Inner Peace in Divine Love Retreat

 

Week One – Remembering Love

Ex 1 – I remember being loved

 

Preparation

I take a relaxed position with a straight back, my body poised for prayer.
I make a gesture of reverence and humility.
I read the prayer text about passionate love.

Opening Prayer
I ask for the grace to direct my whole self toward God.

Desire
I desire to feel the love in my life.

Prayer
Using my imagination, I remember an experience of being really loved.

I go back in time to recreate this experience as best I can with the details of place, weather, conversation, actions, and people. I relive the experience with all my senses—I touch, smell, hear, and feel being so loved.

I remain in this place for a few minutes.

Now, eyes still closed, I come back into the room where I am now. I remember the details of place here. How do I feel? I remain here for a few minutes.

I return again to the place where I was loved, I relive being loved. Do I feel any different than the first time I came here? I remain for a few minutes,

I come back into the room where I am now. How do I feel? Different? Now I move back and forth between both places, spending a minute or so in each.

I note any change of feelings. I do this for five minutes.

Conversation
I end my prayer in a short conversation with God, talking as to a friend, about what I have just experienced. Our Father.

Prayer Text

 

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;

for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.

Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If one offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

it would be utterly scorned.

(Sg 8:6–7)

 


Time: 25 Minutes
Preparation: 5 minutes. Opening Prayer: 1 minute. Desire: 1 minute. Prayer: 15 minutes. Conversation: 3 minutes. Listening Book: 10 minutes.


 

For greater guidance, depth and practical use of this exercise and retreat, source the First Spiritual Exercises here.
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I agree give the FSE to others without cost.
I agree to use the attribution: First Spiritual Exercises © Michael Hansen  Ave Maria Press
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I agree to create a FSE Safety Net before giving the FSE retreats.