October 19, 2023 — If you’ve ever been intimidated by Ignatian spirituality, today’s guest will put you at ease. In fact, Fr. Michael Hansen is determined to make the Ignatian exercises accessible to as many people as possible. Why? It’s simple: He knows that God is at work, whether you’re doing the full 30-day retreat or just a one-off reflection.
Host Eric Clayton has been intrigued by Mick’s work for a while. In fact, longtime listeners will remember when he came on our podcast a few years ago. He talked about the First Spiritual Exercises. Mick wrote a book by the same name. But it’s also a shorthand for what Ignatius meant in the 18th Annotation of the full Spiritual Exercises. Both Mick and Ignatius want people to be able to access the riches of Ignatian spirituality, even if you don’t have 30 days to sit at a retreat center.
Today, Mick brings us up to date on that work. But he also introduces us to a monthlong initiative he’s been steering that invites us to contemplate the many Marian devotions of Ignatius of Loyola. Mick and the Jesuits in Australia have produced a beautiful collection of short meditations that pair a Marian image—perhaps a statue that Ignatius would have seen in his childhood or a painting that hung in his room—with guided prayers to help us more intentionally journey through this month of Mary.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what Ignatian contemplation of the Blessed Mothers looks like, this is the episode for you.
Learn more about the First Spiritual Exercises.
Check out the Marian reflections and get on Mick’s mailing list.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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