spiritual exercises of st ignatius – Page 2 – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Loving God 201, Part 3: Third Rule of the Spiritual Life

November 12, 2015November 12, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Here we continue our look at the classical tradition of Christian spiritual formation by examining the Benedictine vow of stability – the commitment to stay put, to stay engaged in our most valuable relationships and to work out the discipline of love within them.

Our 21st century culture is more mobile and virtual than ever, making it easy to be ever-seeking greener relational pastures. From friendships to marriages to churches, it is very tempting to think that if my specifically defined needs are not being met, the solution is to look elsewhere. And while there are times relationships must shift or end, we should very reticent to come to that conclusion. Because it is in relationship that love is refined. I cannot learn to love in isolation. Nor can I grow in love without my brokenness being forced to the surface to be recognized and healed (in and by love!).

It’s why Benedict, in the early 6th century, insisted on a vow of stability – that once a monastic entered a community, they were bound to that community unless God, very clearly, called them to leave (a discernment made by the community, not just the individual).

No one was ever held captive, of course. But staying together, refusing to bail out of conflict and frustration and long-suffering, was understood as an essential part of the work of loving discipleship.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), April 26, 2015. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

Loving God 201, Part 2: Second Rule of the Spiritual Life

October 20, 2015October 20, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

This is an episode about the commitment to endurance and its essential role in the process of our spiritual formation.

Classically, we are warned that one of the most deadly poisons to the spiritual life is despair. And by despair we don’t mean depression, sadness, frustration…even very serious doubt. Despair is surrender. As Martin Thornton defines it, it is “the sin of giving up hope.” And thus we must resolve that – as we walk the life of faith – we will rule despair “out of bounds.”

Today we continue our examination of the process of spiritual formation and our necessary commitment to never despair.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), April 19, 2015. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

Loving God 101, Part 12: Contemplation “Lab” (Palm Sunday 2015)

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Having – hopefully – made the theological case for contemplation (as St. Ignatius of Loyola describes it), in this episode our pal, Jon Saur, gives a short example of the practice.

This sermon was preached on Palm Sunday 2015 and thus uses the traditional story of Jesus’s “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem as the gospel text to be contemplated.

If a short refresher is helpful, the goal of Ignatian contemplation is encounter, not “exegesis.” That is to say, in contemplation we read the scriptures so as to find ourselves within them (vs. writing an academic/interpretive commentary that explains the author’s intended meaning). As we read the story (particularly stories from the gospels), we try to identify the perspectives and experiences of the original participants. In this case, what was it like to be in the crowd as Jesus entered? How would a 1st century Jew have interpreted the events? How would a Roman soldier? How would one of the 12? (Clearly this requires a good bit of exegetical/interpretive background to be able to answer and thus we spend a lot of time in other sermons on this!)

As we move around the scene – viewing it from various perspectives (like scene in a movie being shot from the vantage point of different characters) – we ask: Where am I (in this moment in time) in this story? (And we know the answer might be different tomorrow.) And having identified ourselves we then ask: What does God have to say – through this story – to someone in my position? And what might God, then, be saying to me?

Because such reflections are deeply personal, they obviously are not the stuff from which doctrinal theology made (or, at least, ought not be!). And – as Ignatius regularly reminds us – if the direction we receive in such moments of prayer feel dramatic or at odds with our current course, we need very much to discuss them with wise counselors before acting. But as a habit of prayer, contemplation has done me – and many, many before me – a tremendous amount of good!

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), March 29, 2015. To learn more about Canvas, click here!