Ignatian Prayers

Prayers associated with Ignatius of Loyola and Ignatian spirituality. 

Daily Examen

Thanksgiving:
What am I especially grateful for in the past day?
The gift of another day?
The love and support I have received?
The courage I have mustered?
An event that took place today?

Petition:
I am about to review my day; I ask for the light to know God and to know myself as God sees me.

Review:
Where have I felt true joy today?
What has troubled me today?
What has challenged me today?
Where and when did I pause today?
Have I noticed God's presence in any of this?

Response:
In light of my review, what is my response to the God of my life?

A Look Ahead
As I look ahead, what comes to mind?
With what spirit do I want to enter tomorrow?

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An Invocation of Our Ignatian Gifts

Today, together, we call to the divine, offering humility and faith, asking for strength and guidance.

We give thanks for every talent and voice contributing to the great work of our college.

Together we look forward to new horizons, choosing to leave safe harbors to pursue the greater good.

This is magis, a space of courage, of perseverance, of beneficence .

Together we pause on new shores, reveling in the life-giving comfort through which we heal and celebrate our best selves.

This is cura propria, a space of peace, of gratitude, of renewal.

Together we champion learning, the extraordinary project to which we have been called at this university—a project that is inspiring, transformational, and challenging. We seek and build and value new knowledge, both inside and outside our walls. We train together to pursue truth for good reasons and to just ends.

This is cura studiorum, a space of creativity, of curiosity, of patience.

Together we honor our breadth of commitments to tend this institution, our garden. We nurture all the components over which we have been called to steward, from the largest trees to the smallest buds. We bask in the aroma of each new blossom.

This is cura apostolica, a space of collaboration, of humility, of benevolence.

And finally, together we celebrate, at the center of this garden, our support for the whole person. We offer love and advocacy for each multifaceted individual, constructing rich environments that bolster new lives.

This is cura personalis, a space of joy, of generosity, of fulfillment.

For these gifts we give thanks.

Amen.

- by Dr. Stephen Yandell

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Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you.
That with your saints I may praise you.
For ever and ever.

Amen.

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Suscipe

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

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Prayer for Generosity

Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward,
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.

Amen.

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Prayer to Know God's Will

May it please the supreme and divine Goodness
to give us all abundant grace
ever to know his most holy will
and perfectly to fulfill it.

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O Deus Ego Amo Te

O God, I love thee, I love thee,
Not out of hope of heaven for me,
Nor fearing not to love and be,
In the everlasting burning,
Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach thine arms out dying,
For my sake sufferedst nails, and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
And thou couldst see me sinning:
Then I, why should not I love thee,
Jesus, so much in love with me,
Not for heaven's sake;
Not to be out of hell by loving thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that thou didst me
I do love and I will love thee:
What must I love thee, Lord, for then?
For being my king and God.

Amen.

- St. Francis Xavier, translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

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Fall in Love

Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

- Joseph Whelan, S.J., former provincial of the Maryland Province and American assistant to the superior general.

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The Slow Work of God

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end
Without delay.
We should like to skip
The intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on
The way to something unknown,
Something new,
And yet it is the law of all progress
That it is made by passing through
Some stages of instability ---
And that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually ---
Let them grow,
Let them shape themselves,
Without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
As though you could be today
What time will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
Gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
That his hand is leading you,
And accept the anxiety of
Feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

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Wash Me with Your Precious Blood

See, O merciful God, what return
I, your thankless servant, have made
for the innumerable favors
and the wonderful love you have shown me!
What wrongs I have done, what good left undone!
Wash away, I beg you, these faults and stains
with your precious blood, most kind Redeemer,
and make up for my poverty by applying your merits.
Give me the protection I need to amend my life.
I give and surrender myself wholly to you,
and offer you all I possess,
with the prayer that you bestow your grace on me,
so that I may be able to devote and employ
all the thinking power of my mind
and the strength of my body in your holy service,
who are God blessed for ever and ever.

Amen.

- St. Peter Canisius, S.J.

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In the Hands of God

More than ever I find myself in the hands of God.
This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth.

But now there is a difference;
the initiative is entirely with God.

It is indeed a profound spiritual experience
to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands.

- Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

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Prayer Against Depression

O Christ Jesus
When all is darkness,
And we feel our weakness and helplessness,
Give us the sense of Your Presence,
Your Love and Your Strength.
Help us to have perfect trust,
In Your protecting love,
And strengthening power,
So that nothing may frighten or worry us,
For, living close to You,
We shall see Your Hand,
Your Purpose, Your Will through all things.

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Perfect Resignation

My God, I do not know what must come to me today.
But I am certain that nothing can happen to me
that you have not foreseen, decreed, and ordained from all eternity.
That is sufficient for me.
I adore your impenetrable and eternal designs,
to which I submit with all my heart.
I desire, I accept them all, and I unite my sacrifice
to that of Jesus Christ, my divine Savior.
I ask in his name and through his infinite merits,
patience in my trials, and perfect and entire submission
to all that comes to me by your good pleasure.

Amen.

- St. Joseph Pignatelli, S.J.

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As Kingfishers Catch Fire

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same;
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves -- goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.
I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is --
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.

- Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

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- Ted Tracy, S.J.

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In The Spirit

Let us take a moment to collect ourselves, center ourselves, ground ourselves.
As partners in mission, and in the spirit of the Jesuit identity we share, let us pray:

In the spirit of "seeking God in all things," may we

-pause for a moment of contemplation by taking a long, loving look at the real - to recognize and honor the goodness in us and around us
-recognize the presence and power of God in our midst
-savor the consolation in our lives, including in being together this weekend
-learn from the desolation in the world as we call to mind the suffering and sin of so many, including ourselves
-be attentive and responsive to who God is calling and empowering us to be and to do
-creatively, compassionately, and courageously imagine that more is possible

In the spirit of Cura Personalis, may we

-be tender with ourselves and with each other, bringing respect to every encounter
-affirm the wisdom we have gleaned through our experiences, and generously share and receive that wisdom this weekend
-give ourselves 'margins for error' and not be afraid to speak because we 'might say something wrong'
-listen deeply, especially to views and voices that differ from my own, in seeking empathy and understanding as well as appreciation for diversity and inclusion

In the spirit of "Women and Men for and with Others," may we

-see ourselves as bridge builders, ambassadors of reconciliation, and peace-makers, especially in the face of so many hurtful divisions and unequal inequalities
-overcome the globalization of indifference by drawing near to others, doing our part to restore dignity, unmask racism, sexism, homophobia and every form of discrimination, violence, and injustice, and build partnerships marked by mutual honesty and trust
-work toward ever more inclusive solidarity and kinship

In the spirit of Magis, may we

-be enkindled by the fire - as Pope Francis defines Magis - "the fervor in action, awakening those who have become dormant" to shed ourselves of complacency and comfort, in order to recommit ourselves to the service of faith and the promotion of justice
-grow in affection for God, seek union with God, and deepen our devotion to what God desires for each one of us and for all creation
-develop prophetic imagination, practice prophetic discourse, and adopt the kind of actions - guided by goals and strategies that will foster agreement and accountability - that will inspire us to embrace prophetic leadership on our campuses and in our communities and homes
-in the face of so many reasons to be tired, distracted, overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, or tempted to despair, may we choose to be witnesses of faith, hope, and love

May we do all of this as sisters and brothers united by love and justice A.M.D.G., for the greater glory of God.

- Written and offered by Dr. Marcus Mescher at the annual AJCU Faculty Conversations Conference at Xavier University, 2018.

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