We are constantly being bombarded with images and options and there is almost no space to find our true self or to let God find us. We often don’t know or drown out our own desires, our passions and a sense of our true vocation. Without the wisdom of the Spirit we can easily have a sense that we are not in charge of our own destiny, puppets at the mercy of the moment.
– From https://jesuits.global/en/uap/discernment-and-the-spiritual-exercises
This fundamental Preference asks those in the Society of Jesus and its many collaborators to keep as a vision before them a willingness to take part in and to share the Spiritual Exercises and the practice of discernment as a way of connecting to God's calling within each of us. In an increasingly superficial world, find a way back to truly connecting with yourself, with others, and with God.
On the Society of Jesus' website, you can find more information about the background for this Preference. What is today's reality that inspired this Preference, and what Gospel texts guide the response? You can also find ways to take action today in your own life.
At www.ignatianspirituality.com, you can browse many resources to inform and engage you in the Spiritual Exercises and discernment. Join an online, guided version of the Spiritual Exercises, watch videos about discernment, find adapted versions of the daily Examen that fit your life, or read articles and books from Jesuits and lay Ignatian leaders examining these teachings from Saint Ignatius.
You might also like to join Pope Francis in a worldwide network of prayer. His initiative www.popesprayer.va (www.popesprayersusa.net for a U.S. centered site) connects people in common prayer for our world. Explore resources to add your prayers and intentions to the promotion of peace, for example.