The Spiritual Exercises as a School of Prayer

 

Why are the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius a School of Prayer?

 

First, because Ignatius intends that the creature (myself) be in direct contact with the Creator (God).  That is something fairly unique to Ignatius.  His insistence on the Colloquy, that is, on have the retreatant speak directly to God after each exercise and listen to God as a result of the Exercise, creates an important opening for personal prayer.

Secondly, because Ignatius proposes several methods of prayer which are suited to the individual.  Those methods are described later.

Thirdly, because Ignatius proposes that one use scripture to pray with, thus incorporating the most fundamental Christian documents are the content for prayer.  Such prayer can generate significant insights into scripture which the individual can then apply to him/herself.

Fourthly, because the ways of praying of the Spiritual Exercises can be applied to daily life and so help to enhance one’s spiritual life.

Forms of Ignatian Prayer

Lectio Divina in some ways is the simplest but can be especially important for some of you.  The idea is to read a passage of scripture slowly and carefully, savoring each phrase, letting each image sink into your mind, allowing the words to be addressed to you whether from a prophet or from the Lord, attending to the story, and allowing your mind to call on your previous knowledge to make relations and connections to other scripture or to other things you have learned which are relevant.

The Prayer of Meditation

This is sometimes called discursive prayer.  This is prayer in which you may ask questions and seek answers.  Let’s take the Suscipe, the Take and Receive Prayer of St. Ignatius.

Take, O God, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will, all I have and all I possess.  You have given all to me.  To you, o God, I return it.  All is yours.  Dispose of it as you will.  Give me your love and your grace.  These are all I need.  Amen.

The first question I ask is:  Do I really want to make this whole self offering to God?  Is my trust in God such that I don’t want to hold anything back?  I immediately have to look into myself and see what fears and doubts I find there.  It may be that right now I have to say:  O God I’m too afraid to give myself wholly to you.  Help me to increase my trust in you.

What about the phrase, “You have given all to me”?  Do I believe that with my head only, but in my heart I’m still thinking a lot of what I can think and do is my doing?  If this is so, why am I prone to think this way?

So there are lots of questions which help me get into myself, my beliefs, my attitudes, and my understanding.  As you can see, this is a more difficult and active type of prayer.

The Prayer of Contemplation

The word contemplation has taken many meanings so I want to describe it as we use it.  Ignatian contemplation does not work unless you are willing to be a little playful, to allow your imagination to take over, to believe that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through your imagination, your memories, your associations, and your emotions, and perhaps even more powerfully than through your reasoning.

Ignatius talks about applying the interior senses.  By that he means touching, smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting through the imagination the elements of the Gospel scenes before us.  Contemplation also means entering into the minds of the characters in the scene.  Exploring their mental and emotional strengths and limitations, the closed world of the fishermen, the tawdry world of the Samaritan woman, the fear of the Pharisees, the imperiousness of the Romans, the frustration of Jesus, the apprehension of Mary and her kinfolk for Jesus, the delight of Mary, Martha's sister, at sitting and visiting with Jesus.  Getting into those minds and hearts is what instructs us, what tells us what Jesus is all about.