The 19th Annotation

Spiritual growth is tough. When you start any retreat you have to be ready for the unexpected and uncovering unsightly items that you had forgotten existed, much less want to face. So goes my retreat. I've started a retreat with my spiritual director based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, in particular the 19th annotation.

It's broken up in the same 4 week format (if your familiar with the exercises, where St. Ignatius' week has absolutely no relationship to timespan) but over 32 or 34 week timespan. I've been meditating daily on different passages. The most troubling aspect though is that spiritual growth is tough. It can be painful. Unearthing bits of you, you had long forgotten about and uncluttering your spiritual closet, well it's eye opening and slow going. I'll post more about this as my journey continues so stay tuned.