Finding God

Introduction & Welcome (1 min.)

I. Opening Prayer (5 min.)

Grace: To pray for the deeper appreciation and awareness of how the Creator God has been present in my own faith history. Use the grace and the suggested scripture above to create your own prayer, or use CLC Opening Prayer.

Note: Ask for a volunteer to lead opening and closing prayers for the next meeting.

II. Check-In (5 min.)

• What were some of your high and low points of the week?

III. Focus Exercise (40 min.)

Materials Needed: CLC supply box (CLC journal booklets, papers, pens, etc.), handouts (found in journal booklet): Part 1: My Life Experiences and Part 2: Experiencing God

Introduction

My Faith History (based on the work of John English, SJ)

We know through faith that we can find God present in all things in all the events and dimensions of my life. But has the awareness of this presence throughout my life really taken hold of me? Memory is the sacrament of God's presence. The material over which I shall pray is the story of my own personal history -- the events, the experiences, the people who have crossed my path, the jobs I have held, the gifts I have been given, my accomplishments, my failures.

After placing myself in the presence of God, I go down memory lane and ponder contemplatively the people and events of my own personal history. I seek to understand how the Divine Shepherd has been involved in my life and where there have been moments of consolation and moments of desolation.

Exercise: Part 1 - My Life Experiences

Coordinators should read each section below prayerfully giving members time to reflect and journal page in their CLC journal booklets (Part 1: My Life Experiences) between each paragraph.

1. My Events: I begin by remembering. This remembering is an awareness of the exterior events in my life and my interior reactions to them. I remember those that give meaning to me (both pleasure and pain) or those I can't find meaning for but am striving to understand. Let one memory touch another by association. This may be neither logical nor chronological. As I remember all these events and items in my life history, I try to notice the gifts that I have received.

• What are some of the key events that surface for me as I reflect?

Allow some time for members to reflect and write down the answers on their journal booklets.

2. God Speaks to Me About My Events: After I have been in touch with the many ways in which I have been gifted, I now begin to notice how God has been present in my life.

I can approach this by recalling those peak experiences where I have profoundly felt God's presence or those where I have felt God’s absence or distance from me. Spend time just remembering and savoring each of these moments to receive a deep-felt appreciation of them. Job spends much of his life analyzing and interpreting God’s actions in his life. He is filled with doubt and anger at God at times. This is not about analyzing right now, but simply recognizing if there are ways in these events that you have felt a closeness or absence from God (pause for members to answer the question below)

• Are there any peak experiences where I have profoundly felt God’s presence or where I have felt God’s absence or distance from me? (pause……)
• Are there any images that stand out for me about how God has been working in my life? (pause…)

Allow some time for members to reflect and write down the answers on their journal booklets.

3. I Listen to God: Can I identify any patterns of how God has been working in my life in a constant way, not just in isolated instances or events? I can begin this investigation of remembering by trying to get hold of the various rhythms of my life, for example: the cycles of success and failure; periods of being alone and periods of being with others; periods of fatigue and periods of energy; cycles of work and cycles of leisure. This same pattern of covenant gives me a touchstone for recognizing the leading of God's Spirit. The patterns by which God encounters me can be a help to recognize God's presence, a touchstone to discern authentic consolation and the peace of Christ in my life.

• Are there any patterns that emerge for me at this time?

Allow some time for members to reflect and write down the answers on their journal booklets.

Sharing

Suggested questions for discussion

• Invite each member to share their reactions to the exercise… What is stirring within you? Were there any events or experiences that came up in the first portion of the reflection that surprised or particularly moved you?
• Ignatius defines consolation as that which leads us towards God and fills us with peace and life, while he speaks of desolation as something which pulls us away from God or leaves us anxiety, discontent, empty or sad. Suffering and dealing with painful situations in life is different than a feeling of desolation. Sometimes God can speak to us in our pain and fill us with a sense of consolation. Were there any patterns that emerged for you? Did they bring you joy, peace, sadness? Were there any movements that you might identify as consolation or desolation in your own experience? (see +Resources for more on consolation and desolation)

Listening Deeper

Suggested questions to deepen awareness of inner movements and further conversation

• What has struck you as you have been listening to others share? Do you notice any patterns or commonalities? Any common experiences and images of God?
• How have you been feeling throughout the meeting? Comfortable? Anxious? Curious?
• Is there anything you would like to share after listening to another person share?

IV. Moving Forward (5 min.)

• Wrap-Up: Thank members for their openness and participation.
• Action: Try to spend some time praying about these events and continue to reflect on where patterns of grace have emerged in your experiences of God. This process may take much longer than one or two weeks. Use the handout “Part 2: Experiencing God” in the journal to continue this reflection throughout the week.
• Announcements: Next week we will continue to explore the people who have shaped our experience of God and faith.

V. Closing Prayer (5 min.)

Ignatius, in the Spiritual Exercises, instructs us to speak with God in a form that he calls “the colloquy.” The colloquy is a conversation with God. Tonight as we close, we will take a few moments for everyone to imagine in silence that we are communicating with God, as a friend or mentor, going over what we have experienced, what has challenged us, or what has been helpful to us in our day or in our meeting tonight.

• Invite each person to speak with God aloud.