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Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat Series

Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat Series

By The Jesuit Post

The Jesuit Post presents Ignatian, preached retreats in podcast form. Each season will feature a series of talks based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola presented by young Jesuits. Each episode features a talk that guides you through the dynamics of the retreat, along with reflection questions to aid you on your spiritual journey.

Season 1: Holy Week Retreat 2020
Season 2: A Jesuit Anti-Racism Retreat
Season 3: Holy Week Retreat 2021 - Live the Questions
Season 4: Lenten Retreat 2022 - The Vine and the Branches
Season 5: Lenten Retreat 2023 - Who do you say that I am?
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Talk 8: I Am God's Love | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat SeriesApr 08, 2023

00:00
14:20
Talk 8: I Am God's Love | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?
Apr 08, 202314:20
Talk 7: My Identity as a Disciple | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Talk 7: My Identity as a Disciple | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Does God’s love for us ignite our head, heart, and feet to follow Christ? After taking a look at our sins we are met with a healthy and good dose of confusion for God’s immense love for us. And so we ask ourselves, are we disciples of Christ? 


Spiritual Exercises: 

  • Colloquy with Jesus on the Cross

Suggested Scripture for prayer: 

Questions for reflection:

  • What am I doing for Christ?

  • What have I done for Christ?

  • What ought I do for Christ?

Song:

BONUS:


Please feel free to contact Damian if you would like to share your experiences with him: dbotellosj@thejesuitpost.org. To download a PDF of reflection materials for this talk: https://bit.ly/LentenRetreatTalk7

Apr 05, 202311:32
Talk 6: Hell and the Identity of My Love | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?
Mar 31, 202311:42
Talk 5: My Identity as a Child of God | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?
Mar 24, 202311:07
Talk 4: A Loved Sinner - My Own Sins | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?
Mar 17, 202312:19
Talk 3: A Loved Sinner - History of Sin | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Talk 3: A Loved Sinner - History of Sin | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

In the 3rd talk of our Lenten Retreat, we continue to contemplate our identity and how much God loves us. To come to a profound awareness of this love, Ignatius desires us to put sin in its proper perspective: sin as systemic and all around us. We may not like to think about sin, but Damian reflects on what it reveals about God and ourselves. We are sinners, and we are sinners loved by God.

Spiritual Exercises:

  • The First, Second, and Third Sin

Suggested Scripture for prayer:

Questions for reflection:

Song:

Please feel free to contact Damian if you would like to share your experiences with him: dbotellosj@thejesuitpost.org.  

To download a PDF of reflection materials for this talk: https://bit.ly/LentenRetreatTalk3

Mar 10, 202313:13
Talk 2: God has Given Us Gifts! | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Talk 2: God has Given Us Gifts! | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?

Damian sets up the retreat by letting us know the focus of these 40-days of Lent will be on the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises. And as we begin, we discover that our entire life is a gift in which we have one goal. St. Ignatius posits this goal is also our identity. To help us understand our goal and our identity, Ignatius offers us the Principle and Foundation, which is the mission of our lives. Damian breaks open this Principle and Foundation and offers a suggestion on how we can better identify ourselves with God.

Spiritual Exercises:

Suggested Scripture for prayer:

Questions for reflection:

  • Who in my life has helped me on my faith journey? Write these names down, slowly and intentionally, see their face in your imagination, recall memories, and give thanks for their presence in your life.
  • Who can I invite to join me on my faith journey? Remember, the Principle and Foundation is not about God and me, but rather about God, me, and all of creation. Who, if anyone, would you like to share the road of faith with? And then, maybe, reach out to them.
  • Who have you excluded in your life, or, who could you love better in your life? Again, as my theatre professor said, if you want to know who you are, look at the people around you, and also, I would add, look at who isn’t around you. Why? Does this say anything about who you are?

Song:

Print or download the following PDF for helpful materials to help you reflect on the talk: https://bit.ly/LentenRetreatTalk2

Mar 03, 202318:04
Talk 1: God Sees Potential in Everything | 2023 Lenten Retreat: Who do you say that I am?
Feb 24, 202316:49
Talk 8: A Complete Joy | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 8: A Complete Joy | Lenten Retreat 2022

In the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, we focus on the risen Christ. He has passed through the suffering of the cross and entered into his glory. Desiring that others share his joy, he goes about consoling all who were deeply shaken by his death. David ponders several scriptural accounts of resurrection encounters, as well as an imagined reunion between Jesus and Mary. He concludes with a light-hearted story of his own prayer at the empty tomb in Jerusalem.

Verse: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)

Spiritual Exercise: Fourth Week

Suggested Scripture: Luke 24:13-35, John 20:19-29, Mark 16:1-8

Questions for reflection:

  • When the risen Jesus meets his mother, what does he say? What is Mary’s response?
  • Can I allow the risen Christ to touch my deepest pain and bring me complete joy?
  • What are the main graces I’ve received in this retreat? Are there any resolutions I feel called to make in light of those graces?
Apr 17, 202214:52
Talk 7: No Greater Love | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 7: No Greater Love | Lenten Retreat 2022

Jesus laid down his life on the cross to save us from sin and death. We may experience different reactions to this greatest act of love. In this Third Week talk, David reflects on several of them. Given the suffering the world has seen these past few years, we may need to grieve before the cross. We could admire the way Jesus patiently suffered, always keeping his focus on others. We might imagine how those close to Jesus felt a spark of hope on Holy Saturday while waiting for the promised third day. No matter what our reaction is, David invites us to trust that God is leading our prayer.

Verse: No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

Spiritual Exercise: Third Week

Suggested Scripture: Luke 23:33-49, John 19:16-30

Questions for reflection:

  • Is there anything in the world or in my life I need to grieve?
  • Am I able, in the midst of my own struggles and suffering, to turn my attention to other people?
  • Can I live with hope in the midst of my own sorrow?
Apr 14, 202214:31
Talk 6: I Call You Friends | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 6: I Call You Friends | Lenten Retreat 2022

With this talk, we move to the Third Week of the Spiritual Exercises. Jesus’ public ministry threatened the power of the religious authorities, and they now move to suppress the threat. It is easy to accompany Jesus in the good times, but it’s much tougher to accompany him in hard times. We do it because he is our friend. David proposes three places for prayer: the table where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed in agony, and the jail cell where he spent a long, lonely night.

Verse: I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. (John 15:15)

Spiritual Exercise: Third Week

Suggested Scripture: John 13:1-30, Luke 22:39-46

Questions for reflection:

  • Who are those people in my life who I find tough to love? How can I imitate Jesus in loving them unconditionally?
  • Am I showing fortitude and courage in my life? Do I opt for the easy way too often?
  • If you sit in the jail cell with Jesus, what do you do? What do you say?
Apr 09, 202214:01
Talk 5: Loving as Jesus Loved | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 5: Loving as Jesus Loved | Lenten Retreat 2022

Jesus commands his disciples to love as he loved. In order to fulfill this commandment, we need to be intimately familiar with how Jesus loves others. In the final talk of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, David highlights seven episodes where Jesus demonstrates his love. By encountering the sorrowful, the sick, the stranger, the shamed, the sinner, the settler, and even the religious superior, Jesus gives us an example of expansive, inclusive love.

Verse: This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. (John 15:12)

Suggested Scripture: Luke 7:11-17 (the sorrowful), Luke 5:12-16 (the sick), John 4:4-30 (the stranger), Luke 19:1-10 (the shamed), Luke 7:36-50 (the sinner), Luke 7:1-10 (the settler), Luke 7:40-56 (the religious superior)

Questions for reflection:

  • Do any of these stories give me new insight into Jesus’ love?
  • Who in my life needs my love right now?
Apr 02, 202214:48
Talk 4: The True Vine | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 4: The True Vine | Lenten Retreat 2022

Jesus says that he is the true vine. That must mean there are false vines out there as well. In this talk, David introduces the meditation on the Two Standards in the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises. There are forces in the world that draw us toward serving Christ. But there are also forces that draw us away from serving Christ. Sometimes, it’s tricky to know which is which. Using examples from his life, David describes how he sees Jesus drawing him to service by the path of poverty and humility.

Verse: I am the true vine. (John 15:1)

Spiritual Exercise: The Two Standards

Suggested Scripture: Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 6:24-34

Questions for reflection:

  • Where are my riches, honors, and pride?
  • Are there any ways, big or little, in which these are drawing me away from the service of Christ?
  • Is it possible to see how poverty, contempt, and humility lead to service in the kingdom of God?
  • Is there any adjustment or change I want to make in my life to pursue the path of poverty and humility?
Mar 26, 202214:60
Talk 3: Chosen to Bear Fruit | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 3: Chosen to Bear Fruit | Lenten Retreat 2022

With this talk, the retreat transitions to the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Jesus Christ came to bring the kingdom of God to us. He calls us to work alongside him in building that kingdom. It’s a long-term project, and it can be challenging to keep motivated for that work. Pope Francis advises us to revisit our memories of the initial excitement of following Jesus. Mary’s use of memory, treasuring everything that happened to her in her heart, provides a model for us.

Verse: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain. (John 15:16)

Spiritual Exercise: Contemplation on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ

Suggested Scripture: Luke 2:1-19, John 1:35-51, Luke 5:27-32

Questions for reflection:

  • Are you at a place in your life where you feel enthusiastic and generous?
  • Or do you feel lukewarm and have a complaining spirit?
  • Are you excited about the kingdom of God coming into your work, your family, and your community?
  • What do you need to do to stoke your passion for answering Jesus’ call?
Mar 19, 202215:01
Talk 2: A Pruned Branch | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 2: A Pruned Branch | Lenten Retreat 2022

In this talk, David reflects on the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Jesus tells us that God the Father prunes the disciples who live as branches on the vine. He does this so that our discipleship is more effective. The pruning process can be painful, but most experiences of true growth are. The key is to let our loving Father be the one doing the pruning, not ourselves. St. Peter provides a model of a pruned branch for all Christians.  

"He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit." (John 15:2)  

Suggested Scripture: Psalm 51, John 21:1-19

Mar 12, 202215:46
Talk 1: Remain in my Love | Lenten Retreat 2022

Talk 1: Remain in my Love | Lenten Retreat 2022

This talk introduces the theme of the retreat, the Vine and the Branches. It explores what St. Ignatius of Loyola meant by “spiritual exercises” and what he hoped the retreatant would get out of doing them. The foundation of the entire retreat is a heartfelt trust in God’s love for us. With examples from Jesus, Elijah, and his own life, David reflects on how God communicates God’s love by speaking to the heart.

Verse: As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. (John 15:9)

Spiritual Exercise: Annotation 1/2

Suggested Scripture: Psalm 23, Psalm 103

Questions for reflection:

  • When has God spoken to your heart in silent sounds?
  • Who are the people in your life that bring you joy?
  • What personal gifts do you have that have enabled you to persevere in those tough moments of life?
Mar 05, 202215:22
Trailer: The Vine and the Branches | A Lenten Retreat

Trailer: The Vine and the Branches | A Lenten Retreat

Join Deacon David Kiblinger, SJ, for our 3rd annual Online Lenten Retreat. For the past two years, we have presented online retreats during Holy Week. This year, we wanted to offer a retreat that would last throughout the Lenten Season. A new talk will be released each Saturday in Lent and two during Holy Week. The retreat begins on March 5th.

The theme of this year’s retreat is The Vine and the Branches from Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John. Each talk will pull a theme from this discourse between Jesus and his disciples so that we might learn how to follow Jesus more closely.

In this preview episode, David offers a few helpful tips to prepare for the retreat:

1 – Read over the passage on the Vine and the Branches in Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John.

What stands out to you as you read over this verse? What is Jesus trying to tell you?

2 – Familiarize yourself with Ignatian Contemplation.

We’ll be engaging in this form of prayer throughout the retreat. If you’re not as familiar with this type of prayer, check out this article on Ignatian Contemplation from our Jesuit 101 series.

3 – Make a plan.

How much time do you plan to spend in prayer? Can you carve out 20 minutes of silence? Maybe 30 minutes or more? Do you have a space where you can pray with limited distractions? You can choose whatever is most comfortable for you, but it is helpful to make a plan ahead of time so that it becomes part of your routine.

Feb 27, 202202:52
Talk 6: Do You Love Me? The Resurrection of Jesus Christ | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

Talk 6: Do You Love Me? The Resurrection of Jesus Christ | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

This episode draws us into the Fourth Week of the Exercises and explores a question Jesus asks of all of us: do you love me? We begin this episode in Jesus’ tomb and consider the Paschal path – that path of success, misunderstanding, suffering, death, and redemption that we all experience. We witness Jesus resurrected and allow him to continue transforming our lives through the gifts of joy and consolation that the resurrection offers. And, to conclude our retreat, we engage the Contemplation to Attain Divine Love, a prayer made in gratitude that inspires us to continue our journey of partnership with a good and loving God.

Suggested texts:

  • John 21:15-17
  • John 20:1-29
  • Luke 24:13-35
  • Matthew 28: 16-20
  • The Suscipe Prayer:

Take Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will - all I have and possess. You have given all to me, and I give it all back to you, God - it’s all yours. Do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace - that’s enough for me.

Points for reflection:

  • Where do you find yourself on the Paschal Path right now?
  • When have you found yourself or someone near you in the tomb?
  • When Jesus asks you if you love him, how do you respond?
  • When you contemplate God’s love for you, what consolation arises? What gifts do you recognize? What do you feel called to give back?
Apr 03, 202130:31
Talk 5: Surely, It Is Not I, Lord? The Passion of Jesus | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

Talk 5: Surely, It Is Not I, Lord? The Passion of Jesus | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

This talk considers Judas’s question to Jesus at the Last Supper: Surely, it is not I, Lord? Given our Holy Week experience, it moves us into the Third Week of the Exercises, and explores the suffering of Jesus on the cross as an essential part of the Paschal mystery of the Christian faith. In facing that suffering, we will also consider the ways we cause suffering, we experience suffering, and we accompany suffering. Using the story of Jesus’ Passion and death, we are invited to feel more deeply the fullness of our relationship with him by walking with him on the way of the Cross.

Suggested texts:

  • Matthew 26:20-25
  • Luke 22:39-65
  • Luke 23:26-49
  • John 19:31-42

Points for reflection:

  • What lingers with you as you consider the Passion and death of Jesus? What parts of the story resonate? What images come to mind as you accompany Jesus?
  • Where have you encountered suffering in your life? How can Jesus be a companion for you in that suffering?
Apr 02, 202129:18
Talk 4: What Do You Want? The Public Ministry of Jesus | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat
Apr 01, 202129:31
Talk 3: How Can this Be? The Early and Hidden Years of Jesus’ Life | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat
Mar 31, 202128:25
Talk 2: Who Told You That? Sin and God's Boundless Love | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

Talk 2: Who Told You That? Sin and God's Boundless Love | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

This talk explores the second question God asks humanity in the sacred scriptures: who told you that? It considers the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, which centers around God’s boundless love for us. It invites us to consider sin, and the ways that God’s love and mercy help us to move beyond our sinfulness and into greater freedom.

Suggested texts:

  • Psalm 51
  • Genesis 3:10-13
  • John 8:1-11
  • Romans 7:13-23

Points for reflection:

  • In what ways do you miss the mark regarding how you want to live?
  • Who or what supply the voices in your life that lead you away from God?
  • How have you felt God’s love and mercy present to you, even in the midst of difficulty and struggle?
  • What tools do you have that help you carry on in the face of hardship and the recognition of sin?
Mar 30, 202133:02
Talk 1: Where are you? The First Principle and Foundation | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

Talk 1: Where are you? The First Principle and Foundation | Live the Questions: A Holy Week Retreat

This first talk explores a foundational question in the spiritual life: where are you? It serves as an introduction to the broad theme of this retreat, which is framed around asking six key questions in the spiritual life. It includes a brief overview of the life of St. Ignatius, as well as an introduction to the retreat’s host, Eric Immel, SJ. Finally, it presents a key to Ignatian spirituality: the ‘First Principle and Foundation.’

Suggested texts:

  • Psalm 139
  • Genesis 3:1-10
  • John 1:1-5
  • The First Principle and Foundation:
    God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save their souls. God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose. From this, it follows that we are to use the things of this world only to the extent that they help us to this end, and we ought to rid ourselves of the things of this world to the extent that they get in the way of this end. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things as much as we are able, so that we do not necessarily want health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, a long rather than a short life, and so in all the rest, so that we ultimately desire and choose only what is most conducive for us to the end for which God created us.

Points for reflection:

  • Where are you? Where do you find yourself on your spiritual journey these days?
  • How would you describe the goal and purpose of your life? Where are you in honoring that goal and purpose?
  • In what ways do you struggle to choose goodness and spiritual freedom? Where are you in moving beyond that struggle? Where do you feel called to change for the better?
Mar 29, 202131:01
2021 Holy Week Retreat: Live the Questions

2021 Holy Week Retreat: Live the Questions

Join Eric Immel, SJ, for a week-long online retreat starting on Monday, March 29 and lasting throughout Holy Week. In this retreat we'll explore themes of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection at Easter.

Episodes will be available daily in both video and podcast format. You can find the podcast in this feed and the videos are available on our website (www.theJesuitPost.org) and our YouTube Channel (@theJesuitPost). Join us! 

Mar 28, 202101:35
Talk 12 - "Laboring with the Resurrected Jesus" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 12 - "Laboring with the Resurrected Jesus" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

God never stops laboring for us and for our world, laboring for justice, reconciliation, and the end of racism. We clearly see this in the awakening that has spread throughout the world after the “lynching” of George Floyd. At the end of the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites us to respond in gratitude to God’s unceasing love for us. In the last talk of our Jesuit Antiracism Retreat, Michael Bachmeier explains how this gratitude manifests in our willingness to surrender ourselves and join the labors of God through the marginalized.

Verses for Prayer:

Matthew 28:16-20 - The Great Commission

Reflection Questions:

  1. How can I be a better ally? Whose voices do I need to listen to? Do I trust the experiences of people from BIPOC communities?
  2. What am I going to do differently after this retreat?
  3. How is God calling me to be a co-laborer in the fight against racism?
  4. Imagine Jesus missioning you from this retreat. Is there something specific Jesus is sending you to do?
Aug 28, 202009:06
Talk 11 - "Eucharist, Hope and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 11 - "Eucharist, Hope and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

The Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our faith, completely defies the logic of racism. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus’s breaking of the bread impulses us toward our community with renewed hope and consolation. Peter Bell reflects on letting the Body of Christ renew our antiracist commitment to one another.

Verses for Prayer: Luke 24:13-35 - The Walk to Emmaus

Reflection Questions:

  1. How do I see myself moving from the muck and despair into action?
  2. How might contemplating the Eucharist help me in my antiracist journey?
  3. What do I need to give thanks for over the course of this retreat, what truth have my eyes been opened to?
  4. Do I, like the disciples, need help to see Jesus at work in the world, and if so, how might I seek that help and be open to it?
Aug 26, 202011:06
Talk 10 - "We Are Not Alone" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 10 - "We Are Not Alone" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Where is the Risen Lord in the racism we’ve been confronting for so long? Jesus conquered sin and death as He rose from the dead. But his wounds were still there when He showed up to his disciples. In the beginning of the fourth week, Eric Couto reminds us that our hope and joy as Christians comes not from naivete, but from our faith that Jesus walks with us, as we transform the painful realities of our world.

Verses for Prayer:

Matthew 28 - The Resurrection of Jesus

Reflection Questions:

  1. What does the message of the Resurrection mean for you?
  2. What gives you hope and consolation about this mission towards antiracism?
  3. Where do you find the Risen Lord consoling you?
Aug 24, 202009:38
Talk 9 - "White Apathy and the Crucifixion" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 9 - "White Apathy and the Crucifixion" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Grieving with others is not the only way we commit to solidarity. Becoming aware of one’s participation in the oppression of others, is another way of opening the eyes of the heart and deciding to be responsible. Brian Engelhart, SJ, describes the apathy White people often exercise when dealing with the realities of racism that affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and finishes the third week of our “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat” with one contemporary example, as well as with an invitation to get rid of indifference.

Verses for Prayer:

Matthew 26:17-27:56 - The Passion of Jesus According to Matthew

Reflection Questions:

  1. What is the pain Jesus feels at this stage of the Passion?
  2. Am I staying with Jesus in his suffering, or am I looking for ways to escape and reduce my own pain?
  3. What do I feel as I realize that Jesus is suffering on account of my sins?
  4. How does my reaction to Jesus’ Passion compare with my reaction to the sufferings of BIPOC today? Can I recognize that pain, sit with it, and acknowledge my role in it?
Aug 21, 202007:41
Talk 8 - "Lament Must Precede Solidarity" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 8 - "Lament Must Precede Solidarity" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Some realities in life can only be known through tears. The participation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) members in antiracism is not a hobby or an optional venture: it's a matter of survival. They do not have the luxury that White people have to retire from the conversation of racism and flee from its painful realities. Matt Briand, SJ, invites us to put aside our fear to weep with those who weep because of racism, for true Christian love suffers along the beloved, and commits to justice.  

Questions and Verses for Prayer: 

  • Ask God for this grace that St. Ignatius encourages for the Third Week of the Spiritual Exercises: “ask [God] for grief with Christ in grief, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and interior pain at such great pain which Christ suffered for me.” 
  • Read John 19:16-30 two or three times. 
  • Meditate on the scene by offering your imagination to God. Be patient and let God reveal the scene to you. Engage your senses. Imagine standing with Mary, Mary Magdalene and John. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? 
  • After contemplating the scene, have a conversation with Jesus. Ask him, “Lord, how are you still suffering in the bodies of black people, indigenous people, and other people of color? And how am I to love those in my own community or city and resist the structures and forces that cause them to suffer?”
Aug 19, 202009:20
Talk 7 - "Bear Witness to Suffering" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 7 - "Bear Witness to Suffering" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Feeling grief for the suffering of others is one of the first steps toward a commitment to serve them. It helps us to have a greater sense of urgency for justice, as well as a deeper understanding of what is at stake. When we accompany those who suffer from racism in their mourning, we walk with our neighbors and bear witness to our Christian vocation. River Simpson, SJ, introduces us to the third week of our “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat,” and invites us to remain faithfully present to the agonizing Jesus, through our accompaniment of the victims of racism.

Reflection Questions:

  1. How do I handle disappointment, feelings of hopelessness amidst great suffering and specifically as it relates to racism? Where or to whom do I turn for consolation during these moments?
  2. What does it mean to stand in witness to another’s pain, another’s suffering, particularly within the context of racial injustice? Moreover, what does it mean to grieve?
  3. How can I credibly and appropriately lament another’s suffering, perhaps, even my own? What feelings do these reflections rouse in me?

Verses for prayer:

Mark 14:32-42 - The agony of Jesus (The episode says Mark 13, but it is actually Mark 14. Sorry for any confusion.)

Aug 17, 202010:08
Talk 6 - "Humility and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 6 - "Humility and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Humility plays a vital role in anti-racism work. Intellectual and moral humility allows individuals to admit complicity in a culture of racism and commit themselves to the ongoing struggle of anti-racism. By looking at the Call of Simon Peter, contemplating the story of Martha and Mary, and meditating on what it means to be “childlike,” Sullivan McCormick, SJ, invites us to reflect on where in our lives we might need more humility as anti-racists.    

Reflection verses and questions:  

  • Where do I need more humility (intellectual and/or moral) in my life as an anti-racist?   

Call of Simon the Fisherman (Luke 5: 1-11) 

  • How is Peter a model for moral humility in anti-racism work?  
  • How can I learn from Peter?   

The Praise of the Father (Matthew 11: 25-27)  

  • What does it mean to be a “childlike” anti-racist?   

Martha and Mary (Luke 10: 38-42) 

  • How can I look to Mary as a model of intellectual humility in anti-racism work?
Aug 14, 202012:20
Talk 5 - "Accountability and the Oppressed Jesus" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 5 - "Accountability and the Oppressed Jesus" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

When I speak about racism, am I generally more worried about how white people will feel, react, or think of me than I am about how people of color will? 

Does my Church, my workplace, my classroom consider mainly the sensitives, comfort and concerns of white people? 

Billy Critchley-Menor, SJ, points the antiracism conversation in the right direction when he explains that it is about White people being held accountable to People of Color. White supremacy has shaped society around the accountability of White people. Antiracism refocuses our attention so we are held accountable by the oppressed in our society; those in whom Jesus lives according to the Gospels.

Aug 12, 202007:58
Talk 4 - "Solidarity and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 4 - "Solidarity and Antiracism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Although Solidarity is one of the values of Catholic Social Teaching, it is easily forgotten that it is not just a feeling of sympathy with those who suffer. Solidarity is a constant effort to create a society centered on equity and justice. Kevin Kuehl, SJ, gives us four characteristics of true solidarity and asks us to consider with whom do we practice solidarity in our following of Jesus: with those who are fighting for justice or with those who are perpetuating oppression?  

Reflection texts: 

  • Philippians 2:1-11 
  • Luke 10: 25-37 
  • Two Standards Meditation from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/an-ignatian-prayer-adventure/week-5/) Go to Day 4
Aug 10, 202009:36
Talk 3 - "Racism as Man-Made Evil" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 3 - "Racism as Man-Made Evil" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Race is a social construct originally framed to create hard boundaries that could not be crossed by people of different skin color and for the purpose of segregation. “Black”, Indigenous, and “People of Color” (BIPOC) are still discriminated against and abused because of the color of their skin. Although race as a social construct was abusively imposed as a biological determinant of skin color, our society must not fall into the trap of colorblindness as it prevents one from seeing the suffering of “BIPOC” members. Fr. Armel Setubi, SJ, asks us to imagine a society without race, while warning us about the common mistake of thinking that colorblindness is the solution to racism.   

Inspired by St. Ignatius, Armel asks us to ponder God’s call to be anti-racist with three important questions: what have we done to fight the sin of racism, what are we doing now, and what will we do in the future.   

Link to the NYT article by Nikole Hannah-Jones referenced in the video: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/24/magazine/reparations-slavery.html?auth=login-google

Aug 07, 202009:58
Talk 2 - "Mundane Racism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 2 - "Mundane Racism" | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Racism is not just violence and big displays of oppression. It manifests in everyday situations and in the mundanity of our lives. Jorge Roque shares some instances where the idea of white superiority affects how White people are racist toward BIPOC members in a covert and harming way. Deciding to work against these harming habits requires conversion. Jorge asks to allow ourselves to be scandalized and to pray with Jesus’s lament over Jerusalem.

Aug 05, 202009:34
Talk 1 - Racism and White Supremacy | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Talk 1 - Racism and White Supremacy | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Racism manifests itself as white supremacy in the United States. Ángel Flores Fontánez introduces these and other concepts, summarizes the history of white supremacy, and identifies white fragility as a great obstacle to defeat the sin of racism. He also invites us to imitate Jesus in his ability to accept correction and convert from wrong ways.

Reflection questions:

  1. How have you contributed to White Supremacy?
  2. How has White Privilege made your life easier in comparison with BIPOC members?
  3. Is White Fragility preventing you from growth? How so?

Bible verses for reflection:

  • Mark 7: 24-30
  • Luke 10: 25-37
Aug 03, 202011:51
Trailer: Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

Trailer: Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat

For this 2nd Season of "Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat," the Jesuit Post presents “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat.”  In this trailer episode, Ángel Flores Fontánez introduces you to this four-week retreat which seeks to assist Christians in their growth as antiracist followers of Jesus, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It will consist of twelve short talks published on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting on August 3, 2020. 

Jul 31, 202004:55
The Fourth Week: The Destination of our Journey

The Fourth Week: The Destination of our Journey

The grace of the Fourth Week is to enter into the joy and consolation of Jesus as he savors the glory of the Resurrection. The episode reflects on the reactions of the disciples of Jesus to his death: pain and heartbreak, fear and anguish, doubt and uncertainty, and disappointment. The Resurrected Jesus takes on the role of “consoler,” and brings joy and consolation to all his disciples in the resurrection accounts. The episode concludes with the Contemplation on Divine Love. We pray for the grace of intimate knowledge of all the goods which God lovingly shares with us, that filled with gratitude, we might love and serve the Lord. This final contemplation inspires us to set off anew on our journey of faith at the conclusion of this retreat experience.

Suggested texts:

  • John 20:1-29
  • John 21:1-19
  • Luke 24:13-35
  • John 15:1-17
  • Matthew 28:16-20

Points for Reflection: Enter into the joy and consolation of the Resurrection. Contemplate God’s love, and be filled with gratitude, so as to love and serve the Lord.

  • What are the experiences of new life that stand out to you in your life?
  • When has Jesus been a consoler for you? When has he brought you joy and consolation?
  • What gifts has God given the world? What gifts has God given you? Say “thanks.”
  • How can you give back to God, not just with words, but in action? How can you give back to God, who has given you everything?

Suscipe Prayer:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will- all that I have and call my own. You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.

Apr 11, 202035:13
The Third Week: Where the Lord is Leading Us

The Third Week: Where the Lord is Leading Us

The grace of the Third Week is to have sorrow and compassion for Jesus, to suffer with him because he goes to his passion for us. This episode begins by discussing the Paschal Path, which is where the Lord is leading us, and a path that all of us will have to walk in this life. It includes success, misunderstanding, suffering, death and loss, waiting in suspense, and new life. Jesus modeled this path for us, and we other examples in our lives of people who have modeled it for us too. When we recognize where we are on the Paschal Path, we recognize how we are in solidarity with Jesus. This episode ends by shifting the focus to Jesus on the cross. St. Ignatius encourages us in the Third Week to pause before the cross and spend time there, to place ourselves with Jesus on the cross.


Suggested texts:

  • Matthew 16:24-28
  • Matthew 27:33-56
  • Mark 15:22-41
  • Luke 23:33-49
  • John 19:16-37
  • Or any of the full Passion accounts from the Gospels


Paschal Path: Success – Misunderstanding/Rejection – Suffering – Death/Loss – Waiting – New Life.


Points for Reflection: Reflect on where you are on the Paschal Path and spend time with Jesus on the cross.

  • Where do you find yourself on the Paschal Path right now?
  • Who has modeled the Paschal Path for you?
  • Use your imagination or sit in front of a crucifix. What does it look like? How does it make you feel?
Apr 10, 202036:24
The Second Week (Part 2): How to Stay on the Path

The Second Week (Part 2): How to Stay on the Path

The Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises is split into two episodes. This second one focuses on how we can stay on the path to God on our journey of faith. The episode begins by outlining the discernment of spirits as a way to be attentive to the different spirits that pull us in one direction or another. Along with sharing lessons from St. Ignatius’s story, this episode offers concrete methods to help us respond to the urgings of the good spirit in our lives and resist the movements of the false spirit. Later in the episode, it shifts to friendship, beginning with our friendship with Jesus. An important component of the Second Week is praying over the life of Jesus and asking for the grace to know him more intimately, to love him more devotedly, and to follow him more completely. The technique of Ignatian Contemplation is introduced, which can help when praying with Gospel stories of Jesus. The episode also reflects on the many friends in faith who help inspire us and guide us, including friends of Jesus in the Scriptures, the Communion of Saints, and our own family and friends.


Suggested texts:

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
  • Psalm 34
  • Luke 10:29-37
  • Matthew 6:19-21


Points for Reflection: Reflect on the movements of the good spirit and the false spirit in your own life, and on friendships that help you stay on the path to God.

  • How does the false spirit try to lead you astray in sneaky and subtle ways?
  • Where do you most clearly see the good spirit at work in your life? How are you responding?
  • How are you deepening your friendship with Jesus?
  • Who are the friends in faith that inspire you and helps you stay on the path to God? Reflect on friends of Jesus in the Gospels, your favorite Saints, and friends and family.

3 Methods of Discernment: (1) pros and cons list, (2) imagine giving advice to a friend (3) imagine reflecting back from some time in the future.

Apr 09, 202035:43
The Second Week (Part 1): Why We Walk This Path

The Second Week (Part 1): Why We Walk This Path

The Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises is split into two episodes. This first one focuses on why we walk this particular path on our journey of faith, and not another. It begins with the Meditation on the Incarnation, and how God looks on the world with love and enters into it. Similarly, God enters into the messiness of our lives and enters into it. We constantly find evidence of God at work in our lives. Then this episode moves on to the Call of the King, a meditation in which we reflect on the compelling call of the voice of Jesus in our lives. Lastly, this episode presents the Meditation on the Two Standards, which sets up the competing calls in our life to “riches, honor, and pride,” or to “poverty, dishonor, and humility.”

Suggested texts:

  • John 1:35-45
  • Luke 5:1-11
  • Matthew 9:9-13
  • Matthew 4:1-11

Points for Reflection: Reflect on God’s activity in your life and the different voices that call out to you.

  • Meditation on the Incarnation: How does God enter into the messiness of your life? Where do you find evidence of God at work? In the silence of prayer? In the busyness of your everyday life?
  • Call of the King: Imagine a worldly leader, and then imagine Jesus. Where do you hear the voice of Jesus in your life? Where is Jesus calling you?
  • Two Standards: When are you tempted to pursue riches, honor, and pride in an unhealthy way? How is Jesus inviting you to deepen in poverty, dishonor, and humility?
Apr 08, 202035:17
The First Week: Obstacles on Our Journey of Faith

The First Week: Obstacles on Our Journey of Faith

This episode is titled “The First Week: Obstacles on Our Journey of Faith.” The grace of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises is to feel a deep and intense sorrow for my sins, shame and confusion that my sinfulness is an obstacle between myself and God. This episode will focus on four primary types of obstacles faced on our journey of faith: sin, false idols, attachments, and self-doubt. Reflecting on the obstacles that we face always has to be framed within the context of God’s infinite love and mercy. We are sinners, loved by God. So, this episode also includes praying for the grace to experience the profound joy of being forgiven by God.

Suggested texts: 

  • John 8:1-11
  • Luke 18:9-14
  • Matthew 6:19-21
  • Romans 7:13-23
  • Psalm 51

Points for Reflection: Reflect on the obstacles on your journey of faith.

  • Sin: What leads you to turn away from God and go the wrong way?
  • False idols: What distracts you on your journey and causes you to lose your focus on God?
  • Attachments: What are the things that you cling to that weigh you down?
  • Self-doubt: Are you facing a daunting obstacle right now? Can you offer that up to Jesus?
Apr 07, 202033:18
Introduction to the Journey of Faith

Introduction to the Journey of Faith

This episode is titled “Introduction to the Journey of Faith.” It includes an introduction to the Spiritual Exercises and the guiding theme of this retreat, which is framed around our faith as a journey. The host, Brian Strassburger, will introduce himself, and will share from the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his conversion. This episode will also present a key bedrock of Ignatian spirituality called the “First Principle and Foundation.”


Suggested texts: Psalm 139 – Psalm 23 – Isaiah 55 – First Principle & Foundation – Luke 18:18-23

First Principle and Foundation:

God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save their souls. God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose. From this, it follows that we are to use the things of this world only to the extent that they help us to this end, and we ought to rid ourselves of the things of this world to the extent that they get in the way of this end. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things as much as we are able, so that we do not necessarily want health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, a long rather than a short life, and so in all the rest, so that we ultimately desire and choose only what is most conducive for us to the end for which God created us.

Points for Reflection: Reflect on your journey of faith, your freedom, and holy Christian indifference.

  • Do you ever make yourself the center of the universe? How might God be reminding you that you are a supporting actor?
  • How do you exercise the freedom to choose the good? When do you struggle to choose the good?
  • What are the things in your life that are out of your control? How are you growing in holy Christian indifference as you approach those things?
Apr 06, 202036:07
Introduction to "Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat"

Introduction to "Seeking God: A Jesuit Retreat"

The Jesuit Post is happy to bring you an Ignatian preached retreat in podcast form. This introductory episode will explain the format of the retreat. We will begin on Monday, April 6 and a new episode will come out each day of Holy Week. Join us to listen, reflect, and pray.

Apr 05, 202005:47