We encourage you to set aside 40 minutes of time in silence and solitude for this prayer exercise.  This prayer exercise is intended to expose you to the prayer of reminiscence.  This kind of prayer is often used in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  While the prayer of reminiscence can be focused on many different things, in this exercise we are specifically seeking to open to God in regards to the way He has loved us through people He has put into our lives as well as how He has loved us through us.  The Apostle Paul often begins his letters with a brief acknowledgment of how the people of various places have blessed him and how he delights in them.  Open to the Holy Spirit as you bring to mind the people that you have delighted in and those who have delighted in you.

• Begin by spending the first 5 minutes simply opening your heart to God and acknowledging His presence.
• Spend the next 15 minutes bringing to mind those people that you delight in.
  • Reflect on memories of these people.
  • Acknowledge that these individuals have been created in the image of God.  
  • Thank God for His beauty and love that has been revealed in these people.
• Spend the next 15 minutes bringing to mind those people in your life that have delighted in you.
  • Reflect on memories of how you have impacted these people.
  • Acknowledge that you have been created in the image of God.  
  • Thank God for His character, beauty, and love that has been revealed through you in relationship with these people.
• Spend the last 5 minutes talking to God about what this experience has been for you.