Read the Following Points before Beginning the Retreat

(1) This retreat follows the Spiritual Exercises. What is the meaning of this term? It means every spiritual activity, such as the examination of conscience, meditation, contemplation, and vocal and mental prayer. Just as taking a walk, jogging, gymnastics, and swimming are bodily exercises that get the body in shape and make it more alert, so we say that spiritual exercises are every method that inclines the soul to purify itself, first from anything that puts it in disorder and distances it from God, and then renders it more aware, more determined to seek and find what is the will of God in one’s life: in this way the “interior man” is strengthened in faith, hope, and love.

(2) As a point of departure for almost every meditation a suitable Biblical text is given. This text should be read as lectio divina, that is, with faith and feeling, by placing ourselves in the material place of the mystery that is being revealed to us. These texts are generally short, and the commentary on them is brief, intended merely to be suggestive. If the retreatant relies on the simple and basic presentation of facts in the mystery and then reflects on it by himself, he may find through his own reasoning, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, something that enables him to penetrate deeper into the mystery. He will then gain more spiritual results and savor them better than if the director had explained to him the meaning of the text. It is not so much knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul but the intimate feeling and relish of what the mystery reveals.

(3) This retreat is carried on over a period of four weeks. It begins, however, with a fundamental meditation: God’s call to man, whom he has created. This call is a call of love, and this fact should remain constantly present to the retreatant during the whole four weeks.

The First Week is devoted to meditations on the gravity of sin, which destroys the relationship of love between God and man.

The following three weeks are devoted to contemplating the life of Christ, the Word, who became man to reestablish the relationship of love between his Father and all men and, as a result of this reconciliation, a fraternal relationship between men.

The Second Week is taken up with contemplating the life of Christ our Lord up to Palm Sunday.

The Third Week is dedicated to contemplating the Passion of Christ our Lord.

In the Fourth Week the retreatant contemplates the Resurrection, the ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

The retreat ends with the Contemplation to Attain the Love of God and to live this love in the day-to-day events of our life here on earth.

We do not mean to imply that each “week” is necessarily made up of seven or eight days. Everything depends on the amount of time it takes the retreatant to attain the interior attitude sought in each particular week. This rhythm depends on the particular temperament of and grace given to each retreatant. For example, during the First Week some may be more slow than others in coming to a repentance and sorrow for their sins. Therefore, it is necessary in each case to shorten or lengthen the week. The norm that determines the decision is whether or not the retreatant obtains the grace proper to the particular week, whatever the “state of his soul”.

(4) During the course of our meditation or contemplation, our interior attitude should be one of great reverence in regard to God our Lord, especially when we put into words whatever it is we are asking for, when we express our sentiments or desires, and when we make some act of the will, such as a resolution, choice, or decision.

(5) The attitude the retreatant must have—fundamental, indis- pensable, and unremitting—for making a good retreat is generosity toward our Creator and Lord. He should begin his retreat with a great heart and totally unsparing of self, offering to God his whole will and liberty, so that God may use who he is, and all that he has, according to his holy will.

(6) It will be very helpful if the retreatant puts all of his effort into finding what he is looking for at the particular stage of the retreat where he is and does not busy himself considering meditations he will make in the future. Let him take each day as it comes, as if he had nothing to anticipate in the days that lie ahead. Let him be completely present to where he should be now and direct all his fervor to that topic alone.

(7) The retreatant should give a full hour to each meditation or contemplation. This way he will be satisfied in knowing that he persevered in prayer during all of the allotted time. The reason for this is that, as a rule, our own apathy (and sometimes the devil) tempts us to cut short the time of prayer.

(8) Mark this well: in times of fervor it takes little or no effort to spend a whole hour in contemplation, but in times of distress or boredom it is most painful to give the full time to prayer. Consequently, in order to put up a fight against this kind of desolation, the retreatant always ought to remain in the Exercise a little more than the full hour. That way he will not only get used to resisting the temptation but he will also master it.

(9) If by chance we have an inordinate attachment or inclination toward something or someone, it is very good to go against and exercise all of our force in opposition to what we find is improperly so attractive. This way God can act with greater surety in our soul. For example, let us suppose someone is tempted to seek some kind of position, not for the honor and glory of God our Savior nor for the spiritual welfare of his neighbor but for his own interest and personal advantage. This person should make an effort to bend his desires and efforts toward the opposite, and in his prayers he should beg God not to let him want that position or anything else unless the Divine Majesty orders his desires and regulates his first inclination to accept the position to correspond to God’s will. As a result, the reasons that motivate him to take on something or to hold on to what he already has will be only the service, honor, and glory of the Divine Majesty.

(10) The retreatant will make his confession to a priest of his choice. Confession is one thing; the direction of the retreatant is something else. What is important is that the director help the retreatant. For this reason the retreatant, as far as he can, should be faithful in keeping the director informed about the different moods of his soul that come as a result of his temperament or from the action of the Holy Spirit or the devil. The advantage here is that during the course of the retreat the director will be able to recommend some spiritual exercises best suited to the needs of the retreatant at the moment.

(11) However little time the retreatant can give to the Exercises each day, it is essential that he create for himself a space where there is true solitude. If he cannot leave the house where he is living, he can at least withdraw to his room or to some other room apart from friends and from his daily occupations. This drawing himself apart has many advantages, but particularly these three:

First, because it costs him something, necessarily entailing some sacrifice, this separation from friends and occupations is of no little merit in God’s eyes.

Second, because demands on the retreatant’s attention coming from many quarters are reduced, he can then give his full attention to one single interest: the service of his Creator and his own spiritual progress. As a consequence, he will be more free to put to use all his faculties in seeking what he so wants to achieve.

Third, because experience proves that the more solitude and silence free the soul, the easier it is for it to approach God and wait for him. And the more our soul waits for him, the more likely it is that it will receive gifts from the Infinite Goodness of God.

(12) The retreat supposes complete mutual confidence between …the retreatant and the director. If the purpose of the one is not totally clear to the other, they should discuss the matter together with simplicity and charity.