The Praying with Scripture series provides 25 recommended scriptures for use throughout the five-week series – one a day for five days each week.

For each scripture, a Prayer Companion is provided with the scripture verse, a guided reflection, and the steps in the Ignatian prayer session. You may use your own journal, or feel free to print the Prayer Companion (posted at archspm.org/synod) to journal as you pray.

ARCHDIOCESE OF
SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS SYNOD
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE SERIES

WEEK 1

1. BARTIMAEUS ~ “What do you want me to do for you?” Mark 10:46-52
2. JESUS’ WORDS OF INVITATION ~ “Come to me, all you who labor …” Matthew 11:25-30
3. JEREMIAH’S WORD OF HOPE ~ “I know the plans I have for you.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
4. FEAR NOT ~ “You are precious in my eyes, / and honored, and I love you.” Isaiah 43:1-7
5. GOD AT THE ORIGIN OF MY BEING ~ “You knit me in my mothers’ womb.” Psalm 139:1-18

WEEK  2

6.POTTER AND CLAY ~ “Like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:1-6

7.SAYING “YES” TO GOD ~ “God … said to him, ‘Abraham!’  And he said, ‘Here am I.’” Genesis 22:1-19

8.A CRY OF UTTER SINCERITY ~ “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Psalm 51:1-19

9.ZACCHAEUS ~ “Make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:1-10

10.CONSECRATED IN THE SPIRIT ~ “He saw the Spirit … descending like a dove, and alighting on him.” Matthew 3:13-17

WEEK 3

11.THE FIRST OF THE SIGNS ~ “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:1-11

12.THE SAMARITAN WOMAN ~ “If you knew the gift of God …” John 4:1-42

13.“PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP” ~ “At your word I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:1-11

14.THE COURAGE TO TELL JESUS EVERYTHING ~ “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Mark 5:24-34

15.SPEND YOUR LIFE FOR THE GOSPEL ~ “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them …” Matthew 9:35-10:16

WEEK 4

16.WALKING ON WATER ~ “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” Matthew 14:22-33

17.A GLIMPSE OF GLORY ~ “His face shone like the sun.” Matthew 17:1-13

18.FROM DEATH TO NEW LIFE ~ “See how he loved him!” John 11:1-44

19.“HE LOVED THEM TO THE END” ~ “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet.” John 13:1-17

20.THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL ~ “This is my body which is given for you.” Luke 22:7-30

WEEK 5

21.NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL ~ “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Matthew 26:36-46

22.JESUS GIVES HIS LIFE ~ “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:26-49

23.THE WOMAN IN TEARS ~ “Mary … Rabboni!” John 20:1; 11-18

24.A JOURNEY INTO HOPE ~ “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?” Luke 24:13-35

25.DO YOU LOVE ME? ~ “They knew it was the Lord.” John 21:1-19

~1~

BARTIMAEUS ~
“What do you want me to do for you?”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Mark 10:46-52
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallager, O.M.V¹ 

I see the crowds, the road as it leaves the city, the blind beggar seated by the road … I am there with him … perhaps I take his place, and, now, I am seated there, like him, waiting …

He seeks to come to Jesus out of his great need, and his hope that in Jesus he will find healing. But he is helpless to approach the Lord … I sense my own need, my own hope, my own helplessness.

I watch as he pours out his need and his hope in the repeated cry: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” His cry becomes my cry too of my heart: “Jesus … have mercy on me!” I make this prayer to the Lord …

Jesus hears this cry. He stops. He says to the crowd: “Call him.” I hear them say to me: “Take heart; rise, he is calling you.” I feel my heart begin to lift with new hope …

I stand before Jesus. Our eyes meet … I see his face, I hear his words, his question to my heart: “What do you want me to do for you?” Now Jesus and I are alone in the midst of the crowd. And I speak to him from my heart, unhurriedly. I dare to tell him all that I hope he will do for me … all that I hope for from this time of prayer …

I say to him: “Master, let me receive my sight.” Help me to see! Help me see my way clearly in the doubts and fears that my heart feels; help me to overcome the obstacle that keeps me from the closeness I desire with you …

And, with Bartimaeus, I experience Jesus’ word of healing … I sense the love that pours out from him and brings healing, brings new hope into my life …

I follow him along the way …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord:  Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~2~

Jesus’s Words of Invitation ~
“Come to me, all you who labor …”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me, looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Matthew 11:25-30
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

Think about what is happening in the scene: what are the action words?
Who are the people in the scene?  What is the place?  What things are described?
What words catch my attention?  What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant?  To whom am I drawn?
Using all of my senses – what do I see?  What do I hear?  What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires.  (Acknowledge means to see, to notice to become aware of, to name.)   This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me.  I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today.  How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I sense the thrill of gratitude in the heart of Jesus as he lifts up his heart to the Father whom he so loves, and by whom he knows himself so deeply loved … that same Father who says to me, as to Jesus: You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter …

Jesus thanks his Father that he has revealed the mysteries of the kingdom not to the self-sufficient … but to those who feel themselves helpless, dependent on God for everything, like a small infant …. I ask to be such …

I ask Jesus, the Son who knows the Father, to reveal himself, to reveal the Father to me, in this time of prayer … that he chooses to do this in my heart …

Now he is close to me, speaking to my heart. I hear his invitation: “Come to me … “ I share with the Lord my own desire, now, in this time of prayer. Even as I sense my heartfelt longing to “come to him,” to know that my heart is close to him … I hear him say to me, with infinite love: I want you to come close, I invite you, I call you, “Come to me …”

“You who labor and are heavily burdened … I will give you rest.” Lord, grant me the rest that my restless heart so seeks. I embrace this invitation. I come to the Lord bringing my burdens, my heart’s laboring and weariness. I hear his promise of rest, heart’s rest …

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me … for I am gentle and lowly of heart.” Two words. Lord, you are gentle, you are lowly of heart. I ponder each word … There is no more room for fear …

“Learn from me.” I ask the Lord for this “learning” in these times of prayer … This is the learning my heart most desires: personal learning, relational learning, learning of Jesus …” And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart are restless, until they rest in you” (St. Augustine). I seek the Lord, I seek his rest …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …

• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …

• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.   I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …
Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 3 ~

JEREMIAH’S WORD OF HOPE ~
“I know the plans I have for you.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Jeremiah 29:11-14
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I read the word of God, through the prophet Jeremiah, to his people in their time of exile.

Their hearts are heavy … Their nation, their temple, all that was dear to them, has been destroyed, and they are reduced to a helpless group of exiles, far from their home. The present is dark; the future, too, seems without hope, and their exile continues … My heart, too, knows such times …

And in their hearts, in our hearts, is fear – fear that this has happened through our own fault, through our failure to love and serve the Lord as we were called to do …

My heart too is afraid … I too fear that I am not what I ought to be, that I fail the Lord … Even in this time of prayer … will I respond to the Lord?

The Lord speaks to them … and the Lord speaks personally to my heart, here, in this moment of prayer.

“I know the plans I have for you … plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I feel my anxieties about the future, about what lies ahead for me, about what will happen in my spiritual life, my prayer …

I know that my desire to grow in love is real, but I feel so weak, so helpless … and I am afraid. But now I hear this word of the Lord to me: “I know the plans I have for you …” I hear these words, deeply, I read them, I reread them …

“You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” My heart lifts at this promise: “and I will hear you.” Lord, now, today, I call upon you, I come to you,
I pray to you …

“You will seek me and find me.” I speak to the Lord of my greatest desire: I seek you … My heart opens as I hear your promise to me: and you will find me …

“I will restore your fortunes …” A new hope … that my heart can truly change, can truly heal, can truly grow in love: “I will restore …”

My heart lifts up as I hear the Lord speak these words personally to me … offering me new hope, new trust, as I live my calling in his service, as I look to what lies ahead …

I linger over these words, I read them, I hear the Lord speak to me. My heart responds.

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 4 ~

FEAR NOT ~
“You are precious in my eyes,  and honored, and I love you”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Isaiah 43:1-7
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹

God speaks to the heart of the exiled people … and to me.

I sense the Lord with me, speaking these words to me. I read them slowly, tasting them, allowing their meaning to enter into my soul … I stay with the words that most speak to me, without hurry …

“Thus says the Lord, he who created you … he who formed you …” With the people of Israel, I again become aware of God at the origin of my being, of my belonging to his people. I sense the mystery of an eternal love that surrounds my whole being, my beginning, my life …

“Fear not”: the word so often repeated by Jesus. I speak to the Lord of the fears in my heart: of my inadequacy, my failure, my slowness to respond … Again and again I hear his word: “Fear not.”

“For I have redeemed you.” I am your protector, I am at your side, I am with you; you are not alone. My power and my love accompany you … I hear the Lord speak his words
to me …

“I have called you by name, you are mine.” I think now of my own name. I hear the Lord pronounce my name, giving me my identity, giving me life, making me his own, telling me that I am not alone … In the silent depth of my heart, I hear the Lord pronounce my name … again, again … I respond …

“When you pass through the waters I will be with you; / and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; / when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned”: the symbol of the most dangerous situations, situations which threaten life itself … and these will be powerless to harm me. I will keep you unharmed even in the most difficult situations in life … A new trust dawns in my heart …

“Because you are precious in my eyes, / and honored, and I love you.” Three words. With deep attention I ponder each: you are precious in my eyes; you are honored in my eyes; I love you. I dare to hear the Lord say these words to his people Israel … and to me …

Now my heart replies to the Lord who speaks his love to me …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 5 ~

GOD AT THE ORIGIN OF MY BEING ~
“You knit me in my mother’s womb.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Psalm 139:1-18
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.)  This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

This psalm is a prayer, words spoken from the human heart to God. I make these words my own. I say them to the God who is present to me now …

A psalm of wonder, of marveling at the closeness of God to me: “You have searched me and known me!” My heart ponders this marvel, that the infinite and eternal God knows me, that I am important to him …

“You know when I sit and stand; / you understand my thoughts … Even before a word is on my tongue, / Lord, you know it all.” Again this sense of marvel, that God is so intimately close to me, always, faithfully, sharing with me the hidden depths of my heart, my hopes, my struggles, my thoughts … I invite him into my heart …

“Behind and before you encircle me / and rest your hand upon me …” His loving and protecting hand is always with me … No matter where I am, “your hand will guide me, / your right hand holds me fast.” You are faithfully with me, at all times, in all the places of my life …

A psalm of wonder, of marveling now at God’s eternal love, calling me into being: “You knit me in my mother’s womb.” I sense the Love that lies at the origin of my being, that gave me life, that gives me life each day, that tells me that I am valued and loved …

My heart speaks now to the Lord: “I praise you … / wonderful are your works.” Gratitude awakens in my heart. My heart sings its wonder, its praise, to my God …

“How precious to me are your designs, O God.” Here, in my prayer, I ponder the loving designs of God. They become precious to me anew; they give me hope, a sense of the meaning of my life.

I read, I reread, the words of this Psalm, allowing God to show me their meaning …

And now my heart replies to the Lord …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 6 ~

POTTER AND CLAY ~
“Like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Jeremiah 18:1-6
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or a participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings, and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings, and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I have heard the Lord speak to me of his faithful love for me, calling me into being, giving a purpose to my life. Now a hope, a desire arises in my heart to respond with complete availability to God’s call – like many before me, like Mary: “Behold, I am the handmaid …”

I hear the Lord call me, as he does Jeremiah, to go down to the potter’s house. I go, I see the potter seated at his workplace, with his potter’s wheel, with the clay he takes in his hand.

I watch him mold the clay, unmake the vessel and reshape it anew, as seems best to him. I note the total availability of the clay in his hands, ready to be shaped as he chooses.

“Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand …”

I spend unhurried time with the potter, I watch him work, shaping, reshaping … I let this image speak to me of God at work in my life, over the years, now, shaping, reshaping …

I ask the grace to be available to this divine action, to place no obstacles, to be ready to be shaped as the Lord chooses, the Lord who loves me: in situations of health, of work, in relationships, in the changes and unforeseen events of my life …

I enter deeply into the heart of Jesus, who, upon entering the world, says to the Father whom he loves: “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, / but a body you have prepared for me … Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God …’”
(Heb 10:5-7).

“Behold, I have come to do your will, O God”: these are the words that guide Jesus’ entire life and mission. I offer my own will now to the Lord. I ask the grace to be more open, more like clay in the hands of the divine potter … I too now say with Jesus: “I have come to do your will …”

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening  to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 7 ~

SAYING “YES” TO GOD ~
“God … said to him, ‘Abraham!’
And he said, ‘Here am I.’”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Genesis 22:1-19
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or a participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings, and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become  aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings, and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

“After these things God tested Abraham” – a test that will lead to an outpouring of blessings …

I live with Abraham this moment when God asks of him what is dearest to his heart, and Abraham is ready to say “yes” to God, even in this …

How ready am I to say “yes” to all that the Lord may be asking of me now? To his call to relinquish something, to take some new step, that will lead me closer to him, that will help me respond more fully to his love for me, to his plan for me?

I marvel at the faith and availability to God that Abraham shows here. With a trusting heart, I ask God for that same faith, that same availability …

I am with Abraham when God calls him: “Abraham!” “Here am I.” My heart too says, “Here am I,” open to your call …

I sense all that stirs in Abraham’s heart when God asks a sacrifice that touches the deep places in his heart: “your only son Isaac, whom you love.”

And Abraham simply obeys … trusting in the faithful love of the God who asks
this of him …

I watch the journey to the mount; I hear the question of his son, Isaac: “Behold, the fire, and the wood; but where is the lamb …?” And Abraham’s reply: “God will provide himself the lamb …”

On the mount, God again calls: “Abraham!” “Here am I.”
“Do not lay your hand on the lad …”

And God blesses the great availability of Abraham: “Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son … I will indeed bless you and … multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven …”

I ask God for the faith of Abraham, to remove all that keeps me from a new and deeper “yes” to his call to grow spiritually, to deepen in holiness, in union with him …

I ask his grace to see clearly the obstacles that hold me back, the places in my life where it is hard for me to offer, like Abraham, what I so deeply love, where I struggle to say “yes …”

And I ask his love, his grace, to say, in a new way, with a new openness, my “yes” of availability … in all …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts, he has given
me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 8 ~

A CRY OF UTTER SINCERITY ~
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Psalm 51:1-19
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or a participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings, and desires.  (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings, and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

Now I turn to the Lord with a heartfelt plea. Like David (see the title to Psalm 51), I live this moment when my spiritual eyes suddenly see with clarity. Like David, I make no more excuses, I no longer try not to see …

And from the most sincere depth of my heart, like him, I turn to the Lord seeking healing, daring to hope for a new and purified heart, to be set free from my obstacles to love … to be given a new experience of the joy of healing.

I take up the words of this prayer, Psalm 51. I say them slowly to the Lord, pausing where my heart feels the need, repeating these words with sincerity, with hope, with trust in the love of the One with whom I speak …

“Have mercy on me, O God, / according to your merciful love.” “Have mercy on me” … the mercy that heals, that restores to value … that expresses unshakable love …

My heart feels this steadfast, this faithful love for me as I pray …

“Wash me thoroughly …” I dare, like David to ask even this …

“For I know my transgressions …” I ask the Lord to give me this self-knowledge, the first precious step toward healing …

“Behold, you desire truth in the inward being …” This is the truth I seek: truth in the heart, this truth that you desire, that you love …

“Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” “Make me hear joy and gladness …” I ask this blessed washing, I desire this joy and gladness …

“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” I feel the beauty of this “clean heart …” I long for this heart … With simple trust, I ask of the Lord this gift …

“O Lord, open my lips, / and my mouth shall show forth your praise …” A song of praise for new freedom from my obstacles to love …

“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; / a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” I turn to the Lord, who comes not for the righteous but for sinners (Mk 2:17) … I feel the enfolding embrace of his cleansing love …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 9 ~

ZACCHAEUS ~
“Make haste and come down;
for I must stay at your house today.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Luke 19:1-10
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I see the crowd, filling the narrow streets of Jericho. I see Jesus in the midst of them, passing through, on his way …

And I become aware of this figure, Zacchaeus, hoping for so little, simply to see the Lord … and unable to do so because of his small stature. He senses all that is wrong with his life, how he is rejected by his own people … and in his own eyes.

I see him move ahead of the crowd, climb the tree … and wait. I am near him, perhaps I take his place … I, too, long to see the Lord: “My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ / Hide not your face from me” (Ps 27:8-9). I wait …

And then, like Zacchaeus, I find that it is the Lord who sees me. He stops. He sets aside his journey, he seems almost to forget it entirely in his desire to see Zacchaeus, to see me …

He looks at me … “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down … I must stay at your house today.”

I sense the wonder and the joy in Zacchaeus as he realizes the desire of the Lord to be with him. He makes haste to respond … My own heart begins to grasp the desire of the Lord to be with me. I too respond …

Now they – we – are together in the house. What takes place between them? A meal? A conversation? I see Jesus and Zacchaeus together. I am there, with them.

What does Jesus say to him? To me? What does Zacchaeus say to Jesus? What do I share with Jesus about my life, my hopes, my fears, my desire to change?

Zacchaeus is made new … his whole life is filled with a new freshness and a new hope. With courage, the courage of Lord’s presence, the Lord’s love, the Lord’s words to him, he will make the changes … A new sense of hope fills my heart too …

“Today salvation has come to this house …” Today … I hear Jesus’ words, I sense the gift offered to me, even today as I pray. My heart responds …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).