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Ignatian prayer, often associated with Ignatian spirituality, is a contemplative practice inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It's a way of connecting with God through prayer that encourages deep reflection and personal engagement, often through one's imagination.
In Ignatian prayer, individuals typically use Scripture passages, stories, or their own life experiences as a starting point for prayerful reflection. They immerse themselves in the scene, engage with the characters or events, and use their imagination to enter into a dialogue with God. This type of prayer invites a profound sense of presence and awareness, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and one's relationship with God.
Ignatian Prayer
Check out this video that guides you through your first time praying the Examen Prayer:
Fr. Timothy Gallagher offers a great introduction to Ignatian Contemplation and Meditation prayer in this video:
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts to the Church, Ignatian Discernment is a spiritual and decision-making approach inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
It's a bit like a thoughtful and reflective process for making important life choices. Instead of rushing into decisions, you take time to pray, reflect, and consider various options.
You pay attention to your inner feelings and desires, seeking guidance from your relationship with God. This discernment process helps you make choices that align with your values, purpose, and a deeper sense of meaning, allowing you to make decisions that are not just rational but also in alignment with God's will for your life.
Ignatian Discernment
If you'd like to dive deeper into this, Jake put together a great video on how to use Ignatian Discernment practically:
Below is also a basic, step-by-step guide to a type of prayer called an Immanuel Moment. It can be used as a simple structure of connecting with God before going into intensive memory work. Here is the basic structure:
1. Get physically comfortable, remove distractions, and “belly breathe” for a minute or two
2. Acknowledge that God is with you
3. Recall any experience of positive connection with the Lord or ask the Holy Spirit to help you recall a positive connection (be specific and detailed in your recollection; don’t rush…this is like recalling/retelling a positive memory with a good friend who was there in the original experience)
4. Deliberately express your appreciation to God for specific aspects/details of the experience
5. Linger and rest in God (The goal is connection and safety - stay aware of the movements of your heart)
Immanuel Moment
Restore the Glory Podcast offers a great episode on the Immanuel Approach with Dr. Karl Lehman.
You can listen to the episode here:
Renunciation Work (Lies)
Neal Lozano offers a comprehensive book on deliverance work and renunciation work called, Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance.
You can also watch the Restore the Glory Podcast episode with Neal and Matt Lozano on Deliverance and Healing:
"Not only do we know God only through Jesus Christ, but we know ourselves only through Jesus Christ. We know life and death only through Jesus Christ. Outside Jesus Christ, we know neither what our life is nor what our death is nor what God is nor what we ourselves are"
— (Blaise Paschal)
“I believe that it would do us good today to think not about whether my soul is clean or dirty, but rather about what is in my heart, what do I have inside, what I know I have but no one else knows...We must ask ourselves what is within, because what is inside comes out and harms."
— (Pope Francis, 16-Feb-2014)
“Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee”
— (Prayer of St. Augustine)
“The Church must look with penetrating eyes within herself, ponder the mystery of her own being... This vivid and lively self-awareness inevitably leads to a comparison between the ideal image of the Church as Christ envisaged her and loved her as his holy and spotless bride (cf. Eph 5:27), and the actual image which the Church presents to the world today…”
— (Evangelii Gaudium 26, see Pope Paul VI's Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam Suam)
Self-Awareness
We recommend reading this great blog article on going deeper with self-knowledge:
Memory work is a critical part of the healing journey and one of the primary ways in which one can identify wounds, false beliefs and vows. Restore the Glory Podcast offers a great series that dives into the anatomy of a wound. You can watch the series here.
Restore the Glory Podcast offers a great series on the Healing Process. It dives into many of the foundational aspects of healing that are covered in the Identity Course. Consider watching through these episodes throughout your course experience.
Inner Healing Process (Memory Work)
Abide: A Pathway to Transformative Healing and Intimacy
by Heather Khym
In this personal healing retreat from Heather Khym, you are invited to break through the barriers that prevent you from trusting and experiencing the deep love of Jesus and be transformed by the freedom that comes when we vulnerably bring our entire selves to the foot of the Cross.
The Healing Process (Part 1) – Restore the Glory Podcast
The Healing Process (Part 2) – Restore the Glory Podcast
Silence is the place where we will encounter God but also ourselves.
“Even amid the ‘busy-ness’ and the stress of our daily lives, we need to make space for silence, because it is in silence that we find God, and in silence that we discover our true self. And in discovering our true self, we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for the building up of his Church and the redemption of our world.”
— (Pope Benedict XVI)
Silence
Fr. Mike Schmidtz offers a great video on the importance of silence: