Some Criticisms of the Exercises

It is not unexpected that the Spiritual Exercises have their critics. Nothing is perfect. Nothing is equally satisfying and meaningful to every person. Everything has its weaknesses, its biases, its deficiencies... and the Exercises are no different.

In this post, I'll briefly discuss some of the main criticisms that have been made of the Ignatian Exercises and how I assess those weaknesses.

Note: I debated whether to post this or not. It is not written quite as I would like, but time is short and I didn't have time to edit it. -bkr-

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Male-centric nature.

I'm intrigued with this criticism... for several reasons.

First - because the Jesuits were a male monastic/apostolic order within Roman Catholicism. These Spiritual Exercises were written for the male Jesuits to use in their formation and preparation. So, of course, it would be natural for them to have a male-centric flavor.

Second - because this flavor is really quite minimal. Very early and then growing rapidly, the Jesuits became spiritual directors and provided direction to many woman, using the same Spiritual Exercises they had been trained in. The woman directees benefited greatly, word spread, and more women came for the same direction. When I did the Exercises, the group consisted of 60% women and 40% men. There were more women directors to guide the retreatants than male directors.

Third - because there is a lack of approaches and models for male spirituality that actually appeal to men. My consistent experience has been that women are more interested in the relational, contemplative practices then are men. Many of these practices "feel" feminine to many men. I believe that Jesuit spirituality has a male-centric flavor to it because it is interwoven with the Jesuit orgniazation and mission, whereas Ignatian spirituality is generic, and probably appeals to women more than men. When I did the 19th Annotated Retreat, the only men in the program were clergy. There wasn't a single lay "man" in the program. Even if the Exercises did appeal to men, far from that being a criticism, it would be a bonus.

(Note: I am developing a version of the Exercises that weaves in additional leadership development exercises and missional themes alongside the spiritual formation, that I hope, will make it more attractive to men.)

Militaristic flavor.
There is certainly a flavor of the militaristic in the Exercises. This is the age of the Crusades to free Jerusalem from Islamic control. This is the age of knights, both secular and sacred. It is the context for Ignatius' life. One of Ignatius' first careers was that of a soldier. Ignatius had great dreams of doing noble deeds in the service of his king/prince. When he was wounded in battle and unable to continue in the life of a soldier, he was captivated by two books - one a Life of the Saints and the other, the Gospels of Christ. Ignatius transferred his loyalty to Christ his King and devoted his life to heroic deeds (in the manner of the saints) on behalf of Christ.

Ignatius understands life and ministry in this world involves the contest of two standards and two powers that are in conflict. The good spirit and the bad spirit are at war. The Exercises highlight this battle and seek to equip the retreatant to fight this spiritual warfare. To discern the enemy, to resist and to choose the standard of Christ.

Is this wrong? Is this a bad image? Or more to the point - is it unbiblical? I think the idea is substantially biblical. Ignatius has correctly identified a significant theme in the Scriptures, which perhaps, our culture today undervalues. We are in a battle. Powers and principalities are opposed to Christ. Internal sin dynamics and fallen social systems are strong enemies of the Kingdom of Christ. The Exercises are designed to help one align her/himself with Christ and then to extend the Kingdom of Christ further in a hostile world.

And concerning actual warfare, Ignatius was a man of great peace, kindness and love toward others. The very mission of the Society of Jesus was to "help souls." The Jesuits were pacifists who abhorred the violence of the Conquistadores in the New World. The military language of the Exercises reminds one of the Apostle Paul's words, "We do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). To which Ignatius would say,I suspect, A-men.

So again, I just don't see this as a substantial criticism.

Catholic theology.
Certainly there is some Catholic theology in the Exercises, for Ignatius was Catholic. In my experience and assessment, it is not essential to his Exercises. When I did the 19th Annotated Retreat, at several points where my evangelical theology diverged from the Catholic theology of Ignatius, it was quite simple for me to substitute my theology and continue on with the exercises. My Jesuit director

Ignatius is concerned with the distinction between mortal and venial sins.
Ignatius encourages prayers to Mary the mother of Jesus.
There are references to the saints.

But to be honest, there isn't much more than this that would be unsuitable for evangelicals... and it is all easily circumnavigated.

In my opinion, if one eliminated only a few phrases from the Spiritual Exercises, it would be difficult to even label it as "Catholic." It is easily transferrable to the world of evangelicals.

Too structured.
Hmmm... Yes and no. If you are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator, one of the poles measured is how structured or unstructured one is. Planned or spontaneous. Sequential or sporadic. There are legitimate personality differences and therefore, legitimate differences in spiritual approaches.

There is certainly structure to the Exercises. They are organized sequentially in the progression of the Four Weeks. Retreatants move through those Four Weeks in order. They are structured in that Ignatius prescribes specific exercises and when they are to be done during the day. There is system and order in the Exercises.

There is also a great deal of flexibility in which exercises a retreatant may do, and a trained spiritual director will discern what the needs of the retreatant are, and give guidance accordingly. I would describe the Exercises as a framework of structure with considerable flexibility within that structure.

Admission: I am a High J on the MBTI, which means I like structure. So that is my bias as I write these words. With that said, here is what we do know about excellence. For excellence in any field, lots of time and hard work are needed, but that is not enough. That time and hard work need the structure of incrementally and progressively more challenging assignments that are difficult, but not impossible. Add to that kind of structure, a good teacher/mentor who will assess progress, provide feedback and suggest course corrections - you have the formula for achieving high levels of competence, if not excellence.

Structure is vital.

For most of us, one of the great problems of our spiritual lives is that we lack structure. We are all over the place. Haphazard, meandering, digressing, inconsistent, uneven - these are the words that describe how we have done the spiritual journey. Our problem is not too much structure, but too little. This is one more benefit/bonus of the Exercises. They do provide structure. It is not stifling. It is freeing. Which is one of the grand goals of the Exercises, that the retreatant may become a free person.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com