Stretching
Challenging the limits of our souls
Exercise
Stretching in the spiritual sense involves expanding our capacity for God's presence and grace through practices that create space for deeper intimacy with Him.
How?
By moving beyond our comfort zones, and into the space where we encounter the mystery of God, and God’s presence in our life and world.
Spiritual stretching brings us greater joy by increasing our flexibility - our ability to encounter God even in discomfort.
It brings us closer to God by opening us up to new ways of hearing God’s voice - and responding.
In my senior year of college - ages ago - I saw a flier inviting students to a five day silent retreat.
‘I could never do that!’, I thought to myself. I may have even said this out loud! But still I stood there, somehow arrested by the description of the trip - an opportunity to deepen my life with God.
Spring Break! My senior year of college! Five days of silence! Seriously, who would even contemplate such a thing?
Me, apparently.
I still don’t really know why I was so compelled to be part of this event - the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, which can be done over a week, a month, or even a year. All I know was that as soon as I stood before that flier and read it, I was all but signed up to go.
I think maybe it was the challenge that called to me.
I wasn’t sure yet who I was or what I was capable of being, and I wanted to push myself to find out.
It was only weeks before I graduated, and I had no idea what I was going to do next. I was 22 years old - full of dreams and ambitious, but with very little idea how to navigate in the world.
What I did know what was this: I was loved by God and called to share that love.
The retreat was magical - and hard. There were hours of stillness in front of me - for days on end - that left me with nothing to do but hear the voices inside of me. And to hear God’s voice. It was very uncomfortable. There were things I needed to face about myself, issues I needed to confront.
But then things slowed down so much that they felt eternal. And in this place was a deep, deep well of joy.
It turns out that not only could I spend five days in silence, but when it was over I did not want it to end.
When we got on the bus to return to campus, everyone started chatting away, because they could talk now! But I just couldn’t. I wanted to stay in that beautiful place just a little longer.
Stretching is our second YLWG Exercise.
The Stretching Practices are:
Fasting: Abstaining from food for a set period of time. Fasting is used for preparing our minds, souls, and bodies for testing, and it’s used to remember our reliance on God for all our earthly needs.
Silence: Removing the distractions of daily life for a period of time. Silence can also include solitude, but it can be practiced in community. Silence lets us hear God’s voice.
Giving: cheerfully sharing our resources with others - those in need and also just because we can. Sharing is a sign of our belief in God’s abundance, and our gratitude for all we have received.
Revelation: Intentionally opening ourselves to direct communication from God.
On the last day of the retreat, I had stayed in the silent chapel after we celebrated the Eucharist.
Out of the silence, I was suddenly called. ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ I heard Jesus say. Right out loud. I knew then that I was called to be a priest.
Challenging the limits of our souls. Doing things we thought we couldn’t do. Opening our hearts beyond our understanding. This is how the Stretching Practices bring us closer to God.
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Matthew 17:20)
Stretching Practices
Fasting:
Set 1: Biblical fasting
Set 2: Fasting and dependence on God
Set 3: Fasting as preparation
Set 4: Fasting and prayer
Silence:
Set 1: 'The sound of sheer silence’ - what we hear when we're quiet
Set 2: How to practice silence
Set 3: How to use your 'inside voice'
Set 4: What if we don't hear God?
Giving:
Set 1: 'What must I do to inherit the Kingdom of God?' - tiving it all away
Set 2: Holding our possessions in common - Acts of the Apostles
Set 3: ‘Give to all who beg of you' - does generosity have limits?
Set 4: Biblical tithing and gratitude
Revelation:
Set 1: ‘Revelation sounds scary!’
Set 2: Seeing God face to face
Set 3: Discernment: seeking God's guidance
Set 4: Putting God in the center