“From Loss to Love” encompasses the first “week” of The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. It explores the love at the heart of God’s desires for humanity and the rest of creation, the forces of sin that resist these desires, and the compassion and forgiveness God offers to help men and women overcome that resistance.
 
To review the preparations for the retreat, please click here.
 
If you would prefer to make this retreat using stories and prayers related to Saint Columba rather than Saint Patrick,

please click here to download this file prepared on A4.
please click here to download this file prepared on US Letterhead.

The Retreat

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to the electronic resources
for this retreat.

Review

After completing the retreat, read Part 1 of “Five Doors in Paradise” in which Timothy Ray discusses the central topics of this retreat and their connection to Celtic spiritual themes.

To download this reflection prepared on A4,
please click here.
To download this reflection prepared on US Letterhead,
please click here.

Then, consider the following statement from Stretched for Greater Glory by George Aschenbrenner:

“At the core of God's forgiveness in Jesus is a painful, humiliating purification. Like a fire cauterizing the egotistical wound of sin, the grace of forgiveness heals with hope for the future. Without the painful humiliation and purification, the forgiving grace cannot pierce deeply into your heart and remains more a surface solution without much hope for the future. You can imagine how quickly and subtly your heart will be tempted to blunt and slight this painful balm of forgiveness.”

What ideas or emotions does this evoke in you? Summarize these thoughts and feelings at the end of your retreat notes.

Before Proceeding Further

As you complete this part of the retreat sequence, you should take a single prayer period to complete "The Call of the King of Heaven", which presents a consideration of two types of service: to a noble earthly cause and to the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. You may find it helpful to review your retreat notes before making this meditation so that your thoughts and prayers of the retreat are clear in your consciousness as you look forward the future.

For a guided version of "The Call of the King of Heaven",
please click here.

Note: If you are planning to proceed to the retreat in From Disciple to Friend without an interval, ignore this meditation and contemplate "Companioning the King of Heaven" when beginning the next retreat.

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