Day 9
The Election
Making the decision that matters most
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Grace to ask for
Lord, let me choose only what leads me most surely to You.
""But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.""
Joshua 24:15
Composition of Place
The Election is the center of the Exercises — the moment when all the prayer and meditation of the first two weeks focuses into a concrete decision about the direction of your life. Ignatius presents it with great care, because it is the moment where everything either integrates or falls apart.
Points for Meditation
What the Election is
The Election is a decision about the "state of life" — for most people, not whether to become a priest or nun, but how to live the life they are already living in accordance with God's will. It might be a vocational choice, a change of direction, a decision about how to use gifts, a commitment to a particular form of service. It is whatever God has been preparing you to decide through all of Weeks One and Two.
Three times of election
Ignatius identifies three times when good decisions are made. The first: a moment of such clarity that choice is obvious — rare, and not to be manufactured. The second: consolation and desolation direct you clearly in one direction. The third: a time of peace and tranquility, when you reason carefully using imagination and logic. Most elections happen in the third time. That is fine.
The test of the election
Ignatius offers a test: imagine yourself on your deathbed, and ask what decision you would wish you had made. Or imagine you are counseling a friend facing the same choice — what would you tell him? These questions cut through self-deception. The answer that holds up across these perspectives is usually the right one.
Colloquy
Bring your decision to God. Tell Him what you think He is asking. Tell Him your fears about it. Then listen. Ask for the confirmation of consolation. Ask for the courage to act on what you hear. The Exercises are preparation for action — not a substitute for it.
Remain in silence for a few minutes.
Do not rush to the next exercise.