CHALLENGE

This year I recommended to a spiritual directee Mark Link’s CHALLENGE, a daily meditation program based upon the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Making the CHALLENGE program proved to be very beneficial for this spiritual directee such that they started recommending it to others. 

I have never prayed the CHALLENGE program but I remembered it as a very popular program in our Jesuit secondary schools for faculty, staff and students during the 1990s. Because of its unique impact on my spiritual directee, I am offering CHALLENGE as a possibility to our parish leadership and apostolic partners.  I have even mentioned this program to some of my family.

Currently I have about 15 parish leaders and apostolic partners interested in making CHALLENGE this year. I also have about 10 family members interested in the program.

This has caught me a bit by surprise. I was thinking Mark Link’s CHALLENGE was a bit “retro” and would not have much of an appeal. But I have found that busy people are looking for a way to pray daily and to be introduced to the Spritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Some are searching for small faith sharing community experience. CHALLENGE seems to be meeting this desire.

At the parish, I am offering those interested in making CHALLENGE to meet every two weeks with a faith sharing group. Others, because of personal circumstances, will be making CHALLENGE on their own. But I am strongly encouraging all participants to be faithful to journaling their experiences and their responses to Mark Link’s reflection questions.

CHALLENCE was created to correspond with the liturgical cycle. This year, the CHALLENGE daily meditations and reflections are established to start on September 6, 2009. They will completed on May 15, 2010.

If you are interested in making Mark Link’s CHALLENGE or organizing a faith sharing group making CHALLENGE, visit Amazon.com Mark Link CHALLENGE The book has limited availability. The Spanish version, DESAFIO, is currently out of print.

I will keep you informed to the progress of this new program offering of the Ignatian Spirituality Program at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood.

And, I will let you know that because of this positive response by parish leaders, apostolic partners, and my family, I too am going to make CHALLENGE.

Keep us all in your prayer this year.

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