"Something New" - Spritiual Exercises for a New School Year

a Horizon of Hope
Southward view from Legion of Christ Center for Higher Studies - Rome, Italy

Tomorrow, a new school year begins. "New!" some would say. To them all I have to say is "Yes, New". At our school, Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum ( Athenaeum means University with just a few faculties - three in our case: Philosophy, Theology, and Bioethics) as in most of the Pontifical Universities in Italy the school year begins tomorrow. The reason for the tardy school year comes from the age-old (medieval) calendars of starting school years late and ending them late as well (June 29 - Feast of Sts. Peter, Patron of Rome, marks the end of the school year).

To prepare for the year we have been on a retreat called "Spiritual Exercises" for 8 consecutive days in which we practiced monastic silence and sought the heights of  contemplative prayer.

- The first days ("1st week") are difficult to approach since we're not monks! We consider the Primordial Questions of Life: Where did I come from? Where am I going? Who am I?

- The 3rd day we considered the final destination of our lives: The Last Truths...Death, Judgment, Hell, Heaven (obviously we're not shooting for Hell!)

- Throughout the next days we considered the Life of Our Lord going through the most important moments of his life.

St. Ignatius of Loyola had been the first to live the Exercises and write out a formal way of living them out. He had originally considered them to be lived once and for a month! He considered that a mature Christian should be able to reach a decision in his life - a vocational decision - and make a morally solid comittal option in life, something that is so lacking today. (Obviously this is something that can only happen with God's blessing).

Henceforth we've seen the beauty of returning to the same themes over and over so as to ever grow in them. It has been over a decade since the first time I participated in them. I thank God for the ever increasing capacity to get to know myself and to get to know God.

Through the Light of Faith I sense that I can open my eyes to a Horizon filled with Hope!