<p> At times people wonder what it would like to meet Jesus. In 1990 Almita Bey-Carriòn entered into a mystical encounter with Jesus while she was meditating on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Over time she realized how profound this encounter was and for the benefit of others sought to reproduce her experience in the Nine Meditations. They have been especially effective for those in mid-life, vocation discernment, adult baptismal preparation, recovery from addiction or serious illness, or stuck in their spiritual life. To ground her retreat in contemporary biblical, theological and psychological perspectives, in 1992 she published this retreat and her research for the completion of her M.A. degree at the University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California.
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<p>Out of curiosity Sr. Judy Rinek, S.N.J.M. asked Almita to guide her through her journal retreat. It was such a powerful experience, Sr. Judy sought ways to make this more available to others. After she began to facilitate this journal retreat for others, she discovered additional spiritual directors who also felt drawn to utilize it. Thus, a need for a handbook arose.
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<p>Collaborating with Almita, Sr. Judy updated her original research in the background sections and incorporated the practical "tips" that spiritual directors had discovered over the past ten years of working with those making this unique individualized retreat. Some of the practical concerns are in the format of questions and answers. The annotated bibliography is very useful for in-depth study and further resources. In addition, those seeking a model for praying in depth a story in Scripture will find this handbook invaluable.
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