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London Jesuit Centre
Introductory session: Tuesday 20 September at 18:30 - 19:00 on Zoom
Online Course Details
How is your spiritual health and well-being at this time? Are you trying to make sense of things? Do you want to grow in your relationship with God and deepen your experience of prayer? Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality for living normal daily life close to God – our God who knows and loves us and invites us to come closer . . . The School of Ignatian Prayer will last for 5 weeks and will introduce you to a variety of ways of praying that are based on the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Each session will include some discussion and reflection time and each week a different form of Ignatian prayer will be introduced and practised.
Week 1: Introducing St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Review of the Day
500 years after Ignatius was wounded by a cannonball, we reflect on his experience of God working with him during his convalescence that led to his conversion and to his developing the prayer of the Examen or daily review. We will use this prayer to look back over our last day and notice with God what was life-giving and what was draining.
Week 2: Lectio Divina/Sacred Reading
Lectio Divina involves praying deeply with a short passage of scripture and giving space to hear God speak personally to us through some of the words and phrases. We will consider the tradition and practice of this prayer that dates from the earliest days of monasticism, before using it to pray with one of the psalms.
Week 3: Imaginative Contemplation
In Imaginative Contemplation, we pray with a Gospel story and seek to place ourselves as fully as we can within it. We come close to Jesus as we become onlooker participants in a scene where he is interacting with those around him, and we enter into it as fully as we can using our senses and imagination.
Week 4: Praying with Art
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. In our final session, we will pray with art, allowing the beauty of visual images from both secular and religious art to move us towards God.As we finish the course, we will look back on the gifts of this time and look forward to other steps we can make to continue our spiritual journey.
Week 5: Praying with nature
As well as the significant mental, emotional and physical benefits of spending time outdoors, there are also spiritual benefits. What forms of nature calm you and invite you into prayer?In the aftermath of Cop 26, we also explore the inter-connectedness of prayer and life and our call to care for God’s world and people.
https://pray-as-you-go.org/discover
Mark Thibbodeaux, Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (Loyola Press)
Also available as an app (free) which is called Reimagining the Examen, also produced by Loyola Press and it has the icon of adark blue cloud and a light blue cloud
https://www.radiantlight.org.uk/images/- Mary Wang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxWxnc2Ht2g– Geoff Wheaton
https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/prayer/arts-and-faith/visual-arts/praying-with-paintbrushes/- the story of Bob Gilroy
Praying with Icons by Jim Forrest
The Art of Advent – Jane Williams
Lindisfarne Scriptorium – colouring books
Colourful Prayer by Sheila Julian Merryweather
Praying in Colour by Sybil Macbeth
The Artist’s Rule by Christine Valters Paintner
We would appreciate your feedback on this course. It only takes a few minutes. You can give feedback online here. Thank you
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Mary Goggin is a member of the extended spirituality team at the London Jesuit Centre where she facilitates courses and offers spiritual accompaniment. She is from Ireland and has lived in London for the past forty years. She enjoys walking and wine.
