Spiritual Exercises

Meditation for Sunday, July 31:  Care for your spirit with play. And shake those cherry blossoms. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola is one of the most famous Catholic reformers of the 16th century because he founded the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. The Jesuits were so successful partly because of his Spiritual Exercises, a book which he wrote for lay and clerical men and women wanting to pursue a more devout, Catholic life.

Loyola's book set out a rigorous, daily approach to prayer that involved incessant list-making and tallying the times one had sinful thoughts or behavior throughout the day. This book served as a manual for Jesuit missionaries who spread like wildfire through the Americas, Africa and Asia from the 16th-18th centuries.

Some people approach running the way St. Ignatius approached prayer -- in a rigorous and disciplined manner. I am the opposite. I actually run similar to how I pray, which is in a more spontaneous and inspired fashion. I'm not advocating that one way of running is better than another, and I might become a more methodical runner some day. Currently though, while I know that I want to run frequently, I don't plan for how far, or how long.

What I do think we need as runners and human beings is more time set aside for play. So even if you are fiercely methodical about your running, don't forget to work in a little playful running once in awhile.

Here's a haiku I found today that I would like to offer as a runner's prayer:

Looking over my shoulder
my behind was covered
with cherry blossoms.

The haiku was written by one of my own spiritual guides, Allen Ginsberg, who studied zen poetry. May his memory be for a blessing. Now with that prayer in mind, dear reader, go forth and shake your cherry blossoms, because you are beautifully and wonderfully made. :)