This classic translation is now available in an new edition with a foreword by Kevin O'Brien, SJ, and an easier-to-read design. Available in both print and ebook editions. Search for the ASIN "0829451293" to find it!
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius come to life in this book by Louis Puhl. This smoothly and faithfully translated text of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius has been a favorite of Jesuits, spiritual directors, retreatants, and general readers for decades.
This classic translation is now available in an new edition with a foreword by Kevin O'Brien, SJ, and an easier-to-read design. Available in both print and ebook editions. Search for the ASIN "0829451293" to find it!
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius come to life in this book by Louis Puhl. This smoothly and faithfully translated text of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius has been a favorite of Jesuits, spiritual directors, retreatants, and general readers for decades.
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Based on Studies in the Language of the Autograph
240
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Based on Studies in the Language of the Autograph
240eBookFirst Edition (First Edition)
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
This classic translation is now available in an new edition with a foreword by Kevin O'Brien, SJ, and an easier-to-read design. Available in both print and ebook editions. Search for the ASIN "0829451293" to find it!
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius come to life in this book by Louis Puhl. This smoothly and faithfully translated text of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius has been a favorite of Jesuits, spiritual directors, retreatants, and general readers for decades.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780829430783 | 
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Loyola Press | 
| Publication date: | 05/05/2009 | 
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble | 
| Format: | eBook | 
| Pages: | 240 | 
| File size: | 647 KB | 
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years | 
About the Author
St. Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491, one of 13 children of a family of minor nobility in northern Spain. As a young man Ignatius Loyola was inflamed by the ideals of courtly love and knighthood and dreamed of doing great deeds.But in 1521 Ignatius was gravely wounded in a battle with the French. While recuperating, Ignatius Loyola experienced a conversion. Reading the lives of Jesus and the saints made Ignatius happy and aroused desires to do great things. Ignatius realized that these feelings were clues to God’s direction for him.Over the years, Ignatius became expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his insights, prayers, and suggestions in his book The Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on the spiritual life ever written. With a small group of friends, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. Ignatius conceived the Jesuits as “contemplatives in action.” This also describes the many Christians who have been touched by Ignatian spirituality.
Read an Excerpt
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE
MUCH research has been carried on with regard to  the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The volume on the Exercises in the  Monumenta Historica Societatis Jesu1 bears eloquent witness to this. Many years  of study have been devoted to investigating whatever concerns this great work.  If proof of this is desired, the five volumes of the Collection de la  Bibliothèque des Exercices afford ample evidence. In the restored Society of  Jesus the initiator of this work was Father John Roothaan. By his letters, and  by his scholarly translation and commentary on the Exercises, he infused new  life into their study. The work has gone on increasing from his day. At present  we know more about the Exercises than was known shortly after the death of St.  Ignatius. A comparison of a good modern commentary with the Directory would  establish this. I fear, however, that our English translations have not kept  pace with the progress of modern scholarship in this matter.
There is no  dearth of translations into English, all more or less literal.2
Such  translations have the great advantage of enabling one to see almost at a glance  what the original form of expression was. There is less danger, too, in these  translations of interpretation and of substituting the translator’s ideas for  the meaning of the original. Furthermore, emphasis is not so easily shifted to  words or phrases in such a way that the meaning is changed.
But these  translations also labor under great difficulties, and this seems to be  especially true of the Exercises. In this case, a literal translation often  fails to render the true meaning, and at times has no meaning at all. The most  dangerous source of error is the use of an English word, similar to the Spanish  and derived from the same Latin root. Thus determinar is translated as  “determine,” and affectión as “affection.” Even if these English words represent  the meaning of similar words in modern Spanish, this may not be true of the  language of St. Ignatius. As a result, this practice has been the source of many  errors. Words of Latin origin are simply transferred to the translation. Thus  the words “annotation,” “composition,” “election,” “deliberation,” “deliberate,”  and others are used, though their meaning does not correspond to the sense in  the Spanish original. The consequence is that a terminology is developed which  is not readily understood except by those who are familiar with the  Exercises.
The sentence structure and the limping Spanish used by St.  Ignatius present even greater difficulties. The modern Spanish sentence is very  different from the English sentence, and this is even more true of  sixteenth-century Spanish. It is above all true of the Spanish of a Basque  nobleman who had only the elements of an education when he wrote his book, and  used an acquired language with little knowledge of its literary form. If the  long, loosely knit sentences of the Spanish original are retained in English,  they make reading and understanding difficult, and turn people from the use and  study of the Exercises.
One of the chief difficulties in translation is the  constantly recurring participial construction. It is vague and not very clear in  the original, and becomes impossible in English. It may stand for almost any  kind of clause or phrase. To find the correct, corresponding English form means  interpretation by considering the meaning in the context and in the opinion of  the best commentators. Even in modern Spanish, finite forms must be substituted  for the constantly recurring gerunds used by St. Ignatius. Frequently sentences  must be broken up, and phrases must be made independent sentences. The result  may appear a very free version, while as a matter of fact it is merely  translating clearly and accurately into English.
The aim of this translation  is to represent as nearly as possible, idea with idea, Spanish idiom with  corresponding English idiom, Spanish sentence structure with English sentence  structure, and the quaint forms of the original with the forms common at  present.
Every effort has been made to add nothing and to omit nothing. Idiom  may demand frequent omission of connectives where English understands them;  accuracy may demand two words to explain one or a circumlocution where no  convenient word is available; clearness may demand substituting an equivalent  saying or figure for the Spanish where it would not be understood in English.  But all these things are required for a correct translation.
The intention is  to produce a clear, idiomatic, and readable translation. It is not possible to  make a literary translation of a book that is really a set of directions. But by  breaking up the long sentences, and by getting away from the Spanish idiom, it  is possible to have a translation that can easily be read and understood. Many  translations make such difficult reading that those who should be constantly  using the book are deterred from doing so.
The text used for the translation  is the convenient and accurate Spanish-Latin text, published by Marietti, Turin,  1928, and edited by the author of the critical edition in the volume on the  Exercises in the Monumenta Historica Societatis Jesu. This edition has  convenient marginal numbers for every section, which the editor hopes to make  official by inserting in a revision of the critical edition. They prove very  useful for cross reference and for gathering material on the Exercises.
Great  help has been derived from the excellent German translation of Father Alfred  Feder.3 Since the German language does not use words of Latin origin, the  translator does not fall into the error of choosing a word which is similar to  the Spanish and derived from the same root, but totally different in meaning.  Furthermore, Father Feder has used the latest studies to make his translation  accurate.
Another great help was the scholarly edition of the Exercises in  Spanish by Father José Calveras, S.J.4 The discussion in the introduction on the  language of Exercises, and the notes giving the modern Spanish equivalents of  the expressions and constructions of the Exercises were constantly  consulted.
The section on the language of the Exercises, especially the  glossarium in the volume on the Exercises in the Monumenta Historica, also  proved very helpful.
The text has been kept clear of all references, and  notes arranged according to the marginal numbers have been placed in the back.  They are not a commentary, but state the reasons for the translation adopted and  for the form used. Readers long used to Father Roothaan’s version and various  literal translations may be surprised at the apparent difference between the  present text and the traditional renditions. They will find in the notes the  reasons for the change.
All of the standard commentaries have influenced the  translation, but it is not surprising if the influence of Father Jaime Nonell,  S.J., is evident at every turn. For many years his books on the Exercises5 have  been the translator’s constant companions, and have been used by him as their  clearest and most logical interpretation.
In conclusion the translator wishes  to express his thanks for the many valuable suggestions by those who have read  the whole manuscript.
Louis J. Puhl, S.J.
Pontifical College  Josephinum
Worthington, Ohio
1 Monumenta Historica Societatis Jesu,  Monumenta Ignotiana, Series Secunda. Exercitia Spiritualia, Madrid, 1919. 
2  There are three common translations of the text:
Morris, John, Text of the  Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Westminster, Md., 1934; 
Mullen, Elder,  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, New York, 1914; Benedictines of  Stanbrook, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Literally Translated, London,  1928. 
There are three common translations with commentary:
Rickaby,  Joseph, The Spiritual Exercises, Spanish and English, London,  1915;
Longridge, M. H., The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola,  London, 1919; 
Ambruzzi, Aloysius, The Spiritual Exercises of  St.
Ignatius, Mangalore, 1931.
3 Des Heiligen Ignatius von Loyola  Geistlichen Uebungen nach dern Spanischen Urtext Uebertragen, 2 Aufl.,  Regensburg, 1922.
4 Calveras, José, S.J., Ejercicios Espirituales, Directorio  y Documentos, Barcelona, 1944.
5 Ars Ignatiana, Barcelona, 1888; Los  Ejercicios en si Mismos y en su Aplicación, Manresa, 1896; Estudio Sobre el  Texto, Manresa, 1916.  The Spiritual Exercises of St. IgnatiusSOUL OF CHRIST, SANCTIFY ME
BODY OF CHRIST, SAVE ME
BLOOD OF CHRIST,  INEBRIATE ME
WATER FROM THE SIDE OF CHRIST, WASH ME
PASSION OF CHRIST,  STRENGTHEN ME
O GOOD JESUS, HEAR ME
WITHIN THY WOUNDS HIDE ME
PERMIT ME  NOT TO BE SEPARATED FROM THEE
FROM THE WICKED FOE DEFEND ME
AT THE HOUR OF  MY DEATH CALL ME
AND BID ME COME TO THEE
THAT WITH THY SAINTS I MAY PRAISE  THEE
FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius1. IHS
INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS
The purpose of these observations is  to provide some understanding of the spiritual exercises which follow and to  serve as a help both for the one who is to give them and for the  exercitant
1. By the term “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of  examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of vocal and mental  prayer, and of other spiritual activities that will be mentioned later. For just  as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and running are bodily exercises, so we  call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid  itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and  finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our  soul.
2. The one who explains to another the method and order of meditating  or contemplating should narrate accurately the facts of the contemplation or  meditation. Let him adhere to the points, and add only a short or summary  explanation. The reason for this is that when one in meditating takes the solid  foundation of facts, and goes over it and reflects on it for himself, he may  find something that makes them a little clearer or better understood. This may  arise either from his own reasoning, or from the grace of God enlightening his  mind. Now this produces greater spiritual relish and fruit than if one in giving  the Exercises had explained and developed the meaning at great length. For it is  not much knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul, but the intimate  understanding and relish of the truth.
3. In all the Spiritual Exercises  which follow, we make use of the acts of the intellect in reasoning, and of the  acts of the will in manifesting our love. How ever, we must observe that when in  acts of the will we address God our Lord or His saints either vocally or  mentally, greater reverence is required on our part than when we use the  intellect in reasoning.
4. Four Weeks are assigned to the Exercises given  below. This corresponds to the four parts into which they are divided, namely:  the first part, which is devoted to the consideration and contemplation of sin;  the second part, which is taken up with the life of Christ our Lord up to Palm  Sunday inclusive; the third part, which treats of the passion of Christ our  Lord; the fourth part, which deals with the Resurrection and Ascension; to this  are appended Three Methods of Prayer.
However, it is not meant that each week  should necessarily consist of seven or eight days. For it may happen that in the  First Week some are slower in attaining what is sought, namely, contrition,  sorrow, and tears for sin. Some, too, may be more diligent than others, and some  more disturbed and tried by different spirits. It may be necessary, therefore,  at times to shorten the Week, and at others to lengthen it. So in our search for  the fruit that is proper to the matter assigned, we may have to do the same in  all the subsequent Weeks. However, the Exercises should be finished in  approximately thirty days.
5. It will be very profitable for the one who is  to go through the Exercises to enter upon them with magnanimity and generosity  toward his Creator and Lord, and to offer Him his entire will and liberty, that  His Divine Majesty may dispose of him and all he possesses according to His most  holy will.
6. When the one who is giving the Exercises perceives that the  exercitant is not affected by any spiritual experiences, such as consolations or  desolations, and that he is not troubled by different spirits, he ought to ply  him with questions about the exercises. He should ask him whether he makes them  at the appointed times, and how he makes them. He should question him about the  Additional Directions, whether he is diligent in the observance of them. He will  demand an account in detail of each one of these points. Consolation and  desolation are treated in # 316–324; the Additional Directions are given in #  73–90.
7. If the director of the Exercises observes that the exercitant is in  desolation and tempted, let him not deal severely and harshly with him, but  gently and kindly. He should encourage and strengthen him for the future by  exposing to him the wiles of the enemy of our human nature, and by getting him  to prepare and dispose himself for the coming consolation.
8. If the one who  is giving the Exercises should perceive from desolations, from the wiles of the  enemy, and from consolations that the exercitant has need of them, he should  explain to him the rules of the First Week and of the Second Week for the  understanding of different spirits, # 313–327, and 328–336.
9. It should be  observed that when the exercitant is engaged in the Exercises of the First Week,  if he is a person unskilled in spiritual things, and if he is tempted grossly  and openly, for example, by bringing before his mind obstacles to his advance in  the service of God our Lord, such as labors, shame, fear for his good name in  the eyes of the world, etc., the one who is giving the Exercises should not  explain to him the rules about different spirits that refer to the Second Week.  For while the rules of the First Week will be very helpful to him, those of the  Second Week will be harmful, since they deal with matter that is too subtle and  advanced for him to understand.
10. When the one who is giving the Exercises  perceives that the exercitant is being assailed and tempted under the appearance  of good, then is the proper time to explain to him the rules of the Second Week,  which we mentioned above. For commonly the enemy of our human nature tempts more  under the appearance of good when one is exercising himself in the illuminative  way. This corresponds to the Exercises of the Second Week. He does not tempt him  so much under the appearance of good when he is exercising himself in the  purgative way, which corresponds to the Exercises of the First Week.
11.  While the exercitant is engaged in the First Week of the Exercises, it will be  helpful if he knows nothing of what is to be done in the Second Week. Rather,  let him labor to attain what he is seeking in the First Week as if he hoped to  find no good in the Second.
12. He who is giving the Exercises must insist  with the exercitant that since he is to spend an hour in each of the five  exercises or contemplations which are made every day, he must always take care  that he is satisfied in the consciousness of having persevered in the exercise  for a full hour. Let him rather exceed an hour than not use the full time. For  the enemy is accustomed to make every effort that the hour to be devoted to a  contemplation, meditation, or prayer should be shortened.
13. We must  remember that during the time of consolation it is easy, and requires only a  slight effort, to continue a whole hour in contemplation, but in time of  desolation it is very difficult to do so. Hence, in order to fight against the  desolation and conquer the temptation, the exercitant must always remain in the  exercise a little more than the full hour. Thus he will accustom himself not  only to resist the enemy, but even to overthrow him.
14. If the one who is  giving the Exercises sees that the exercitant is going on in consolation and in  great fervor, he must admonish him not to be inconsiderate or hasty in making  any promise or vow. The more unstable in character he knows him to be, the more  he should forewarn and admonish him. For though it is right to urge one to enter  the religious state in which he knows that vows of obedience, poverty, and  chastity are taken, and though a good work done under vow is more meritorious  than one done without a vow, nevertheless, it is necessary to consider with  great care the condition and endowments of each individual, and the help or  hindrance one would experience in carrying out his promises.
15. The director  of the Exercises ought not to urge the exercitant more to poverty or any promise  than to the contrary, nor to one state of life or way of living more than to  another. Outside the Exercises, it is true, we may lawfully and meritoriously  urge all who probably have the required fitness to choose continence, virginity,  the religious life, and every form of religious perfection. But while one is  engaged in the Spiritual Exercises, it is more suitable and much better that the  Creator and Lord in person communicate Himself to the devout soul in quest of  the divine will, that He inflame it with His love and praise, and dispose it for  the way in which it could better serve God in the future. Therefore, the  director of the Exercises, as a balance at equilibrium, without leaning to one  side or the other, should permit the Creator to deal directly with the creature,  and the creature directly with his Creator and Lord.
16. Hence, that the  Creator and Lord may work with greater certainty in His creature, if the soul  chance to be inordinately attached or inclined to anything, it is very proper  that it rouse itself by the exertion of all its powers to desire the opposite of  that to which it is wrongly attached. Thus if one’s attachment leads him to seek  and to hold an office or a benefice, not for the honor and glory of God our  Lord, nor for the spiritual welfare of souls, but for his own personal gain and  temporal interests, he should strive to rouse a desire for the contrary. Let him  be insistent in prayer and in his other spiritual exercises in begging God for  the reverse, that is, that he neither seek such office or benefice, nor anything  else, unless the Divine Majesty duly regulate his desires and change his former  attachment. As a result, the reason he wants or retains anything will be solely  the service, honor, and glory of the Divine Majesty.
17. While the one who is  giving the Exercises should not seek to investigate and know the private  thoughts and sins of the exercitant, nevertheless, it will be very helpful if he  is kept faithfully informed about the various disturbances and thoughts caused  by the action of different spirits. This will enable him to propose some  spiritual exercises in accordance with the degree of progress made and suited  and adapted to the needs of a soul disturbed in this way.
18. The Spiritual  Exercises must be adapted to the condition of the one who is to engage in them,  that is, to his age, education, and talent. Thus exercises that he could not  easily bear, or from which he would derive no profit, should not be given to one  with little natural ability or of little physical strength.
Similarly, each  one should be given those exercises that would be more helpful and profitable  according to his willingness to dispose himself for them.
Hence, one who  wishes no further help than some instruction and the attainment of a certain  degree of peace of soul may be given the Particular Examination of Conscience, #  24–31, and after that the General Examination of Conscience, #32–43. Along with  this, let him be given for half an hour each morning the method of prayer on the  Commandments and on the Capital Sins, etc., # 238–248. Weekly confession should  be recommended to him, and if possible, the reception of Holy Communion every  two weeks, or even better, every week if he desires it.
This method is more  appropriate for those who have little natural ability or are illiterate. Let  each of the Commandments be explained to them, and also the Capital Sins, the  use of the five senses, the precepts of the Church, and the Works of  Mercy.
Similarly, if the one giving the Exercises sees that the exercitant  has little aptitude or little physical strength, that he is one from whom little  fruit is to be expected, it is more suitable to give him some of the easier  exercises as a preparation for confession. Then he should be given some ways of  examining his conscience, and directed to confess more frequently than was his  custom before, so as to retain what he has gained.
But let him not go on  further and take up the matter dealing with the Choice of a Way of Life, nor any  other exercises that are outside the First Week. This is especially to be  observed when much better results could be obtained with other persons, and when  there is not sufficient time to take everything.
19. One who is educated or  talented, but engaged in public affairs or necessary business, should take an  hour and a half daily for the Spiritual Exercises.
First, the end for which  man is created should be explained to him, then for half an hour the Particular  Examination of Conscience may be presented, then the General Examination of  Conscience, and the method of confessing and of receiving Holy Communion.
For  three days, let him meditate each morning for an hour on the first, second, and  third sins, # 45–54. For three more days, at the same time, he should take the  meditation on personal sins, # 55–61. Then for three days, at the same hour, he  should meditate on the punishment due to sin, # 65–71. Along with all of these  meditations, he should be given the ten Additional Directions, # 73–89.
In  the mysteries of the life of our Lord, the same order should be observed which  is explained later on at great length in the Exercises themselves.
20. To one  who is more disengaged, and desirous of making as much progress as possible, all  the Spiritual Exercises should be given in the same order in which they follow  below.
Ordinarily, the progress made in the Exercises will be greater, the  more the exercitant withdraws from all friends and acquaintances, and from all  worldly cares. For example, he can leave the house in which he dwelt and choose  another house or room in order to live there in as great privacy as possible, so  that he will be free to go to Mass and Vespers every day without any fear that  his acquaintances will cause any difficulty.
There are many advantages  resulting from this separation, but the following three are the most  important:
First, if in order to serve and praise God our Lord one withdraws  from numerous friends and acquaintances and from many occupations not undertaken  with a pure intention, he gains no little merit before the Divine  Majesty.
Secondly, in this seclusion the mind is not engaged in many things,  but can give its whole attention to one single interest, that is, to the service  of its Creator and its spiritual progress. Thus it is more free to use its  natural powers to seek diligently what it so much desires.
Thirdly, the more  the soul is in solitude and seclusion, the more fit it renders itself to  approach and be united with its Creator and Lord; and the more closely it is  united with Him, the more it disposes itself to receive graces and gifts from  the infinite goodness of its God.
21. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Which have as  their purpose the conquest of self and the regulation of one’s life in such a  way that no decision is made under the influence of any inordinate  attachment
PRESUPPOSITION
22. To assure better cooperation between the one  who is giving the Exercises and the exercitant, and more beneficial results for  both, it is necessary to suppose that every good Christian is more ready to put  a good interpretation on another’s statement than to condemn it as false. If an  orthodox construction cannot be put on a proposition, the one who made it should  be asked how he understands it. If he is in error, he should be corrected with  all kindness. If this does not suffice, all appropriate means should be used to  bring him to a correct interpretation, and so defend the proposition from  error.
23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION
Man is created to praise,  reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his  soul.
 
The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to  help him in attaining the end for which he is created.
Hence, man is to make  use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must  rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him.
Therefore, we  must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed  free choice and are not under any prohibition. Consequently, as far as we are  concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to  dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other  things.
Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end  for which we are created.The Spiritual Exercises of St. IgnatiusFirst Week24. DAILY PARTICULAR EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
There are three different  times of the day and two examinations involved in this practice
First, in the  morning, immediately on rising, one should resolve to guard carefully, against  the particular sin or defect with regard to which he seeks to correct or improve  himself.
25. Secondly, after dinner, he should ask God our Lord for the grace  he desires, that is, to recall how often he has fallen into the particular sin  or defect, and to avoid it for the future.
Then follows the first  examination. He should demand an account of himself with regard to the  particular point which he has resolved to watch in order to correct himself and  improve. Let him go over the single hours or periods from the time he arose to  the hour and moment of the present examination, and in the first line of the  figure given below, make a mark for each time that he has fallen into the  particular sin or defect Then he is to renew his resolution, and strive to amend  during the time till the second examination is to be made.
26. Thirdly, after  supper, he should make a second examination, going over as before each single  hour, commencing with the first examination, and going up to the present one. In  the second line of the figure given below, let him make a mark for each time he  has fallen into the particular fault or sin.
27. FOUR ADDITIONAL  DIRECTIONS
These are to serve as a help to more ready removal of the  particular sin or fault
1. Every time one falls into the particular sin or  fault, let him place his hand upon his breast, and be sorry for having fallen.  He can do this even in the presence of many others without their perceiving what  he is doing.
28. 2. Since the first line of the figure to which G is prefixed  represents the first examination of conscience, and the second one, the second  examination, he should observe at night whether there is an improvement from the  first line to the second, that is, from the first examination to the  second.
29. 3. The second day should be compared with the first, that is, the  two examinations of the present day with the two of the preceding day. Let him  observe if there is an improvement from one day to another.
30. 4. Let him  compare one week with another and observe whether he has improved during the  present week as compared with the preceding.
31. Note
It should be noted  that in the figure below the first G is larger, and signifies Sunday. The second  is smaller, and stands for Monday, the third for Tuesday, the fourth for  Wednesday, and so forth.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
 
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE
The Prayer: Soul of Christ
Introductory  Observations
Title of the Exercises
Presupposition
First Principle and  Foundation
FIRST WEEK
Daily Particular Examination of  Conscience
Additional Directions for Examination of  Conscience
Note
General Examination of  Conscience
Thoughts
Words
Deeds
Method
General Confession and  Communion
First Exercise on the First, Second, and Third Sin
Note on  Colloquies
Second Exercise, A Meditation on Our Sins
Third Exercise, A  Repetition of the First and Second
Fourth Exercise, A Summary of the  Third
Fifth Exercise, A Meditation on Hell (Other  Exercises)
Note
Additional Directions
Penance
Notes
The Kingdom  of Christ
Notes
SECOND WEEK
First Day, First Contemplation, the  Incarnation
First Day, Second Contemplation, the Nativity
First Day, Third  Contemplation, Repetition of the First and Second
First Day, Fourth  Contemplation, Second Repetition
First Day, Fifth Contemplation, Application  of Senses
Notes
Second Day
Note
Third Day
Introduction to the  Consideration of Different States of Life
Fourth Day, A Meditation on Two  Standards
Note
Fourth Day, Three Classes of Men
Note
Fifth  Day
Notes
Sixth to Twelfth Day
Notes
Three Kinds of  Humility
Note
Introduction to Making a Choice of a Way of Life
Matters  About Which a Choice Should Be Made
Note
Three Times When a Correct and  Good Choice May Be Made
Two Ways of Making a Good Choice in the Third  Time
First Way of Making a Good and Correct Choice
Second Way of Making a  Good and Correct Choice
Directions for the Reformation of One’s Life
THIRD  WEEK
First Day, First Contemplation
Note on Colloquies
First Day,  Second Contemplation
Notes
Second to Sixth Day
Note
Rules with  Regard to Eating
FOURTH WEEK
First Contemplation
Notes
Contemplation  to Attain Love of God
Three Methods of Prayer
The First Method of  Prayer
   I. On the Commandments
 II. On the Capital Sins
III. On the  Three Powers of the Soul
IV. On the Five Senses
The Second Method of  Prayer
The Third Method of Prayer
Mysteries of the Life of Our  Lord
VARIOUS RULES
Rules for the Discernment of Spirits
For the First  Week
For the Second Week
Rules for the Distribution of Alms
Some Notes  on Scruples
Rules for Thinking with the Church
NOTES ON THE  TRANSLATION
INDEX