Exercises

Following up on last week's post about smart training for the Boston Marathon, which Mother Nature seems to have read with delight and taken as a challenge, I'm happy to report that I've enjoyed two fulfilling, exciting, and safe morning runs this week. They've been quite wintry, slightly gritty, yet not at all stupid (at least in my estimation... others may beg to differ). Yes, it was only 4 degrees on Monday morning, but there was clear pavement, no wind, and abundant warm clothing in my running drawer. Two well-chosen layers and a reasonably warm reflective vest did the job. Today, snow and slush on the ground... but no ice, and a well-timed window between overnight snow and some light rain forecast for later in the day. The schools were gracious enough to delay opening for two hours; the plows and I managed to avoid one another on lightly traveled streets. With 90 days to go until Boston, losing a day or two is fine if need be, but there's something comforting in clicking through my plan as smoothly as I click through five to seven miles on quiet, chilly weekday mornings.

This afternoon, in the company of nearly fifty Holy Cross students and eight other spiritual directors (Jesuits, women religious, and laypersons among them), I'll head to a Jesuit retreat house for the next five days, where together we'll share a silent retreat designed from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The founder of the Jesuits referred to the sessions of prayer and meditation during a retreat as "exercises" because he felt that they were akin to the physical and mental conditioning that he pursued so diligently as a knight and courtier in his younger life. Prayer can indeed be about resting in God's presence, but the discipline needed to settle into a silent, focused attitude of mind and heart can be especially challenging in today's busy, "noisy" society. Students often come to this silent retreat– which is among the most popular spiritual programs offered by the chaplains' office– both craving the silence and nervous about its cavernous space. It's my hope that each of them– particularly the five students whom I'm blessed to accompany more closely in spiritual direction– will find genuine joy and fulfillment in the prayer of the coming days, and feel the benefits of shaping an even stronger and healthier spiritual life.

Moore State Park, Paxton MA
January 2010

Between today and Sunday, any prayers on our behalf would be greatly appreciated, as we each strive to enter into this community of contemplative prayer, seeking to better know, love, and follow Christ in our lives, and receive the blessings and graces we desire.