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AT HOME WITH GOD

Spiritual Exercises to Enrich Daily Life

HEDWIG LEWIS SJ

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At Home With God, Spiritual Exercises to Enrich Daily Life, is a handbook for those Christians who are convinced of the need for formal prayer so to stay centred on God, as Jesus was, to be holy, as Jesus, and to ‘go about doing good’, as Jesus did.

There are many approaches to prayer provided by saints and masters in spirituality and tradition in the Church. Among these is the 16^th century Retreat Manual of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, entailed Spiritual Exercises (1548). It provides prayer-dynamics that involve and integrate body-mind-heart-soul (‘being’ and ‘doing’) through psycho-spiritual exercises. The Spiritual Exercises is normally done as a ‘closed retreat’ (the month-long or the annual 6/8-day retreat) in an atmosphere of silence and serenity, in a secluded location, individually or in a group, under a director.

At Home With God is meant for those who do not ‘retreat’ from the world, but ‘retreat’ into their own hearts, in their own homes, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. Given their convictions, they wholeheartedly create space and time (45 minutes to an hour) daily for formal prayer, morning or evening, as an integral part of their everyday normal routines. They make a ‘Retreat in Daily Life’.

At Home With God is so designed as to accommodate to the space, time, and pace of those who decide to make the Spiritual Exercises in slow motion, over a prolonged period.  The traditional ‘Four Weeks’ of the Exercises are stretched out to 27 ‘Phases’, each containing 7 units. The book (AHWG) guides the ‘daily retreatant, step by gradual step, systematically and progressively through the dynamics of the entire Spiritual Exercises.

Structure of At Home With God:

Sections: There are seven sections, each containing the general thrust of a particular stage within the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises.

Phases: The sections are split into ‘phases’, each dealing with a particular prayer-exercise related to the particular themes within the section.

Units: A phase has 7 units, each comprising just one page of the book, and focusing on one aspect of the topic.

Format of each unit: Each unit for the day provides:

- A short input on the theme by way of an anecdote, story, poem, reflection.
- A relevant quote from Scripture, for further reflection.
- Suggestions for prayer and ‘asking for grace’.
- Questions, Biblical references, inspirational quotes.

INTRODUCTION

This book is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, which is highly structured, progressively leading the “retreatant” (one who does the Exercises) from “knowing about God” to “knowing God”, from head-knowledge to heart-convictions.

Though intensively programmed, it is not a time-bound ‘project’ but a ‘Spirit-guided’ adventure into the heart of God. The main emphasis is on quality rather than quantity: not all the points on the proposed topics need be finished at one session. Retreatants are constantly coaxed into using both their ‘wings’ – “doing” and “being” – in order to soar to the heights: the ‘exercises’ as such  necessarily entail “doing”; ‘contemplation’ requires the state of “being” present before the God who exists in the here and now. They are also repeatedly reminded to make allowances for those ‘gracious’ moments when they may not need the wings: God sweeps them off their feet into a loving embrace!

This book is a thoroughly re-hauled edition of the popular prayer-guide God Here and Now (2002), which was an off-shoot of At Home With God (1991). We have reverted to the original title. The book contains hundreds of thought-provoking anecdotes and stories, as well as inspirational quotes from Scripture and other sources in keeping with the theme of the day.

At Home With God will appeal to all who yearn for God in prayer and are enthusiastic about leading God-centred lives. The varied inspirational inputs, simple prayer techniques and exercises will strengthen, intensify and deepen their relationship with God.

In the process they will discover their own inner resources. They will be motivated to translate their insights and experiences into constructive actions for the building up of the Kingdom of God. They will increase their desire to love God with their whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love their neighbour as they love themselves. They will become aware of God’s presence in all things, persons, events and places!  They will learn how to be ‘contemplatives in action’, transforming every one of their daily activities into ‘spiritual exercises’ and thus being in contact with God – “praying” always – in the here-and-now!   

PHASE ONE

WARM-UP

One day, a professor discussing the marvels of creation, confessed to his wife how in spite of his being a specialist in many fields, his knowledge was yet so limited. “I tend to take a lot of things for granted. For instance, I am ashamed to admit that I don’t even know how the electric bulb works,” he confided.

“That’s unbelievable,” exclaimed his wife. “Why, it’s so simple, dear,” she said, “you press a switch, that’s all!’”

Figuratively speaking, we press many ‘switches’ to get things done in life, little realizing the ‘power’ at their sources which make them work!

In the spiritual life, too, we tend to take many things for granted: God’s presence, power, providence. It is “faith” that “connects” us to God and everything divine.

For, while love is the wiring that connects our souls with His, faith is the switch that turns on the power. Our homes are full of things that are run by electricity: lights, irons, sewing machines, toasters...

Just believing that there is a power called electricity is not enough to make these things work for us. Every time that we want one of them to work, we must touch the button that releases the power in that one.

Just believing a set of facts about God does not necessarily turn on the power in a single one of our prayer-objectives. In order to do that, we must believe this, we will naturally rejoice and give thanks for it. And when our belief is weak, the act of rejoicing and giving thanks will awaken our faith. -  Agnes Sanford

To deepen your awareness of God’s presence and power, you will spend the next seven days reviewing your relationship with God and Christ, as well as assessing your life of prayer. The topics in the following units will help you examine your relationship with God and Jesus Christ, as well as your approaches to prayer and the spiritual life.

Prayer is like the turning of an electric switch.

It does not create the current; it simply provides

the channel through which the electric current

may flow.  - Max Handel

 

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