Taking Back The Crown - A St. Mary's Ignatian Retreat

The Ascension closes the resurrection appearances and today's episode closes the 30-day retreat, but just as in the Ascension we are sent forth like the men of Galilee to be God's witnesses.  We discuss some good ways to close the retreat.  Prayer assignment: Acts 1:1-11.   Grace: To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

After considering the encounter between Jesus and Peter on the seashore (John 21:15-25) we transport to the Heavenly Court to make the Contemplation to Attain Love.  Bring the Crown!!  Grace: For interior knowledge of all the great good I have received, in order that, stirred to profound gratitude, I may become able to love and serve the Divine Majesty in all things.  Point 1: I call back into my memory all of the gifts that I have received; and then I consider how I can give of myself back to God.  Point 2: I consider how God is present in all things and present to me; and I consider how I may be present to Him.  Point 3: I consider how God labors and works for me; and I consider how I may work and labor for Him.  Point 4:  I consider how all good things/qualities descend from above such as justice, goodness, mercy, wisdom, compassion, and virtue; and I consider how I might ascend these back to God in action.  After each point, I pray with deep affection the Suscipe Prayer:  Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will--all that I have and possess.  You, Lord, have given all that to me. I now give it back to you, O Lord. All of it is yours. Dispose of it according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace, for that is enough for me.  After the final point I conclude with a colloquy and an Our Father.

Are you fishing on the left side or the right side of the boat?  We consider the resurrection appearance on the Sea of Galilee.  Prayer assignment: John 21:1-14.  Grace: To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

In the Resurrection appearances to the apostles in the upper room Jesus provides for us an encounter with the healing power of his resurrection.  Prayer Assignment:  Jn 20:19-29.  Grace: To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

The resurrection appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus helps us to understand the resurrection grace available to us in the Mass.  Prayer Assignment:  Luke 24:13-35.  Grace:  To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

Let's consider how Jesus desires to transform us through the grace of resurrection by exploring the paradigm of Relationship -> Identity -> Mission.  Prayer Assignment: John 20:11-18.  Grace:  To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

We'll consider various themes, graces, and prayer perspectives pertinent to the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises.  Prayer Assignment:  Matt 28:1-15 or John 20:1-10.  Grace:  To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

Happy Easter!  The Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises focuses on the Resurrection of Jesus and his post-resurrection appearances.  St. Ignatius prescribes the first of these to contemplate is Jesus' appearance to his Blessed Mother.  Prayer Assignment:  Use Ignatian Contemplation to be present before, during, and after Jesus appears to Mary.  Consider Mary pondering Jesus praying the words of Psalm 116.  Be present during the appearance and at some point listen to Mary sing the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) but consider it in light of the Resurrection.  The Grace to ask for during the Fourth Week is:  To be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Jesus Christ, risen and triumphant.

This is Holy Saturday. The Lord has been buried. How do we pray awaiting the resurrection? Prayer Assignment: Jn 19:38-42. Grace: To be silently aware of God's love.

Today is Good Friday.  Some tips on praying with the Passion.  Prayer Assignment:  Luke 23:26-49, Jn 19:17-37, or the Stations of the Cross.  Grace:  Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me.

We'll reflect on the significance of the Crown of Thorns and contemplate the symbol in the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion.  Prayer Assignment:  Mark 14:43 - 15:20.  Grace:  Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me.

Today's episode will make some suggestions for praying with Mary during the Third Week of the Spiritual Exercises.  Prayer Assignment:  To pray with the Passion and Crucifixion from any Gospel or the Stations of the Cross with an attentiveness to Mary.  The Fourth Station of the Cross and John 19:25-30 may be helpful.  Grace:  Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me and Mary's love for me also.

We pause to take a moment to review some of the prayer and discernment tools that we've learned so far with the hope that we can sharpen our ability to accompany Jesus in this Third Week of the Exercises. Prayer Assignment: Luke 22:39-46 (Agony in the Garden) Grace: Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me.

During the shelter-in-place orders we have been away from public Mass. This episode explores how contemplation on the Last Supper in the Eucharist can help us to appreciate the precious gift of Jesus' Body and Blood given to us in Mass. Prayer Assignment: Luke 22:14-34 and 1 Cor 11:23-29 (The Last Supper). Grace: Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me.

This episodes helps set the stage for transitioning into the 3rd Week of the Spiritual Exercises focused on the Passion and Cross of Jesus.

Prayer Assignment: Jn 13:1-20 (Washing of Feet). Grace: Sorrow with Christ in sorrow; a broken spirit with Christ so broken; tears, and an interior suffering because of the great suffering which Christ endured; and most of all, a closer bond of love and loyalty because of His love for me.

Hope you enjoy the Return of the King music in the podcast! :) We learn a meditation of the Second Week to help us take back the Crown! Prayer Assignment: Two Standards Meditation as described in the podcast + Luke 19-1-10 (Zacchaus). Grace: Insight into the deceits of the enemy and help to guard against them; and further, insight into the genuine life that Jesus the King sets forth and the grace to imitate Him.

We'll learn a second set of rules for discernment applicable to the second week of the Spiritual Exercises. Prayer Assignment: Matt 14:22-33 (Jesus and Peter walking on the water). Grace: To grow in a heartfelt knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I can love Him more deeply and follow Him more closely.

We learn how to pray the Examen to help us remain in abiding union with God with growing self-knowledge and discernment. Prayer Assignment: Luke 5:1-11 (Call of Peter). Grace: To grow in a heartfelt knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I can love him more deeply and follow him more closely.

This episode suggests how to stay in love with Jesus using repetitions in prayer to abide with him in consolation and open up desolations for healing. Prayer Assignment: Mark 1:9-11 (Baptism of Jesus). Grace: To grow in a heartfelt knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I can love him more deeply and follow him more closely.

This episode explores two subjects. The first is praying imaginatively with the hidden life of Jesus. The second is how to understand and respond to distractions in prayer. Prayer assignment: Ignatian Contemplation with a possible episode from the hidden life of Jesus. Use Matt 2:21-23 to help you begin. Grace: To grow in a heartfelt knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I can love him more deeply and follow him more closely.

This episode teaches how to pray using the method of imaginative prayer or Ignatian Contemplation. Prayer Assignment: Luke 2:1-20 (the Nativity).  Grace: To grow in a heartfelt knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I can love him more deeply and follow him more closely.

This episode introduces the 2nd Week of the Spiritual Exercises and presents the meditation on the Call of the King. Prayer Assignment: Luke 9:57-10:12 and pray your own version of the Call of the King. Grace: That I not be deaf to the call of Jesus, but ready and diligent to accomplish his holy will.

We'll explore how God's desire to heal us from our sinfulness and experiences of misery. Prayer Assignment: Luke 15:11-32. Grace: To feel genuine sorrow for my sinfulness as a rejection of God's tremendous love, and to accept the Father's healing compassion reminding me of my identity in his heart.

One of the primary themes of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises is sinfulness. Prayer Assignment: Gen 3:1-19 & Rom 7:15-25. Grace: To experience sorrow, confusion, and even tears as I consider my sins.

We learn the 14 rules for the discernment of spirits taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Prayer Assignment: Matt 6:25-34. Grace: To renew my trust in Jesus and receive his calming peace.

In this episode we learn the method of praying with scripture called Lectio Divina. There are four movements: Lectio (Reading), Meditatio (Meditation), Oratio (Oration/Prayer), and Contemplatio (Contemplation). Prayer Assignment: Rom 8:28-39. Grace: To be strengthened in my sense of God's love for me.

Fr. Brian will give a teaching on prayer and introduce the prayer method ACKNOWLEDGE, RELATE, RECEIVE, RESPOND. 

Prayer Assignment: Pray with John 1:35-39 beginning with the acts of presence previously learned. The grace to pray for: "To be drawn by an attraction to Jesus and to experience a longing to abide with him."

For Day 3, Fr. Brian offers 5 faith encouragements to help receive God's love. The prayer assignment is to pray with Psalm 139. The grace to ask for is "To experience God's abundant love for me and a joyful inner acknowledgment that I am wondrously, gloriously made."

This is Day 2 of the "Taking Back the Crown" 30-Day Ignatian Podcast Retreat. In this episode, Fr. Brian McMaster will teach about the Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius of Loyola. We'll also learn another element St. Ignatius employs as an act of presence, asking for the grace. Here's the prayer assignment for today:  Begin prayer considering the gaze of the Father, and ask for the grace "to experience Jesus call me personally and draw forth my desire."  Then prayerfully read Luke 18:35-43.  Allow yourself to be the blind man in the story imagining what it would be like to be him.  Become aware of your own desires before God.

Welcome to the "Taking Back the Crown" 30-Day Ignatian Podcast Retreat! In this first episode, Fr. Brian McMaster will welcome you to retreat and explain the theme. You'll be introduced to St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises. Next, Fr. Brian will offer some tips on how to get started at prayer using an Act of Presence method used by St. Ignatius. Lastly, the prayer assignment for today: To use the Ignatian Act of Presence to enter prayer, prayerfully read Matt 6:9-13 (the Our Father), and to reflect slowly upon the words of the Our Father, as well as considering where your life is "in the Kingdom" and where it may not be.