Spiritual Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises (Latin: Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish Catholic priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
[1] They were composed with the intention of helping participants in religious retreats to discern the will of God in their lives, leading to a personal commitment to follow Jesus whatever the cost.
[2]: 98 Their underlying theology has been found agreeable to other Christian denominations who make use of them[3] and also for addressing problems facing society in the 21st century.
[4] The first printed edition of the Spiritual Exercises was published in Latin in 1548, after being given papal approval by Pope Paul III.
[6] Archival work on the authentic text of the Spiritual Exercises was undertaken at the initiative of the 19th century Jesuit Superior General Jan Roothaan, who himself published a translation and notes from the original manuscripts of St. Ignatius.
The culmination of this work was a "critical edition" of the Exercises published by the Jesuit order in 1919, in the Monumenta Historica Societatis Jesu series.
An English translation by Louis J. Puhl, S.J., published in 1951, has been widely used by Jesuits, spiritual directors, retreat leaders, and others in the English-speaking world.
The monks introduced him to the spiritual exercises of Garcias de Cisneros, which were based in large part on the teachings of the Brothers of the Common Life, the promoters of the "devotio moderna".
From Montserrat, he left for Barcelona but took a detour through the town of Manresa, where he eventually remained for several months, continuing his convalescence at a local hospital.
During this time he discovered The Imitation of Christ of Thomas à Kempis, the crown jewel of the "devotio moderna",[9] which however gave little grounding for an apostolic spirituality,[10] an omission Ignatius later tried to supply in his Constitutions with its focus on labor in the Lord's vineyard.
A good spirit can bring love, joy, peace, but also desolation to reveal the evil in one's present life.
However, while discernment can be understood as a mystical path, it is also more prosaically a method of subjective ethical thought, emphasizing the role of one's own mental faculties in deciding right and wrong.
What do I feel, taste and smell?”[18] The purpose of these Exercises is that we might gain the empathy to "follow and imitate more closely our Lord.
"[2]: 109 From this comes the widespread use of the magis concept in Ignatian circles, pursuing spiritual growth and progress rather than sudden transformation.
