The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
128
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
128eBook
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486173511 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 09/11/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 635,538 |
| File size: | 691 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
By Thomas Corbishley
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1963 Thomas Corbishley, S.J.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-17351-1
CHAPTER 1
21. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
FOR THE OVERCOMING OF SELF AND THE REGULATION OF ONE'S LIFE ON THE BASIS OF A DECISION ARRIVED AT WITHOUT ANY UNREGULATED MOTIVE
PREMISE
22. So that both the retreat-giver and the retreatant may get help and benefit, it is to be premised that every good Christian will be more inclined to put a good construction on another's statement than to fault it. If he is unable to find a good interpretation, he should ask what he means. If his meaning is unorthodox, the other should put him right, in a spirit of love. If this is not enough, let him use all the means proper to get the proposition rightly interpreted.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
23. Man has been created to praise, reverence and serve our Lord God, thereby saving his soul.
Everything else on earth has been created for man's sake, to help him to achieve the purpose for which he has been created.
So it follows that man has to use them as far as they help and abstain from them where they hinder his purpose.
Therefore we need to train ourselves to be impartial in our attitude towards all created reality, provided we are at liberty to do so, that is to say it is not forbidden. So that, as far as we are concerned, we do not set our hearts on good health as against bad health, prosperity as against poverty, a good reputation as against a bad one, a long life as against a short one, and so on.
The one thing we desire, the one thing we choose is what is more likely to achieve the purpose of our creating.
A DAILY PARTICULAR EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
INVOLVING THREE OCCASIONS AND A TWICE-REPEATED SELF-EXAMINATION
24. The first occasion is the moment of getting up in the morning. One should then resolve to watch carefully so as not to commit the particular sin or fault which one has decided to correct.
25. The second is after the midday meal, when one asks of our Lord God what one wants, the grace to recall how often one has fallen into that particular sin or fault and to amend for the future. So the first examination is made by exacting from one's conscience an account dealing with the particular fault it is proposed to correct, running over each hour or period of time, beginning from the moment of getting up until this present examination. An entry is made on the first line of the double line G [see p. 24], consisting of as many dots as there have been lapses into the particular sin or fault; then a fresh resolution is made to do better until the next examination is made.
26. The third occasion is after supper, when the second examination is made, going in the same way over the hours, beginning from the first examination until this second one and entering on the second line of the figure G as many dots as there have been lapses into the particular sin or fault.
27. Four additional practices are here given, for the quicker eradication of that particular sin or fault.
(1) Every time one falls into that particular sin or fault, the hand is laid on the breast in token of sorrow for the fall. This can be done even in company without its being noticed.
28. (2) As the first line of the figure G represents the first examination and the second one the second, it can be seen at night whether there has been any improvement between the two lines, i.e. between the two examinations.
29. (3) The second day should be compared with the first, that is, the two examinations of the present day with the previous day's, so as to see whether there has been any improvement from one day to the next.
30. (4) One week should be compared with the previous one, to see if there has been any improvement between the two.
31.Note. The first (capital) G in the following diagram stands for Sunday, the second (small) g for Monday, the third for Tuesday and so on.
A GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
FOR SELF-PURIFICATION AND FOR MAKING A BETTER CONFESSION
32. I assume that my thoughts are of three sorts, one my own, arising of my own free choice, the other two coming from outside, one from the good spirit, the other from the bad spirit.
THOUGHT
33. There are two ways of gaining merit from an evil thought which comes from outside me. For example, the thought occurs to me to commit a mortal sin, I resist it promptly and it is completely defeated.
34. The second way is when the same thought of committing a mortal sin occurs to me, and, though I resist it, it recurs again and again: I go on resisting until it is finally defeated. This second way gains more merit than the first.
35. A venial sin is committed when the same thought of sinning mortally occurs to me, and I listen to it, dwelling on it for some time or experiencing some sensual pleasure or showing some negligence in repelling it.
36. There are two ways of committing mortal sin. The first is when a man consents to the evil thought, with the idea of putting his consent into immediate effect, or intending so to act if he could.
37. The second way of sinning mortally is actually performing the sinful act. This is graver than the former sin for three reasons: (a) because more time is involved, (b) because of the greater intensity of consent, (c) because of the greater harm done to both parties.
WORD
38. No one may swear, either by the Creator or by a creature, unless truth, necessity and reverence all enter in. By necessity I mean not the swearing to any truth at all, but only when it is of some importance for the good of soul or body or for one's material advantage. By reverence I mean the attitude of a man who, calling on his Creator and Lord, duly bears in mind the honour and respect owing to Him.
39. It is to be noted that whilst an unnecessary oath is more sinful when we swear by the Creator than by a creature, yet it is more difficult to swear fittingly—that is with truth, necessity and reverence—by a creature than by the Creator, for these three reasons:
(1) When we decide to call some creature to witness an oath, the very fact that we are swearing by a creature makes us less careful and scrupulous about telling the truth, or about the necessity of such affirmation, than when we choose to call on the name of the Lord and Creator of the universe.
(2) When we swear by the creature it is harder to show reverence and respect for the Creator than when we actually call upon the Creator and Lord Himself to witness our oath: for the very decision to invoke the name of our Lord God involves more reverence and respect than choosing to name a created object. Hence, those who are perfect may more easily be allowed to swear by the creature than those who are less perfect. Those who are perfect, through constant reflection and because of the illumination of their minds, are more capable of realizing, meditating on and contemplating the fact of God's being in every creature by essence, presence and power. So, when swearing by a creature, they are more able and more prepared to show respect and reverence to the Creator than those who are less perfect.
(3) Through constant swearing by creatures there is more danger of idolatry on the part of those who are imperfect than of those who are perfect.
40. "Do not speak a thoughtless word" means, I take it, that what I am saying is no good either to myself or anyone else, nor is it intended to be. So it is never thoughtless to say what does good or is at least meant to be of advantage either to one's soul or body or estate, or to some one else's. Sometimes, even to speak of matters that do not belong to one's state of life is not thoughtless speaking, as when a religious speaks of wars or business. In all speech, there is merit in what is directed to a good purpose, sin in what is not so directed, and in thoughtless words.
41. Nothing should be said to take away another's character or for mere gossip. If I disclose a mortal sin not publicly known, I commit a mortal sin: if a venial sin, I commit a venial sin; if a fault, I show my own fault. Granted a right intention, there are two cases in which I may speak of another's sin or fault: (a) when the sin is public, as in the case of a known prostitute or of a sentence passed in open court or of some widespread fallacy affecting the minds of those I have to deal with; (b) when a sin not generally known is disclosed to one who may be able to help the sinner to overcome it, so long as there are good reasons for thinking that he may be helpful.
ACTION
42. Taking as our subject-matter the Ten Commandments, the Commandments of the Church and practices approved by Superiors, any action contrary to one of these divisions is a greater or smaller sin according to the gravity of the matter. By practices approved of by Superiors I mean such things as bullœ cruciatœ and other indulgences, such as those granted to the faithful who have been to confession and communion "for the peace of the Church". For it is no light sin to be the cause of others acting contrary to such approved practices or to act so oneself.
METHOD OF MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE IN FIVE STAGES
43. (1) Give thanks to our Lord God for favours received.
(2) Ask for grace to know and to root out your sins.
(3) Demand of your conscience an hourly or periodic account, beginning with the moment of getting up until this examination, first as to thoughts, then words and then actions, in the way described in the Particular Examination.
(4) Ask pardon of our Lord God for these faults.
(5) Resolve, with the grace of God, to do better. An Our Father.
GENERAL CONFESSION AND HOLY COMMUNION
44. There are many advantages to be gained by spontaneously making a general confession during a retreat. These are the three chief ones:
(1) Whilst it is true that anyone who confesses every year is not bound to make a general confession, yet if he does he gains a greater benefit and more merit on account of the greater contrition he then experiences, as he thinks of the sins and iniquities of his whole life.
(2) During a retreat he has a more intimate appreciation of the wickedness of his sins than he had when he did not apply his mind in the same way to his spiritual life. By now getting greater knowledge of and sorrow for them, he will get more benefit and merit than he could have obtained previously.
(3) Having thus made a more effective confession and being in better dispositions, he will be more adequately prepared and in a worthier frame of mind for receiving the most holy Eucharist. Receiving it will not only help him to keep out of sin but will also enable him to retain that increased grace which he has obtained.
The best time for making the general confession is immediately after the first week.
FIRST WEEK
FIRST EXERCISE
THE TRIPLE SIN
45. A MEDITATION, using the three faculties, on the first, second and third sin: it contains a preparatory prayer and two preliminaries, followed by three headings and a colloquy.
46.Preparatory prayer. Ask our Lord God for the grace to direct my thoughts, activities and deeds to the service and praise of His Divine Majesty.
47.First preliminary. An imaginative representation of the place.
Note. For a visual contemplation or meditation, the picture is an imaginative representation of the physical place where the event to be contemplated occurs. By physical place I mean, e.g., a temple or mountain where Jesus Christ our Lord is, as demanded by the subject-matter. Where the subject-matter is not something visible, as in the present case of sins, the "picture" will be the idea, produced by an effort of the imagination, that my soul is a prisoner in this corruptible body and that my whole self, body and soul, is condemned to live amongst animals on this earth, like someone in a foreign land.
48.Second preliminary. I ask our Lord God for what I want. This prayer must be appropriate to the subject-matter. If I am contemplating the Resurrection, I will pray for a share in Christ's joy; if the Passion, I will ask for suffering, grief and agony, in the company of Christ in agony.
Here my prayer will be that I may feel wholly ashamed of myself, thinking how often I have deserved eternal damnation for my frequent sins, whilst many have been lost for a single sin.
49.Note. Each contemplation or meditation is to be preceded by the preparatory prayer, which is never changed, and the two preliminaries mentioned above, which are to be varied with the subject-matter.
50.First heading. By an effort of my memory, I will recall the first sin, that of the angels; next, I will use my reason to think about it; then my will, striving to remember and think about all this in order to develop in myself a sense of utter shame, as I compare my numerous sins with the angels' one sin: that one sin brought them to Hell: how often have I deserved it for all my sins.
The memory's part is to recall how the angels were created in grace, but refused to make the most of their free-will in honouring and obeying their Creator and Lord: they fell victims to pride, and their state of grace was perverted to one of evil will, as they were plunged from Heaven into Hell.
Using my reason in the same way, I will think about all this in greater detail: by my will I try to evoke the proper sentiments.
51.Second heading. The same is to be done with the sin of Adam and Eve, and my three faculties should be applied. I will recall the long penance they had to do for that sin, the corruption which came upon mankind, with the result that so many went to Hell. The second sin, then, that of our first parents, is to be thought of in memory in this way: Adam was created in the plain of Damascus and placed in the earthly paradise, Eve being formed from his rib. Though forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge, they sinned by eating of it, were clothed in skins and cast out of paradise, to lead a life without that original innocence which they had lost; to the end they endured many hardships for their penance.
The understanding is to be used to think about all this in greater detail, and the will as described above.
52.Third heading. So with the third sin, the individual sin of anyone who has gone to Hell for one mortal sin; and many others, beyond counting, for fewer sins than I have committed. That is to say, I must apply to this third individual sin my memory, by recalling the gravity and monstrous nature of sin committed by man against his Creator and Lord: my understanding, by reflecting how eternal condemnation is a just retribution for a sinful act against infinite goodness: and finally my will, in the way already described.
53.Colloquy. Let me picture Christ our Lord hanging on the Cross before me, and speak to Him in this way: how has He, the Creator, come to be man ? Knowing eternal life, how has He come to this temporal death, this death for my sins ? Then, turning to myself, I will ask: What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What must I do for Christ?
Seeing the state Christ is in, nailed to the Cross, let me dwell on such thoughts as present themselves.
54. The colloquy is really the kind of talk friends have with one another, or perhaps like the way a servant speaks to his master, asking for some kindness or apologising for some failure, or telling him about some matter of business and asking for his advice.
The colloquy ends with an Our Father.
SECOND EXERCISE
MY OWN SINS
55. A MEDITATION on my own sins. After the preparatory prayer and two preliminaries, it has five headings and a colloquy.
Prayer. The same preparatory prayer.
First preliminary. The same picture.
Second preliminary. Asking for what I want. Here a perfect sorrow and intense grief for my sins.
56.First heading. The story of my sins. I will recall to mind all the sins of my life, seeing them year by year or stage by stage. I can help myself in three ways: (1) seeing the locality or the house where I have lived; (2) thinking of my dealings with others; (3) the position I have held.
57.Second heading. I will think over my sins, looking at the ugliness and evil involved in any mortal sin, even if it were not forbidden.
58.Third heading. I will see what I am, making myself less and less important by these comparisons:
(1) What am I compared with the whole human race ?
(2) What is the human race compared with the angels and saints in Heaven?
(3) What is the whole of creation compared with God? What, then, can I, by myself, be?
(4) Let me look at the foulness and ugliness of my body.
(5) Let me see myself as an ulcerous sore running with every horrible and disgusting poison.
59.Fourth heading. I will reflect on the nature and attributes of God against whom I have sinned, contrasting them with their opposites in me—His wisdom with my ignorance, His infinite power with my impotence, His justice with my wickedness, His goodness with my evil will.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola by Thomas Corbishley. Copyright © 1963 Thomas Corbishley, S.J.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Notes
Premise
Fundamental Principle
A Daily Particular Examination of Conscience
A General Examination of Conscience
General Confession and Communion
First Week:
First Exercise: The Triple Sin
Second Exercise: My own Sins
Third Exercise: A Repetition of the First and Second Exercises with Three Colloquies
Fourth Exercise: A Resumption of the Third Exercise
Fifth Exercise: A Meditation on Hell
Additional Practices
Notes
Second Week:
The King
First Day, First Contemplation: The Incarnation
Second Contemplation: The Nativity
Third Contemplation: Repetition
Fourth Contemplation: Repetition
Fifth Contemplation: An Application of the Senses to the First and Second Contemplations
Notes
Second Day and Third Day
Introduction to an Examination of Different States of Life
Fourth Day: Meditation on Two Standards
Three Groups of Men
Fifth Day to Seventh Day
Eighth Day to Twelfth Day
Notes
Three Ways of Subjection
The Making of a Decision
Third Week:
First Contemplation: The Last Supper
Second Contemplation: The Garden
Ntoes
Second Day to Fifth Day
Sixth Day to Seventh Day
Rules for achieving Self-Control in the future with regard to Eating
Fourth Week:
First Contemplation: The Resurrection
Notes
Contemplation for Achieving Love
Three Ways of Praying
Events of the Life of our Lord Christ
Rules for distinguishing between Different Spiritual Influences
Almsgiving
About Scruples
The Mind of the Church