Jesuit Spirituality
Finding God in all things,
Listening with a discerning heart,
Choosing to live for the greater glory of God.
Introduction
Spirituality is hard to define. It has to
do with the "style" or the "spirit" of our life--with the way in which we
live out our faith in God: our way of being religious. Richard McBrien has
written: to be "spiritual" means to know, and to live according to the
knowledge, that there is more to life than meets the eye. To be "spiritual"
means, beyond that, to know, and to live according to the knowledge, that
God is present to us in grace as the principle of personal, interpersonal,
social and even cosmic transformation. To be "open to the Spirit" is to
accept explicitly who we are and who we are called to become, and to direct
our lives accordingly. (Catholicism. Winston Press: Minneapolis, Minn.
1980.1057.) Each of the great religious families in the Church, like the
Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans, has a distinctive way of following
the Risen Christ and responding to the Holy Spirit. This pamphlet is
designed to introduce you to Jesuit spirituality, to give you a sense of its
contours or distinguishing characteristics. A written description, however,
can only go so far. The best way to come to know Jesuit spirituality is to
incorporate some of its principles and prayer into your daily life, and to
talk with Jesuits and other people who live by the spirituality of St.
Ignatius. To help you get started, the following pages offer some
suggestions for prayer and reflection which will give you a feel for our way
of following Jesus. Refer to these pages often in the weeks and months
ahead. Developing some habits of regular prayer and reflection are essential
for someone considering a vocation to religious life.
St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises
If you have read the pamphlet on the life
of our founder, St. Ignatius Loyola, you already know the significance of
the time stretching from his convalescence after his injury in the battle of
Pamplona, up to his months of prayer in the cave at Manresa on the other
side of Spain. During these months, Ignatius noticed how God led him to pay
attention to the diverse "voices" inside of him--to the movements of
consolation and desolation in his heart and spirit. Furthermore, he
gradually learned to discern the sources of these desires, thoughts and
movements of the heart and spirit: which of them came from God and which of
them drew him away from God--and, perhaps most importantly, which of them he
should act upon. Throughout this time, Ignatius learned how important it is
to look for God in the stuff of his everyday experience; he learned that God
was shaping and forming him to be a companion of Jesus. The fruit of these
months of prayer and reflection is contained in his Spiritual Exercises. If
there is any genius to the Society of Jesus, it lies in this little treatise
on prayer written over 450 years ago. The method of prayer outlined in that
book helps each Jesuit to follow Jesus and seek God's will in any
circumstances, from the most mundane day of teaching, administrating or
writing, to a particularly trying experience of walking with people
experiencing grave suffering or social injustice.
Jesuit Spirituality
Following the example of St. Ignatius,
Jesuit life centers on the imitation of Jesus--focusing on those priorities
which constitute Christ's mind, heart, values, priorities and loves. (This
section adapted from Howard Gray, S.J.) What are those values, priorities
and loves? Ignatius would encourage us to consider what Jesus said and did.
At the foundation of Jesus' life was prayer, a continuous search for how
best to live as an authentic human being before a loving God. Jesus preached
forgiveness of sins, healed the sick and possessed, and gave hope to the
poor, to those socially and economically outcast. Jesus spoke of joy, peace,
justice and love; he summoned men and women from all classes of society to
continue to follow his way to God and his commitment to helping people
become whole and holy.
The Society of Jesus attempts to incorporate
these same gospel values into all its works. Jesuits stress the need to take
time to reflect and to pray, in order to find out how God wants us to serve
in all our ministries. This active commitment to seeking God's leadership is
called discernment. As Jesuits, the overriding characteristic we see in
Jesus is loving obedience, an open-hearted desire to find and to pursue how
God wants other men and women to be forgiven, to be free, to utilize all
their talents and opportunities in ways which build up this world as a place
where faith, justice, peace and love can flourish. This kind of spirituality
is incarnational. It views the world as a place where Christ walked, talked
and embraced people. It views the world, therefore, as a place of grace, a
place of being able to give life to others.
At the same time, Ignatian spirituality is realistic. The world Christ faced
was also a world of cruelty, injustice and the abuse of power and authority.
Consequently, Jesuit spirituality affirms our human potential but also is
dedicated to the ongoing, day-in-day-out struggle between good and evil. No
one apostolic work exhausts how good can be done; therefore, Jesuits do all
kinds of work. The Jesuit norm is: to find where God will best be served and
where people will best be helped.
What Is Spiritual Direction?
A spiritual director is a person with
whom we can talk about our experience of God, both in prayer and in the rest
of our daily life. It is never easy to talk about what is most personal to
us--who and how we love, where we have struggled or been hurt in our lives,
our deepest hopes, fears and dreams, our relationship with God--but the
results of such conversations are tremendous. With the help of our spiritual
director, we will become more conscious of how truly active God is in our
life and how we might better cooperate with God's gift of grace.
Who can profit from spiritual direction? Anyone sincerely committed to
praying regularly and willing to share that experience in confidence with
another believer experienced in these matters. Spiritual direction can be
especially helpful for those embarking on a life of serious prayer for the
first time and for those considering fundamental vocational questions. The
frequency of meetings varies, but usually a person meets with a director at
least once a month.
Some Prayers
These are some suggestions for prayer which could help us to grow in
intimacy with God and to experience Jesuit spirituality. St. Ignatius
believed that he received a gift from God that not only enriched his own
Christian life but was meant to be shared with others. The gift was a
"method," a way to seek and find God in all things and to gain the freedom
to let God's will be done on earth. This way of praying allowed Ignatius to
discover the voice of God within his own heart and to experience a growth in
familiarity with God's will. Jesuits call this prayer their daily examen
of consciousness.
1. Examen of Consciousness
Through the steps below we can experience this "method" of growing in a
sense of self and the source of self. We can grow more sensitive to our own
spirit--its longings, its powers, its Source; and we will develop an
openness to receive the supports God offers.
"Love consists in a mutual sharing." (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius)
"Lord, lover of life, your imperishable Spirit is in all." (Wisdom)
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Recall we are in the presence of God.
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No matter where we are, hilltop or valley, country or city, in a crowd or alone, we are a creature in the midst of creation. The Creator who called us forth is concerned for us. The Spirit of God, sent by Christ, will remind us that we are gifted to help bring creation to its fullness, to restore it to the Creator's way. Ask the Holy Spirit to let us look on all we see with love. "Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way;...it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right...Love hopes all things."(1 Cor.)
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Give thanks to God for favors received.
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Pause and spend a moment looking at this day's gifts. Be concrete! Recall the taste of jam on toast, the fragrance of a flower, the smile brought forth by a kind word, an act of patience that gave someone ease. Take stock of what we received and gave. Notice these clues that guide living.
Now look at our more permanent gifts that allow our participation in this day. Recall our particular strengths in times of difficulty, our ability to hope in times of weakness, our sense of humor and your life of faith, our intelligence and health, our family and friends. God the Father gives these to us to draw us into the fullness of life. The Father sent the Son, Jesus, to assure us that God's kingdom is being established. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain us as we receive and bring life to others.
Pause in Thanksgiving. -
Ask for awareness of the Holy Spirit's aid.
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Before we explore the mystery of the human heart, ask to receive the Holy Spirit so that we can look upon our actions and motives with honesty and patience. "When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit inspires us to see with growing freedom the development of our life story. The Spirit gives a fredom to look upon ourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth. "Love hopes all things."
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Now examine how we are living this day.
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Recalling the events of our day, explore the context of our actions. Review the day, hour by hour, searching for the internal events of our life. Look through the hours to see our interaction with what was before us. Ask what we were involved in and whom we were with, and review our hopes and hesitations. Many situations will show that our heart was divided--wavering between helping and disregarding, scoffing and encouraging, listening and ignoring, rebuking and forgiving, speaking and silence, neglecting and thanking. See the opportunities for faith, hope and charity and how we responded. What moved us to act the way we did?
Notice where we acted freely--picking a particular course of action from the possibilities we saw. See where we now sense we were swept along without freedom. This "method" is to give us habits of freedom. What habits helped or hindered us?
See where Christ entered our decisions and where we might have paused to receive His influence. "Test yourselves," St. Paul urges, "to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Jesus Christ is in you." (2 Cor.) His influence comes through His people, the Body of Christ. His influence comes through Scripture, the Word of God. Now, as we pray, Christ's spirit will help us know His presence and concern. As we daily and prayerfully explore the mystery of ourself in the midst of our actions we will grow more familiar with our spirit. We will come to know that Christ is with us. Christ will continually invite us to love our neighbor as ourself and strengthen us to do this. -
Pray words of reconciliation and resolve.
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"The Word of God is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance. See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster...Choose life," speaks the prophet. (Deut.18) Now, having reviewed this day of our life, look upon ourself with compassion and see our need for God and try to realize God's manifestation of concern for us. Express sorrow for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times we resisted God's light today. Give thanks for grace, the enlightening presence of God, and especially praise God for the times we responded in ways that allowed us to better see God's life. In these acts of sorrow and gratitude we grow in knowledge of God's gentle labor for us. "As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in mine." (Jer.18:6)
A Final Reflection
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Growth in friendship and intimacy needs time and constant attention. Try to give 10 to 15 minutes daily to this examination.
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Cover all five points daily with a freedom to linger more at one point than another, as the Spirit moves us.
Notice how we grow in appreciation for the variety of vocations--marriage, priesthood, religious life--among the people of God. -
Pray that all hear God's call and respond generously to their vocation. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth..."
2. The First Principle and Foundation
The goal of our life is to live with God forever.
God who loves us, gave us life.
Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into us without limit.
All the things in this world are gifts from God, presented to us so that we
can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.
As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they
help us develop as loving persons.
But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God
and so hinder our growth toward our goal.
In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of
these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some
obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or
poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to
our life in God.
Our only desire and our one choice should be this:
I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God's life in me.
(St. Ignatius as paraphrased by David l. Fleming, S.J. from the beginning
of the Spiritual Exercises.)
3. St. Ignatius' Prayer for Generosity
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
4. Take, Lord and Receive
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my
entire will. All I have and call my own.
Whatever I have or hold, you have given to me.
I restore it all to you and surrender it wholly to be governed under your
will.
Give me only your love and grace and I am rich enough and ask for nothing
more.
(St. Ignatius, from the end of the Spiritual Exercises.)
5. The Prayer of a First Jesuit
With great devotion and new depth of feeling, I hope and beg,
O God, that it finally be given to me to be the servant and minister of Christ the consoler,
the minister of Christ the redeemer, the minister of Christ the
healer, the liberator, the enricher, the strengthener.
To be able through you to help many--
to console, liberate and give them courage;
to bring them light not only for their spirit
but also for their bodies, and bring as well other helps to the soul and
body of each and every one of my neighbors.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Blessed Peter Faber, S.J., from his Memoriale)
6. Teach Me To Listen
Teach me to listen, O God, to those nearest me, my family, my friends, my
co-workers.
Help me to be aware that no matter what words I hear, the message is,
"Accept the person I am. Listen to me."
Teach me to listen, my caring God, to those far from me-- the whisper of the
hopeless,
the plea of the forgotten, the cry of the anguished.
Teach me to listen, O God my Mother, to myself. Help me to be less afraid to
trust the voice inside--
in the deepest part of me.
Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, for your voice-- in business and in
boredom, in certainty and in doubt,
in noise and in silence.
Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen.
-Adapted by John Veltri, S.J.
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