Jesuit Spirituality
Nicholas Seymour
Summary
“Just as taking a walk…and running are physical exercises, so is the name for spiritual exercises given to any means of preparing and disposing our soul to rid itself of all its disordered affections,” Ignatius of Loyola writes in his first explanation, and just as physical exercises must be instructed upon to be mastered, so must those of a spiritual focus (121). Loyola seeks to hide nothing in his writing, for once begun it becomes blatantly obvious that what you are reading can in senescence boil down to an instruction manual. After his experiences during a period of seclusion and meditation following an injury sustained in combat, Loyola became spiritually fulfilled on the path to God and using the knowledge he had gained, along with approval from Pope Paul III, he was able to produce The Spiritual Exercises in 1548.
In creating instructions for spiritual growth, however, Loyola understands that there is no such thing as a one-size fits all policy, and for this reason he begins the guide with a list of introductory explanations, “to gain some understanding of the spiritual exercise which follow”, these different explanations serve to guide through situations of adversity or uncertainty (121). For example, in The Fourth, it is noted that despite the retreat being broken up into four “weeks” it is entirely possible that some recipients of the exercises may be more or less proficient than others and must be instructed accordingly. The Nineteenth similarly offers a similar course which may be used for those who may be too occupied with their work to retreat for 30 days (127). Through these, Ignatius demonstrates the possibility for and even encourages that all to make room in their life for Christ.
Continuing with the schedule provided, the text is broken into four sections, each with a different spiritual focus. Though of these four weeks, only the first is included within the primary document. With the intention of reflection of the self, the first week seeks to provide the tools to do so, “one should ask God our Lord for what one desires, namely, grace to recall how often one has fallen into the particular sin,” Loyola writes in instructing the meditation (130). In order to assist in this process, additional tools are given in the form of directives for the retreat-goer to better focus on the exercises. Bringing his writing to an end, Ignatius provides the supposed end result of the exercises to which the exercisers are to reach.
Analysis
With this work of Ignatius mounting to my pile of evidence, I cannot help but comment on the seemingly growing theme of populism in Christianity I have noticed in this course. Martin Luther criticized the church for maintaining a system of inaccessibility to the bible, George Fox traveled around the world trying to bring people closer to a personal relationship with God, and now I read a book with thousands upon thousands of copies printed which serves as a modular and dynamic skeleton through which most anyone can grow in their spirituality, clearly there is a pattern here. Putting that aside, however, the dynamic aspect of this work supplies an interesting view in which it is to be examined. Already noted in the above section, as well as by Liebert in her work Ignatius of Loyola: The spiritual Exercises, the presumptions provided by Ignatius provide a system in which many different people with different resources and abilities will all be able to thrive in the pattern created. Liebert writes “Likewise, he had a variety of people in mind for the Spiritual Exercises and suggested they can be made in many ways,” there is no one type of person who is more fit to benefit from the grace of God than any other (200).
In addition to this, the schedule of four weeks as well as the different steps situated within each create an extremely wide array of different forms of exercise, everything from meditation to vocal-prayer were included in the writing. These dynamic aspects, it appears, are part of what gave this instruction book so much significance in the world. “This active, apostolic religious life changed the face of Christianity in the West by creating an enormous network of ministries geared to the needs of varied times and places,” this network can still be seen today in the Pacific Northwest at the Jesuit Gonzaga University (204). I can say with near certainty that it was this adaptability which allowed the Jesuits to be so successful with conversions and mission trips. Liebert continues on, noting several different ways in which the traditional teachings were modified to fit local culture around the world including China and South America (204). Unfortunately for the Jesuits, however, things got in the way and their unorthodox style of instruction was eventually forced out of its significance in the Vatican.
Works Cited:
Holder, Arthur G. Christian Spirituality: The Classics. London: Routledge, 2009. Internet resource.
Ignatius Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises [sections 1-44, 352-370]
Nicholas Seymour
Summary
“Just as taking a walk…and running are physical exercises, so is the name for spiritual exercises given to any means of preparing and disposing our soul to rid itself of all its disordered affections,” Ignatius of Loyola writes in his first explanation, and just as physical exercises must be instructed upon to be mastered, so must those of a spiritual focus (121). Loyola seeks to hide nothing in his writing, for once begun it becomes blatantly obvious that what you are reading can in senescence boil down to an instruction manual. After his experiences during a period of seclusion and meditation following an injury sustained in combat, Loyola became spiritually fulfilled on the path to God and using the knowledge he had gained, along with approval from Pope Paul III, he was able to produce The Spiritual Exercises in 1548.
In creating instructions for spiritual growth, however, Loyola understands that there is no such thing as a one-size fits all policy, and for this reason he begins the guide with a list of introductory explanations, “to gain some understanding of the spiritual exercise which follow”, these different explanations serve to guide through situations of adversity or uncertainty (121). For example, in The Fourth, it is noted that despite the retreat being broken up into four “weeks” it is entirely possible that some recipients of the exercises may be more or less proficient than others and must be instructed accordingly. The Nineteenth similarly offers a similar course which may be used for those who may be too occupied with their work to retreat for 30 days (127). Through these, Ignatius demonstrates the possibility for and even encourages that all to make room in their life for Christ.
Continuing with the schedule provided, the text is broken into four sections, each with a different spiritual focus. Though of these four weeks, only the first is included within the primary document. With the intention of reflection of the self, the first week seeks to provide the tools to do so, “one should ask God our Lord for what one desires, namely, grace to recall how often one has fallen into the particular sin,” Loyola writes in instructing the meditation (130). In order to assist in this process, additional tools are given in the form of directives for the retreat-goer to better focus on the exercises. Bringing his writing to an end, Ignatius provides the supposed end result of the exercises to which the exercisers are to reach.
Analysis
With this work of Ignatius mounting to my pile of evidence, I cannot help but comment on the seemingly growing theme of populism in Christianity I have noticed in this course. Martin Luther criticized the church for maintaining a system of inaccessibility to the bible, George Fox traveled around the world trying to bring people closer to a personal relationship with God, and now I read a book with thousands upon thousands of copies printed which serves as a modular and dynamic skeleton through which most anyone can grow in their spirituality, clearly there is a pattern here. Putting that aside, however, the dynamic aspect of this work supplies an interesting view in which it is to be examined. Already noted in the above section, as well as by Liebert in her work Ignatius of Loyola: The spiritual Exercises, the presumptions provided by Ignatius provide a system in which many different people with different resources and abilities will all be able to thrive in the pattern created. Liebert writes “Likewise, he had a variety of people in mind for the Spiritual Exercises and suggested they can be made in many ways,” there is no one type of person who is more fit to benefit from the grace of God than any other (200).
In addition to this, the schedule of four weeks as well as the different steps situated within each create an extremely wide array of different forms of exercise, everything from meditation to vocal-prayer were included in the writing. These dynamic aspects, it appears, are part of what gave this instruction book so much significance in the world. “This active, apostolic religious life changed the face of Christianity in the West by creating an enormous network of ministries geared to the needs of varied times and places,” this network can still be seen today in the Pacific Northwest at the Jesuit Gonzaga University (204). I can say with near certainty that it was this adaptability which allowed the Jesuits to be so successful with conversions and mission trips. Liebert continues on, noting several different ways in which the traditional teachings were modified to fit local culture around the world including China and South America (204). Unfortunately for the Jesuits, however, things got in the way and their unorthodox style of instruction was eventually forced out of its significance in the Vatican.
Works Cited:
Holder, Arthur G. Christian Spirituality: The Classics. London: Routledge, 2009. Internet resource.
Ignatius Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises [sections 1-44, 352-370]