DARLINGTON MUYEMBE (11072T)
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
OF ST. IGNATIUS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 |
| My 30 days retreat influenced me! |
St. Ignatius
of Loyola was born in 1491 to a couple of noble descent, Beltran Yanezde Onaz
and Maria Saenz de Licona in the family castle at Loyola in Northern Spain. He
was a last born in a family of 11 siblings. Following a military career, he was
seriously wounded at the siege of Pamplona, and during a long convalescence
read a life of Christ and a book of Saints’ lives which made him realize the
hollowness and futility of his own. “If the Saints could do this, why not I?”
he asked himself. After his recovery, he spent a year of solitude at Manresa
searching for God’s will, and then made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He was
already 33 when he took up the study of Latin among the school boys of
Barcelona, and later devoted 11years to philosophy and theology, at various
Universities. At Paris, where he took his M.A. degree in 1535, he was able to
attract six young men to his way of life, a life of mortification, poverty and
spiritual exercises; among them were Sts Peter Faber and Francis Xavier.
Ignatius died on 31 July 1556. He was beatified by Pope Paul V on 27 July 1609
and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622 and declared Patron of Spiritual
Exercises and Retreats by Pope Pius Xi in 1992.
MOTIVATION FOR WRITING ON SPIRITUAL
EXERCISES
My motivation
to write on the Spiritual Exercises of
St. Ignatius mainly comes from the 30 days retreat that I had at the Jesuit’s
Mwangaza Spirituality Centre from 25 May to 25 June 2012. I had a profound
spiritual experience and encounter with Christ as a result of praying and
reflecting on the Exercises. By
writing on them now, I intend to deepen my knowledge on the Exercises and appreciate more the graces
that come by going through them. I also
want to have precise information on the exercises which might help me and
others get closer to God and to deepen that saving relationship with Christ.
Summary and Reflection
1.0 Introduction
St. Ignatius is
one of the most highly pronounced Saints in the Church. Through
his classical work known as The Spiritual
Exercises, Ignatius has enflamed the hearts of many people from his time to
the present, and will continue to inspire future generations. Having a personal
experience of the Spiritual Exercises, I found the material very helpful in my
spiritual growth and especially in my relationship with God and his son Jesus
Christ. For this reason, I wish to make an attempt in this paper to precisely
present the importance of the Exercises,
their structure and impact on one’s life; and my reflection on them. However, I
will start by giving a brief biographical note on St. Ignatius of Loyola.
1.2 Brief Biography of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(1491-1556)
St.
Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 to a couple of noble descent, Beltran
Yanezde Onaz and Maria Saenz de Licona in the family castle at Loyola in
Northern Spain. As a young man, Ignatius was actively involved in the military
service but his life changed after he was seriously wounded at the siege of
Pamplona. He retreated to his family castle for recovery and it was during this
time that he read The Life of Christ (The
Imitation of Christ) and a book on the lives of Saints. These two books influenced
Ignatius and marked a turning point in his life. Ignatius recorded his
spiritual experiences and his favorite prayers which later became the heart of
what we now call The Spiritual Exercises.
A Benedictine monk helped as his Spiritual Director and after studying at
various universities, Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus. He died on 31 July
1556, was beatified by Pope Paul V on 27 July 1609 and canonized
by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622. In 1922, Pope Pius XI declared St.
Ignatius as the Patron of Spiritual Exercises and Retreats[1].
1.3 Importance of the Spiritual Exercises
In bringing
people to an appreciation of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius draws our
attention to the importance of physical exercises. He says that just like our
bodies need physical exercises in order to be fit and healthy, so does our
spiritual life need exercises. These Spiritual Exercises encompasses all the
formal ways we have of communicating with God. Ways such as: meditation and
contemplation, vocal prayer, devotions and among others, examination of
conscience. The benefits of Spiritual Exercises are that they increase one’s
openness to the movement of God’s Spirit, they help shed light on the darkness
of sinful tendencies within one’s life and they strengthen and support the
person in his or her efforts to respond ever more faithfully to God’s love[2].
1.4 Structure of the Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises are divided into
four parts which are commonly referred to as “weeks’ even though there is no
number of fixed days in each section. These four parts usually takes about
thirty days to complete and a life time to assimilate[3].
The aim of the structure of these ‘weeks” is to help a person on the path of
attaining true spiritual freedom. This freedom can only be realized by bringing
an order of values into our lives which shall help us make decisions based on
God’s will[4].
The
Principle and Foundation precedes the Exercises and the purpose of this is to
lay a foundation that helps both the retreatant and the guide to delve into the
mystery of God’s love and have an understanding of what the spiritual journey entails.
God is seen as creator who calls humankind into partnership with him[5].
After the foundation has been set, the “weeks begin and now the following information
shows what each “week” is about:
1.4.1 First Week: This consists of
considerations proposed by Ignatius that help people realize how much they are
loved by God. Scripture passages are given for meditation which help people
ponder on the goodness of God’s love. As the meditation goes on, people come to
learn that they have not been wholly generous to God’s goodness. Prayer,
meditation and accompaniment with the retreat director help people to confront
the sinfulness in their lives with an honesty they have never before allowed
themselves. In addition, this honesty makes people experience a growing and
intense sorrow for their sins. However, their openness to God’s mercy, goodness
and love brings consolation to their lives. Finally, people are encouraged to
ask God for the grace to be free enough to respond generously to his will and
to live a zealous life that they have hardly imagined before[6].
1.4.2 The Second Week: Contemplation is
the main focus of this Week. People are invited to learn and savor this method
of prayer which comes naturally and spontaneously. This contemplation, coupled
with repetition, is based on the mysteries of the life of Jesus. The Exercises
begin with the Incarnation, nativity, hidden life, baptism and other
appropriate moments in Jesus’ public ministry. At this stage of the Exercises,
people are invited to be participants in the mysteries of Christ’s life. Scripture
texts for reflection helps retreatants contemplate on the life of Jesus. What
is important here is not to cover much material but to assimilate it[7].
1.4.3 The Third Week: In this Week,
contemplation on the life of Jesus continues. However, the focus is now turned
to the passion and death of Jesus. The retreatant is invited to be with Jesus,
to see and experience what Jesus is going through. The temptation to escape
from this moment of suffering and leave Jesus alone, or our brother and sister
can be great. However, the retreatant is encouraged to stay beside Jesus,
brother or sister who is suffering. Finally, people are invited to ask for the
grace to experience sorrow, compassion and shame as they see Jesus undergo such
great suffering because of humankind’s sin[8].
1.4.4 Fourth Week: This is the final
Week of the Exercises. In it, there is contemplation on Jesus and the
resurrection experience he shares with his friends. As participants in these
events through contemplation, people allow the reality of the resurrection to
permeate their lives. The Fourth Week sums up the Exercises began in the First
Week and leads leaves one with joy, hope and willingness go out and share God’s
love, power and mercy as manifested in creation and in the life of Jesus Christ[9].
1. 5 Personal Reflection
When I first heard
of the Thirty-day Retreat run by the Jesuits, I asked myself a lot of questions
on the purpose of having such a long programme of prayer. Besides, the thought
of observing silence for thirty-days is something I hardly thought I could
manage because I had struggled on several occasions to observe silence during a
weekend retreat or an eight days retreat. By the way, I said to myself: “What kind
of people leads these retreats and is it necessary for me to undergo such kind
of a spiritual experience?” However, there was also a kind of openness to the
experience and my curiosity about what the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises were
about made me look forward to the experience.
The
retreat was to take place between the months of May and June and before it
begun, I met my Director who helped me with basic information on how to prepare
for it. Instructions such as: No phone, no computer or extra-bookwere given as
what I needed for the retreat was going to be provided. Getting into the
retreat itself, I realized that the preparations were a great help to me. In
the first week, I meditated on God’s creative love and delved into a deeper
knowledge and understanding of my sinfulness and limitations. I reflected on
the unjust structures of the world and had a sense of desolation. However, I found
peace and joy in Jesus Christ and by participating in the daily celebration of
the Eucharist and both private and group adoration.
I
also had time for discernment on God’s will for my life and the Exercises
provided excellent material for identifying God’s will and the will of the evil
one. Spending time in prayer and meditation characterized by listening, I
became open to God’s direction in my life and asked for renewed zeal in my
journey of faith. In the third and fourth weeks, I contemplated on the passion,
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The moments of contemplation on the
passion of Christ triggered a sense of deep sorrow within me. As I reflected on
his death, I swayed a bit and thought about the death of my father and that of
some of my relatives and friends whom I loved. This led me into praying and
walking the Stations of the Cross. In the evening of that day, I prayed the
glorious mysteries of the Lord and that brought relief and consolation to me. As
I contemplated on the resurrection of the Lord, I was filled with joy that
Christ defeated death and in him I have life forever.
Of
interest to the resurrection event was my participation in the Emmaus journey,
discussing with the other two disciples and listening to Jesus who was explaining
the word to us. Having him around the table and recognizing him in the breaking
of the bread left me with a renewed experience and look at the meaning and
power of the Eucharist. Just as the disciples went to tell the others that they
had seen the lord and had recognized him in the breaking of the bread, I too
felt obliged to tell others about my experience with the Lord.
1.6 Conclusion
In this paper, I
have tried to summarize the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius. However, I have to admit that a lot still
remains to be covered as the material is rich and profound in the spiritual
growth of people. The Exercises leads one to discover the things that prevents
children of God from enjoying the freedom that God has given us and they
provide clarity on the discernment of spirits. In my case, attending the 30
days retreat helped me to have a personal experience of the Exercises and I can
say that they have helped me to live a life grounded in God and has left me
with a constant desire to serve God and others.
Bibliography
FLEMING,
D.L. The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius: A Literal Translation and a
Contemporary Reading. St. Louis: The
Institute of Jesuit Sources 1978.
HARTER,
M ed. Heats on Fire: Praying with Jesuits. Chicago: Loyola
Press 1993.
MAUSOLFE, A.J.M. – MAUSOLFE, J.K. Saint Companions for Each
Day. Bombay: St. Paul Society 1986.
[1]
Cf: A.J.M. MAUSOLFE
– J.K. MAUSOLF. Saint Companions for Each Day, 277-279.
[2]
Cf: D.L. FLEMING,
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius, 5.
[3]
Cf: M. HARTER, Hearts on Fire, xviii.
[4]
Cf: D.L. FLEMING,
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius, 21.
[5]
Cf: D.L. FLEMING,
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint
Ignatius, 22.
[6]
Cf: M. HARTER, Hearts on Fire, 1-2.
[7]
Cf: M. HARTER, Hearts on Fire, 59-60.
[8]
Cf: M. HARTER, Hearts on Fire, 105-106.
[9]
Cf: M. HARTER, Hearts on Fire,
139-140.
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