S.E.E.L Retreat

The SEEL Retreat's focus in the past month has been on the Easter story.  In some ways, this is a dark and gloomy portion of the retreat.

After Easter, we have the chance to embrace the joy of the resurrection.

However, we still have one week until then.  I am anxious to skip over the hard parts of this week and instead focus on the joy that comes with Easter morning. But without the death, there is no new birth.  Without the hard parts, we don't learn how wonderful the good parts are.

For me, the time since the beginning of the year has been great.  Progress has been made toward adding to my family, so anticipation is in the air.  In reviewing last fall's journal, I noted that I felt like I was walking through a desert valley.  I'm not sure whether that was due to the lack of momentum toward the foster care and adoption or if it was the difficulty I had with one of my classes.  Or if it was the struggle I had with the adjustment to this retreat.  In any event, it was very insightful to see how things went once I persevered through it.

Week One: Spiritual Exercises

As I've noted before, I am taking a class/program/retreat on St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises for the next nine months.  I've completed Week One, and am somewhat surprised at the results.

Right now, the exercises are working on silence and solitude.  The goal of the retreat is to set aside one hour each day.  The hour doesn't have to be at once (I can break it into 1/2 hr, 1/3 hour, whatever sized chunks).  I tried to do one half hour each morning and the remainder at night.  At first, I tried to be silent on the treadmill, but was getting some distraction from the rhythm of it.  So, I decided to sit and "listen."

It is hard to be silent!  My mind tends to wander and my prayers are more me talking than anything else.  I'd say the toughest part is trying to capture my mind's constant flight from one thing to another and focus on waiting for God.

I was also surprised how quickly the time passed.  Often, I would get toward the end of the time and be amazed how quickly and effortlessly it had passed.  I had worried that getting up a few minutes earlier each day would cause me to be tired.  But, I was not any more than usual.

God seemed to give me energy to accomplish the things I needed to during the day without feeling rushed or short of time.  I am encouraged to keep working on this time and to think of different ways to spend the time.

Spiritual Direction: The Lost Idea?

Today I started my nine month Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL) spiritual retreat.  Part of the commitment is to meet with a spiritual director twice a month. Since SEEL is held at a Franciscan Spirituality Center, and the exercises are from St. Ignatius, I have once again embraced a few "Catholic ideas."  The Catholic idea of spiritual direction sounds like something the protestant church needs to take and run with it.

I certainly had not heard of spiritual direction until I started seminary, and today a co-participant asked how many spiritual directors I had worked with and how long I had done spiritual direction.  She was a bit shocked when I admitted none and never.  Spiritual direction involves talking with a listening director who helps formulate your thoughts, not someone who tells you want to do.  It is more of a sounding board for how God may be working in your life instead of a person who will tell you what decisions to make.

I decided that spiritual direction was something the catholic church did well as they have numerous people involved in daily spirituality (Monks, Nuns, etc).  In the protestant church, instead of celebrating singleness and finding ways to utilize singles within the church, we are pushing people to get married and have kids (see my rants on this topic elsewhere in this blog).  In the protestant churches I have attended, we celebrate small groups and mentoring, but not to the level of spiritual direction.  One to one accountability may be in fashion, but not one to one spiritual direction.

On the other hand, in the catholic church, one to one direction is par for the course.  Apparently, there are even directories to find spiritual directors.  Now, it also appears that spiritual direction is gaining protestant adherents as well.  As several of my co-participants are protestant and have taken classes on spiritual direction.

Spiritual direction could be a boon in the protestant church - in an age of counselors, consultants and advisors, I think people would embrace the idea.  Additionally, it would bolster the segments already in play in the church - giving pastors a respite, addressing issues small groups are ill-equipped to handle, help with developing a consistent, flexible and personal spiritual disciplines, and providing a confidential place to talk through sin and discouragement issues.

Let's hope the movement continues to grow.