Martin Scorsese’s latest film “Silence” is about  17 century Jesuit missionaries facing persecution for preaching Christianity in Japan.  The lead actor, Andrew Garfield tells a great story of his preparation for this film here.

For me, to see Andrew take on the Spiritual Exercises to better understand his role as a Jesuit in “Silence” is masterful. The article brought back so many memories of my journey with Jesus over those 36 weeks of spiritual direction. I was reminded that the beauty of the Exercises is that we learn to weave our own life narrative into the life story of Jesus. We do form a relationship and as Garfield experienced, you do fall in love. The daily practice of becoming aware of how God has directed us in the past, how God labors in our life in the present and call us in the future  was so evident in this article. The secret to the Spiritual Exercises is in the guidance of helping us become free of all the interior clutter that prohibits us from reaching this graced awareness. Andrew’s interview amplifies the purpose  of the Exercises.  ” To grow in union with God, who frees us to make good decisions about our lives and to”help souls.”