earth is the fragrance of God present in and with all of us. And so through justice, good­ness, mercy, understanding, compassion.

Then I consider this, and ponder it, letting my heart go out to God who pours out His own Self and all His infinity of gifts.

And I think about my own case, about how my own gifts are a share, an effulgence, of God my Creator and Lord. I am like a mirror reflecting the sun. I am like a leaf’s chloro­phyll, moving excitedly and warmly with the sun’s excited and warm light.

All that I am and all that I have are a par­ticipation in God.

So, I say the prayer below, putting my whole mind and strength into the offering and the peti­tion.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me only your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.

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[1] Tetlow, Joseph. Choosing Christ in the World: A Handbook for Directing the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola According to Annotations Eighteen and Nineteen, St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2000.

Preparatory Prayer

In the preparatory prayer, I will beg God our Lord for grace that my entire being may be directed purely to the praise and service of God.  

The grace that I seek

Here it will be to ask for sorrow, compassion, and shame because the Lord is going to His suffering for my sins.

Scripture passages

• “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

• Then he (one of the criminals crucified with Jesus) said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43).

• And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

• Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home (John 19:25-27).

• Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

• After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So, they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth (John 19:28-29).

• When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30).

Personal reflection

Imagine you are at Calvary, and you hear Jesus say one of those phrases, for instance, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Let the words resound in your whole being. Listen deeply to the words. Let them challenge you, awaken you, and provoke you to respond. When you can no longer hold back your response say to Jesus what is in your heart.