Lord, I ask for discernment to recognize the evil spirit’s deception and guard against it. Please enlighten my heart and mind to the true life revealed by Jesus and the grace to imitate him.
Option 1:
Reflection: The story of Jesus begins before his birth when the second Person of the Trinity agrees to become a human being. The story continues in Mary’s yes, as well as in Mary’s and Joseph’s obedience to the commandments of Torah. As a child, Jesus lives out submission to God. These provide models of obedience for our own lives. However, we all experience tension between the pull to follow God and the pull to acquiesce to the evil spirit. Whose banner (i.e. standard) will we ride under? Ponder the “Meditation on the Two Standards.”
Option 2:
Reflection: Ignatius asks us to imagine a very real spiritual struggle and to contrast Jesus’s reign with that of the evil spirit’s. He encourages us to be aware of the adversary’s tactics by become more discerning. His imaginative exercise is quite similar to C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters—letters of a chief demon to a junior demon about how to lure a human being away from God. Read letters (chapters) 4 & 12 of The Screwtape Letters.
Option 3:
Reflection: Read letter (chapter) 14 of The Screwtape Letters.
Option 4:
Re-read: “Making Sense of Inner Spiritual Movement.”[1]
Pray with the Examen, paying particular attention to movements toward or away from God.
Option 5:
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-9
Pray with the Examen
Option 6:
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18
Pray with Examen
Reviewing the Week:
Look back on the past week. What stands out to you the most as you have prayed and reflected concerning the Two Standards and the evil spirit’s deception? What spiritual struggles do you notice in your own life? Be specific. Talk with God about your reflections.
_______________________________