In line with the first Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus “to show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola”, I want to share some of the beautiful experiences I had. My first experience of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius occurred in 2018, during an eight days retreat in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). My experience of the Ignatian retreat was so fascinating and transformative that with the support of my vocation director I had my first retreat giving experience. This reflection is an account of that experience. I want to focus on how the experience of my friends struck me and helped me grow in my spiritual journey. In so doing, I first relate how the retreat took place, then I examine some fruits of the retreat, and finally, how this experience helped me learn about myself.
How did the experience happen?
As aforementioned, after the discussion with my vocation director, I decided to share my experience with some of my friends from the only Jesuit parish (Saint Philippe Abobo Sagbe) in Ivory Coast. After the sharing, four of my friends expressed their desire to register for an Ignatian retreat but they could hardly do it because of time and money constraints. I reported their desire to father Kouassi Kobry SJ (the vocation director) who asked me to give the retreat. I was excited by the proposal but at the same time, I was wondering: how and where to start? I was a young student without any background in the Spiritual Exercises. I didn’t have any theological formation about the SE.
The only thing I had was my own experience during the eight days’ retreat I had had. In this hesitation, father Kouassi Kobry asked me to follow the same process I had during the retreat. This was possible because during my retreat I took time to write down all the points and the explanation given by the director. I decided then to follow his instructions. With the four friends, we agreed on the form of the retreat would take. It was going to be a retreat in daily life. We decided to meet every evening at around 18:30 in the chapel of the parish. We agreed also to have a common sharing of the fruits of our prayers each time we met. But for the particular experiences that could not be shared with the group like confessions, the members were encouraged to meet the parish priest or my vocation director.
How did the retreat go and what were the fruits?
The experience we had from this retreat was special. I was amazed and deeply moved by the sharings of my friends. Tears and words of gratitude coloured almost every sharing day. From their sharing, I was able to discover the love of God in their lives. Reconciliation with oneself, desire to reconcile with family members, healing of childhood inner wounds, desire to deepen one’s spiritual relationship with the Lord were the main outcomes of this retreat. After this experience, I had a second chance to direct a youth retreat in daily life organized by the group Magis. From these experiences, I learned three main lessons as a spiritual director or retreat giver in the context of Ignatian spirituality.
What does the retreat say about me?
Firstly, I realised that many people have a thirst for deep spiritual experience. Many are those who are broken by social injustices, familial and inner divisions, and who may take advantage of the richness of the SE. Secondly, I was fascinated by the amazing action of the Spirit of God in the life of the retreatants. It struck me in the sense that it reveals my own fragility, and need for God’s mercy. Finally, I learned that the spirit of God moves us differently and God joins us where we are in our life, as a director we should not try to lead the retreatant to go through our own experience.
All in all, I believe that the first UAP is very relevant today. Many people especially the youth are thirsting for God. The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius are a treasure that can helps them have an intimate and personal experience with the higher power in them. While guiding others in their spiritual journey, we are transformed and enriched. I pray that by the grace of Easter, we may be available to our brothers and sisters who are seeking God.
Mtima Community
By GNA KOFFI, SJ