Nahlik, Philip

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Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 47 The Spiritual Exercises as Foundation forJesuit Higher Education Article 24March 2015A Spiritual StretchPhilip NahlikFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationNahlik, Philip (2015) "A Spiritual Stretch," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 47, Article 24.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol47/iss1/24Conversations 37The crowning athleticachievements of my lifeare two silver medals frommy only season on thefreshman wrestling teamat St. Louis UniversityHigh School. Despite mylong dry spell in the ath-letic world, I have recently begun toappreciate the value of taking five min-utes to stretch my muscles to preparemyself for any physical activity in myday. I prioritize this time every day toensure that my muscles will be ready tofunction when I need them for anythingmore intensive than my ten minutewalk across campus.Similarly, I have found value in mydaily Examen to stretch my awarenessand expression of gratitude in my life. Imake time in my crammed schedule forthis spiritual stretch, because I knowthat it prepares me for more demandingexercises in the future. The SpiritualExercises require a more intensive useof my reflective muscles, just as awrestling tournament requires theintensive use of other muscles. Both ofthese strenuous activities require differ-ent types of training and commitment.My experiences with the Exerciseswould not have been the same withoutfirst straining to say my Examen everyday or struggling to enter imaginativelyinto Scripture. I have experienced theSpiritual Exercises mostly in an academ-ic setting, either in a classroom orthrough a school-sponsored retreat.Although short, certain moments ofstudying the Exercises have allowed meto deepen my understanding of myrelationship with God through Scriptureand through my imagination. For exam-ple, one time in reflecting on theAnnunciation, I thought about whatMary would have been doing beforeand after talking with Gabriel. I canimagine her working on householdchores inside, as she is often depicted.Then after her life-changing conversa-tion, she may have had a moment ofthinking about whether she could orshould go back to doing the same mun-dane chores. This imagining broughtout two points for me. Firstly, that Godcan enter our lives even in everydaymoments to change us permanently.Secondly, when life-changing eventsoccur in my life, I have the choice ofresponding lovingly and openly asMary did or of continuing to live my lifeas if it had not changed at all. This seg-ment of the Spiritual Exercises especial-ly prompts me be receptive to these sig-nificant moments in my life where Ihave a chance to say “Yes” and to growfor the better.The invitation of the SpiritualExercises to imagine conversations withJesus has helped my understanding ofmy personal relationship with him.Often, it is easy for me to appreciateChrist as an idea or as a historical fig-ure, but it is much more difficult for meto think about my relationship withJesus as a someone with a personality,who has conversations, who makesjokes, and who cares intimately for meas an individual. In reflecting on Peter'sthreefold denial of Jesus, I imaginedwhat I would say as Peter in talkingwith Jesus after this denial. As a resultof my daily Examens, I was able to con-nect moments when I had a high opin-ion of my own morality, compared towhich I fell vastly short in my actions.How could I justify that moment whenI ignored a friend whom I had not seenin a while because I was in a hurry,even though I like to congratulatemyself on keeping up with old friends?In imaginative conversation with Christ,I realized I had failed to live up to myown standards and promises as Peterdid. I imagined Jesus bluntly telling me,“Yeah, you messed up.” Then he mightsay, “But you can always come backand make it right again.” Just as Petermade a threefold profession of love forChrist, this reflection helped me to seekamends after making mistakes bothwith friends and in my relationship withJesus. The use of imagination andIgnatian contemplation has helped meto envision more readily the personalrelationship of Jesus with myself andwith others. These experiences have helped mecarve out both short and long periodsto prepare for living each new day forthe greater glory of God. It is one thingto pray that I may “toil and not seek forrest,” but my experiences of theSpiritual Exercises have shown me thatthe most abundant toiling in my life willrequire me to stretch a little first. ■Philip Nahlik attended St. LouisUniversity High School and is now ajunior at Loyola University Chicago.A Spiritual StretchBy Philip Nahlik 15304_mag_m  1/2/15  9:35 AM  Page 371Nahlik: A Spiritual StretchPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2015

A Spiritual Stretch

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