Week #21

Forty Weeks ~ Sacred Story

Week 21 Prayer Exercises

Encouragements & Wisdom

In addition to this week’s prayer materials, there are Encouragements and Wisdom for Week 21 (PDF).

Part Two
Building Sacred Story Prayer Practice

1 As I engage the Sacred Story prayer this week, I will continue to ask God’s help to be faithful to my commitment. I will also resolve to spend no more and no less than 15-minutes in each formal prayer session as St. Ignatius suggested.

2 For week twenty-one I am invited to pray with the first three meditations in the Sacred Story prayer. As St. Ignatius suggested, I will commit to entering my prayer at least once daily.

3 Meditation One, Two and Three— Creation, Presence, Memory: Use your first prayer session to read the Reflection and then do the Exercise as suggested during your 15-minute prayer sessions for the rest of the week.

I will awaken to the present moment.
I will awaken to my spiritual nature.
I will not make any decisions based on fear.
I will practice Sacramental Reconciliation monthly.

Focus Affirmation for Week Twenty-One

I will say this affirmation aloud once daily:

Sacred Story leads to my freedom and authenticity,
but does not always make me feel happy.

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Read this at the beginning of the week

Review the structure of the 15-minute prayer sessions. You will find these at the bookmark you left in Week 16. For this week, you are combining the first three meditations in Sacred Story Prayer: Creation, Presence and Memory. Use your 15-minute prayer sessions this week to pray these three meditations together, following the wisdom you learned in Week 16 for this practice. You can also refresh your memory on the Preludes and Illuminative Graces of these three meditations if you find it helpful.

Awakening to Sacred Story—Creation, Presence, Memory

Prayer Exercise—Creation, Presence, Memory

CREATION
I believe God created everything in love and for love; I ask for the grace of a heart-felt knowledge of God’s love for me, and for gratitude for the general and particular graces of this day.

PRESENCE
I believe God is present in each moment and event of my life, and I ask for grace to awaken, see and feel where and how, especially in this present moment.

MEMORY
I believe every violation of love committed by me and against me is in my memory, and I ask God to reveal them to me, especially those that have manifested themselves today, so I can be healed.

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Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
cry out to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with a song of praise,
joyfully sing out our psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great king over all gods,
Whose hand holds the depths of the earth;
who owns the tops of the mountains.
The sea and dry land belong to God,
who made them, formed them by hand.

(Ps 95: 1-5)