The purpose of spiritual exercises is to prepare and dispose a person to carry out God's will. You practice various spiritual activities with the intent of becoming proficient in grace. Musicians practice, carpenters practice, writers practice, athletes practice.
So do saints.
The first "exercise" is reception of and prayer before the Holy Eucharist. I mean, It's Jesus. He is really truly absolutely there. If you want to talk to God, this is your best option. He is (literally) "up close and personal" in the Blessed Sacrament.
Assignment #1: How often do you attend Mass? Add at least one Mass a week. How often do you make a holy hour? If you are not already participating in Eucharistic Adoration, start. Lots of parishes have holy hours now, or convents. If not before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, then do it in front of the tabernacle. Find a place and set a time.
I heard a story the other day of a boy in one of our rural parishes who decided at his First Communion that he wanted to know and to do God's will for his life. He further decided that he was going to make a daily holy hour in church for that intention. He cajoled parents, neighbors, friends of his siblings, a teacher, to give him a ride to the parish church so he could make a holy hour every day at 6:00 am, before school started for the day. He's now in high school and still making his daily holy hour. He knows that God will tell him his will.
If a seven year old can do it, can you?
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