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Sensible

 Sensible down-to-earth spiritual exercises


Ignatian Spirituality is the heart of our Jesuit university, and as we aim to share that mission more broadly throughout our institution, it is our hope that faculty and staff would not only become familiar with, but also get caught up in the vast invitation of Ignatian Spirituality. Sensible aims to do just that: it is an easy-to-use, gently guided, and extremely sensible way to dip one’s toes into the waters of Ignatian Spirituality.


"Sensible helped me make connections with other colleagues and find some calmness in this tumultuous year. It was great experiencing Ignatian Spirituality  in a new, approachable way. I never knew the difference between contemplation and meditation and its connection to the body."

Spring 2021 Sensible Participant

"As someone who does not identify as Christian, I have often been skeptical of forms of prayer that involve Jesus. However, my experience of Ignatian Contemplation through the Sensible program has shown me that there is great value to closing my eyes and using my imagination to enter into the life and teachings of Jesus. The life of Jesus becomes a symbol for me (and our Jesuit university) about how we are invited to embody unconditional love and justice in our world."

Fall 2021 Sensible Participant


 

Sensible Lunch, Community, and Meditation


Sensible  |  Guided Ignatian Meditations

offered by the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education 

 

OVERVIEW 

All SCU faculty and staff are invited to attend one of these one-hour sessions that include lunch (on us!), guided meditation, and time for community. It is a great way to experience Ignatian Spirituality, specifically through the practice of Ignatian Contemplation, during which one is invited to use their imagination (the Ignatian version of meditation). We hope faculty and staff from any religious, secular, or spiritual identity feel supported and welcomed in this experience.


2023-2024 Schedule 

Fall 2023 Guided Ignatian Meditation: November 8 | Noon-1pm | Nobili Dining Room
Winter 2024 Guided Ignatian Meditation: March 13 | Noon-1pm | Nobili Dining Room
Spring 2024 Guided Ignatian Meditation: May 22 | Noon-1pm | Nobili Dining Room

 

Please contact Tony Cortese, Director of Ignatian Spirituality, at acortese@scu.edu with any questions.

 


Session 4 Exercises

Do You See Anything
Navigate here to EXERCISE 1
The first exercise in a series of four is based on Mark 8:22-25.





Unfinished, the second exercise
Navigate here to EXERCISE 2
The second exercise in the series is a direct invitation to pay close attention to where pain and discomfort is showing up in our world and in our own lives.

Deep Sight, the third exercise
Navigate here to EXERCISE 3
The third exercise in the series invites us to see beyond the surface, especially beyond the pain and suffering.



Quiet Solidarity, the fourth exercise
Navigate here to EXERCISE 4
The final exercise of the series points to the ways we can discern the places in our world that might be calling us to some form of action — even the type of action that no one will ever see.

 


Session 3 Exercises

Remember
Navigate here to WEEK 1

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on Luke 24:1-8, the story of the three women coming to Jesus' tomb only to discover that it is empty.

Detachment
Navigate here to WEEK 2

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on chapter 20 of John's gospel, the scene where Mary of Magdala goes to Jesus' tomb and finds a surprise.

Breaking Open
Navigate here to WEEK 3

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on chapter 24 of Luke's gospel, the story often referred to as "The Road to Emmaus."

Nets
Navigate here to WEEK 4

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on John 21:1-13, the scene during which the Risen Jesus cooks breakfast for his friends.

Still Here
Navigate here to WEEK 5

A guided Ignatian meditation based on the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the "Ascension of Jesus."

Love Language
Navigate here to WEEK 6

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the "Pentecost Story."

Not Unlike
Navigate here to WEEK 7

A guided Ignatian meditation based on some of the themes found in Matthew, chapter 25, which is often referred to as the Parable of the Sheep and Goats.

Enough
Navigate here to WEEK 8

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the concluding meditation of the Spiritual Exercises (Spiritual Exercises, 231 - 237).

 


Session 2 Exercises

Come and See
Navigate here to WEEK 1

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the first chapter of John's gospel, the scene when John the Baptist points out Jesus as the "Lamb of God" to some of his disciples.

Restored
Navigate here to WEEK 2

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the sixth chapter of Luke's gospel, the scene when Jesus heals a person with a "withered hand."


Here Now
Navigate here to WEEK 3

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the twelfth chapter of Matthew's gospel, the scene when Jesus and some of his friends are walking through fields of grain and eating the heads of grain on the Sabbath.

Calm
Navigate here to WEEK 4

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the eighth chapter of Luke's gospel, the scene when Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee.


Alone
Navigate here to WEEK 5

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the eighth chapter of John's gospel, the scene when a woman is dragged out next to Jesus in front of everyone as she is being accused of adultery.

Two Small Coins
Navigate here to WEEK 6

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the twelfth chapter of Mark's gospel, the story often referred to as "The Widow's Mite."



Into Joy
Navigate here to WEEK 7

A guided Ignatian contemplation based on the 19th chapter of Luke's gospel, a story about a chief tax collector named Zaccheus.



Humility
Navigate here to WEEK 8

A guided Ignatian meditation based on the 18th chapter of Luke's gospel, a parable Jesus tells about a pharisee and a tax collector who go to the temple to pray.


 


Session 1 Exercises

Cosmic Perspective
Navigate here to WEEK 1

A guided Ignatian Contemplation that uses the text of the first chapter of John's gospel to invite you on a journey into the expansiveness of the universe and your place in it.

Beloved
Navigate here to WEEK 2

A guided Ignatian Contemplation about how Jesus' own experience of belovedness can be an invitation to more fully accept our own belovedness.

Into the Deep
Navigate here to WEEK 3

A guided Ignatian Contemplation on the beginning of chapter five of Luke's gospel, an invitation from Jesus to go a bit deeper.


Touched
Navigate here to WEEK 4

A guided Ignatian Contemplation about the healing of a person with leprosy in chapter five of Luke's gospel, a scene during which Jesus does the unthinkable.

Carried
Navigate here to WEEK 5

A guided Ignatian Contemplation on a story about a person being carried by their friends to a place of healing.

Sensible | Seen
Navigate here to WEEK 6

A guided Ignatian Contemplation based on the gospel scene often called "The Woman at the Well," which is found in chapter four of John's gospel.

Sensible | A Strange Way
Navigate here to WEEK 7

A guided Ignatian Contemplation on Luke's Beatitudes, a message from Jesus that is about as counter-cultural as it gets.

Sensible | Only One Thing
Navigate here to WEEK 8

A guided Ignatian Contemplation on the very well-known story of Martha & Mary, an invitation to be more attentive to The Now.