The Ignatian Charism

The Roman Catholics refer to the "charism of the founding father" (or mother) of a religious order.

By this they are talking about the essential DNA of the founder that is imprinted on the order/organization they founded. It is the heart of the founder, it is the distinctiveness of the order, it is the core qualities that characterize an order.

For the Franciscans, the charism would be the simplicity of Francis, his service to the poor and his love of nature. If you Google images of Francis, most of them have birds and other animals surrounding him.

For the Dominicans, the charism involves their love of study and teaching.

For the Benedictines, it is their gift of hospitality to all and their well ordered life together as it is described in The Rule of St. Benedict, especially including their hours of prayer. (St. Benedict to the left.)

The Trappists, (of which Thomas Merton is, perhaps, the most famous) have the most rigorous code of silence and solitude. The are an extremely austere order.

This "charism" of the founding father is not restricted to the Roman Catholic orders. It can be found anywhere.

For the Wesley brothers, it was their passion for holiness, their focus on the lower class population and their house structure for meetings. (John Wesley to the right)

For William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, it would be their holistic ministry of gospel and social service to the poorest of the poor.

Rick Warren/Saddleback - seeker sensitivity and the purpose driven life.

Bill Hybels/Willow Creek - seeker targeted ministry, excellence, leadership.

And on it goes.

The founders are men and women of leadership, passion, vision, values, defining methodologies… and all of this is the original "charism" that is imprinted on the organization they launch.

There is an Ignatian Charism as well that flows through the Jesuit organization. I would define that spiritual DNA, that essential ethos as including the following things.

1. The Spiritual Exercises as a way of spiritual formation. This Exercises are a way of encountering Christ through prayer and reflection and then responding to Christ.

2. Contemplation in Action. In other words an active spirituality.

3. Finding God in All Things. An incarnational approach to spirituality. God can be found anywhere and everywhere, in all aspects of life. There are no dualisms in Ignatian spirituality.

4. Missional spirituality. Ignatius had a passion to "help souls" and the spirituality he developed was a spirituality that would energize and sustain a missional service to the world.

5. Spiritual friendship together with others in the wey of missional service.

6. Living very free from all inordinate attachments. The only thing that truly matters is the greater glory of God and therefore, the follower of Ignatius must find the inner freedom that enables him or her to let go of anything that hinders them.

7. A way of discernment. Ignatius developed one of the most substantial ways of discernment ever mapped out.

8. Finally, I would probably add the general organizational life as it is defined in the Constitutions (but that is a broad statement that includes many of the above ideas).

All this became the Ignatian "way of proceeding."

I have blogged about several of these core qualities that are a part of the Ignatian charism and I will be blogging about others in the weeks ahead.

It is this original charism, that has been sustained and developed through the centuries that is extremely attractive to me. There is so much that I am interested in and which defines who I am and how LCI does things.

Leadership

Spirituality

Pedagogy and life long learning

Culture and mission

Friendship

I find help and guidance in all this from the Ignatian "charism" and "way of proceeding." These are not individual aspects of life, but in the Ignatian Way, they are intricately connected to one another and merge together.

Let me say it this way. The Ignatian Way is a way of holistic, developmental processes… something that the evangelical world has not been as good at doing. I have devoted about the last 20 years of my life trying to design this kind of developmental process.

Which is why I am an evangelical on the Ignatian way of proceeding.

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