Another Edition of the Spiritual Exercises

One of the early posts I did on this site was a short discussion about some of the versions of the Spiritual Exercises that are available for your use.

To check out that post on the Text of the Spiritual Exercises, click here.

Since that time, I have become aware of another very fine version which I highly recommend. It has the title:

Draw Me Into Your Friendship: The Spiritual Exercises: A Literal Translation and a Contemporary Reading by David L. Fleming, S.J.

Fleming is an outstanding Jesuit scholar and spiritual director.

His book is unique in that it has a literal translation of the Exercises on the left page and on the right is his contemporary "reading" or paraphrase + commentary. So you can read what Ignatius said 500 years ago and you can read an up to date version. It some ways, it reminds me of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible - The Message.

If you go to Amazon, you will find they do not have it available, so they list sellers who are asking a ridiculous price for used books. (Especially in light of the fact on the next line.)

Instead, go to this page on the Institute of Jesuit Sources site.

This should take you to the page called Series IV. If you are not on the page, just click on Series IV which is on the left hand column and it will bring it up. Most of the way down the first page of resources in that section, you will find the book available for $22.95. This is a fourth printing, so I imagine when second hand sellers realize a new printing is available, they may drop the price.

If you are serious about the Exercises, this one is worth having.

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

The Daily Examen, Part Four - Petition and Asking for What You Desire

This is the third step in the Daily Examen as I am presenting it to you. For Ignatius, it is the second step. With this step, we run into a tension. The tension is how to interpret the Examen when Ignatius talks about sin. What does Ignatius mean and how should we practice the Examen?

I'll spend a few minutes talking about this issue. The second half of the post will be on suggestions to practice this part of the Examen.

This tension is easily seen by comparing Ignatius' words and the re-wording offered by Timothy Gallagher in The Examen Prayer (pp. 25).

The Ignatian Text (#43, paragraph 2)
The second point is to ask for grace to know my sins and to rid myself of them.

Gallagher's Suggested Revision
I ask God for an insight and a strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.

Ignatius wants us to have grace so we may discern our sins and be rid of them.

Gallagher omits any reference to sin. The closest he gets to naming sin is later when he describes this part of the Examen wanting to know "all that hinders our freedom for growth in our relationship with God" (which is a legitimate, but very nuanced way of talking about sin).

Here is the issue in brief.

Ignatius actually called the Daily Examen... Method of Making the General Examination of Conscience. Many of the Jesuit spiritual directors believe this wording (as we understand it today) turns the Examen into a moralistic exercise that is concerned with good and evil, what is right and wrong... and what Ignatius really meant was an examination of one's consciousness. In other words, a more general awareness of one's interior world and the presence of God at work in that interior world.

These authors believe the idea of sin is not as useful today, easily misunderstood and capable of legalistic, morally simplistic tendencies. Gallagher (apparently) is one who believes like this. For he reframes this part of the Examen in a "milder, softer, gentler" way.

I think it is helpful to remember the CONTEXT in which the Examen is offered by Ignatius. From Notes #24 - #90, Ignatius talks of sin (First Week), using the strong biblical language to describe it. Ignatius wanted retreatants to clearly see their sin and see their need for God's grace to overcome that sin. The instruction on doing a Daily Examen is Note #43 and it is hard to avoid the fact that for Ignatius, the awareness of sin is significant.

It is possible to simply say that Ignatius lived during a more primitive time when misunderstandings about human psychology were normal. That Ignatius had a worldview that almost mandated his views of sin. And that today we have a healthier and more accurate understanding of the human person.

it is also possible to say that Ignatius had a more robust biblical worldview and that some more modern interpreters are influenced by an alternative worldview.

So - what to do?
Follow the literal guidance of Ignatius?
Or to go with the reframing of his guidance?
We will see this same issue come up later in the Examen.
Ultimately, you will have to choose, but I'll give you a brief explanation of how to do it either way.

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Suggestions for Practicing This Part of the Examen

First, using the literal guidance of Ignatius (which I usually do), I use his exact language and prayerfully ask God for grace to know my sins. I do this because the heart (and my heart) is deceitful, confused, capable of great darkness, quick to justify, blame-shift and rationalize... and my heart will naturally do this. So I need grace to know I am loved, forgiven and secure in God so I may have the courage and will to name my sin and not excuse it, not minimize it, nor hide from it.

I listen, reflect and consider what comes to mind. If there are strong, negative emotions that I have experienced during the day, they usually come to mind quickly. Those emotional experiences are likely to have a "dark side" component and if that is there, sin is usually involved.

Yesterday, I was aware that I had some irritation that was like a constant low-grade fever. It was not overwhelming, but it was persistent and I was aware of it all day. As I moved through this part of the Examen, I immediately sat with this experience and asked God to show me what was going on in my irritation. I moved into a fruitful examination of that irritation, understood the external circumstances that were the occasion of this irritation AND the inner weakness and darkness of my own heart on this matter.

Then I asked for the grace to be free, not just from the irritation, but from the underlying source of that irritation. I asked for the needed grace to respond with trust and joy in the face of that irritation producing external situation as well as the inner sin that interacted with it..

This very process brought an immediate relief to my soul and it was easier to draw near to God in the time that followed. The low-grade fever of irritation has been removed. Now that I am in a greater experience of freedom, I ask for the grace to notice the Presence, Work and Word of God that was with me throughout my day.

This is my desire. To notice God, to attend to God, to be with God in love, worship and obedience. How I ask this, or how I name my desire will vary from day to day.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek . . . (Psalm 27:4)

I will often keep in mind the question Jesus asked of Bartimaeus.

What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10:51)

I consider what I want and then I ask that of Jesus.

For my Evangelical Theology and Spirituality, this is a very grace-filled way to notice and deal with the sins of one's day and to then be ready to notice and seek God.

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Second, using Gallagher's revised approach. I would simply start out, prayerfully asking God for the grace to be able to see what he wants me to see about my day.

William Barry reminds us that desire is what is most important. You do not have to have theological sophistication or advanced skills in spirituality to know what you desire. Get in touch with desire and name that desire to God.

I like to go a bit further than this. I ask God that I will desire what he desires, want what he wants... that my longings would be holy longings.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I do this because C.S. Lewis believes our desires are too weak. They are too earthbound. Too limited. Our desires need lifted up with the "weight of glory." Our desires need strong substance infused in to them from God. So I ask God to renew my desires... to make me a man after his heart.

I ask God to give me a deeper, clearer understanding about His Presence, Work, and Word. Show me His Will and His Way.

I ask for enlightenment and for eyes to see and ears to hear.

I ask for illumination and strength. And then I am ready for the next MAJOR part of the Examen.

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You have already been working on:

the First Step - Awareness and Centering
the Second Step - Gratitude.

Now you should add:

the Third Step - Prayer Desire for Grace / Prayer Desire for Grace to Know My Sin and be Free

Continue to practice your Examen a few times this week doing all three steps.

Next week will be the CENTRAL part of the Examen. It is the most involved and it is the part of the Examen that requires the most time.

Tomorrow I have a short "bonus" post on another very good edition of the Spiritual Exercises.

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

The Daily Examen, Part Three: Gratitude

This is a longer reflection/essay about the place and purpose of Gratitude in the Daily Examen. I begin with a little reflection about the importance of gratitude in my life. Then I talk about gratitude in the Examen, followed with practical guidance on how to practice gratitude.

The Text: (#43)
Ignatius simply says, "The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the favors received."

In Spanish, the word translated "favors" is "beneficios." I am reminded of the Psalm, "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits---" (Psalm 103:2

One of My Core Values is Gratitude:
This was not always so for me. About the time I turned 40 (13 years ago), for the first time, I developed a Core Values list. This was a great process for me. It was a time of self-discovery, out of which came a significant tool to remind me of what I most deeply valued. My Core Values became a guiding "document" for how I would live and serve.

Three years ago, I felt it was time for a revisioning of that Core Values document. Life had changed. I had changed. My ministry had changed... and it seemed appropriate to re-visit this guiding ethos and discern if change was needed in it as well. This too was a spiritually rich process. Most of the original ethos remained unchanged, but two items were dropped, two new ones were added and several of the others rewritten to better express who I was becoming.

One of the new values that was added was the Value of Gratitude.

Perhaps I added this because I knew my personality bent is "the glass is half empty." I am, using the old word from the Greeks, a melancholy by temperament. I see the pain and brokenness of our fallen world, easily. I can quickly become sad and pessimistic in the face of that brokenness.

Perhaps it was because I know my tendencies toward perfectionism. I am rarely satisfied with what I do or accomplish, always believing it can be better. So the restless energy of dissatisfaction is a frequent companion in my life.

Perhaps it was because I have similar high standards and expectations for those around me. I also value things like excellence, hard work, energetic commitment, results, fruitfulness and success. To use the good word, I am passionate about the Kingdom of God. To use the "not so good word," I can be driven about it as well. And when things are not up to my standards or expectations, I can be critical and negative.

Perhaps it is because my own dark side can deteriorate into narcissistic self-absorption with pity and complaining when things are not going my way.

Probably it is all of this and more. I certainly resonate with these words from Dostoyevsky.

If he is not stupid, he is monstrously ungrateful. Phenomenally ungrateful. In fact, I believe the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped.

(Note: I have collected several quotes about gratitude and have included them at the end of this reflection.)

So when I redid my Core Values, I was acutely aware that gratitude and thankfulness, rejoicing and celebration were not a consistent part of my daily experience. And they needed to be my daily experience. So, I uploaded Gratitude into my revised values, knowing this one was only aspirational and not actual, and that a lot of spiritual work was going to be needed for it to become actual and real.

The Daily Examen:
In the Daily Examen, gratitude has a place of prominence. The spiritual practice of the Examen is theologically rooted in a belief that God is the loving God who above all else, freely gives Himself to us along with all other good things. This idea emerges out of passages like:

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will be not also along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights... (James 1:17).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

The reality of a Good, Generous, Gracious God, who freely and abundantly Gives -- is the theological grounding for the experience and practice of Gratitude. (Sorry, I just could not resist a little alliteration.)

To know we are deeply, unconditionally loved and blessed by such a God, and then to live with gratitude, this is not merely a supplemental idea for Ignatius, it is at the heart of the Ignatian Way and the Daily Examen.

From time to time, when I am talking about sin to a group of people, I will ask the question:

Is there a sin that is more fundamental, more foundational, more "original" than the others? Is there a sin from which the others seem to flow? This almost always generates some intense and intriguing conversation. Ignatius would offer these words as his contribution to that discussion:

Ingratitude is one of the things most worthy of detestation before our Creator and Lord... out of all the evils and sins which can be imagined. For it is a failure to recognize the good things, the graces, and the gifts received. As such, it is the cause, beginning, and origin of ALL evils and sins. (Ignatius letter to Simon Rodriguez, March 18, 1542, quoted in The Examen Prayer, page 59.)

Some Recommended Ways to Practice Gratitude in your Daily Examen:
It is time to move to some practical guidance for how to incorporate gratitude as part of your Daily Examen. These are not rules, just "helps" or "guides" for you to work with. You may come up with some of your own preferred ways of engaging in this part of the Examen.

(1) The simplest way to do this is to walk back through your day, consciously aware that all good things you had and received and experienced were the gift of God to you. As you note each one, practice gratitude, feel grateful, say thank-you.

(2) Sometimes I will focus on a particular part of a day that seems to be especially meaningful for me, and I linger on that experience and sit gratefully with it.

(3) A more advanced and challenging practice is to recall the difficulties, struggles, and even the sufferings of the day, and see even these as the occasion for gratitude. Admittedly, this is a "tricky" path to navigate, but an important one for us. It is harder for North Americans because we live in a pleasure seeking, comfort obsessed culture and it is hard for us to experience struggle and difficulty and not complain about it.

To help you think through this issue, you may want to reflect on an extreme case of suffering and the person's attitude toward it, by looking at Job's initial response to his sufferings in Job 1:20-22; 2:9-10. You may also want to look at Acts 5:40-41 where the apostles rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for Christ. Plus, Henri Nouwen's little book - The Wounded Healer gives some wonderful perspective as to the nature of our sufferings.

(4) Sometimes in an Examen, I will focus on a particular issue or theme or situation, and consider it more broadly than the day's actual experience. For example, if I had a conversation with a friend and I am grateful for that conversation, I may expand my reflection to that friendship in general and be grateful in a broader sense. I may expand that to being grateful for many friends, even if I had no specific encounter with those people during the day.

The other day, in my Examen, I was very grateful for a ministry opportunity that I had. That specific experience became the stepping stone for me to reflect on a number of other recent opportunities and I felt gratitude for all of them, gratitude for being called by God, grateful for my vocation. It was very powerful. In addition, that expanded realm of gratitude launched a reflection later as I was reflecting on the leading of God and moved into a time of discernment concerning some future opportunities.

(5) There are some times when my gratitude is launched out of a reflection on a biblical theme. This fall I have been teaching the letter to the Ephesians. I had a very moving time of gratitude as I reflected on "the every spiritual blessings" I/we have received from God through Christ (Ephesians 1:3). I slowly read through the following verses (3-14) which lists some of those spiritual blessings. As I thought about each one, I practiced gratitude.

This is a very useful way to move into a time of gratitude. I will sometimes pause for gratitude when I read and reflect on a characteristic of God, or about the work of God in the world and in my life. Our reflections on Scripture should often initiate the experience of gratitude.

(6) Here is one more that is not exactly associated with the Daily Examen, but which can be done as a separate spiritual exercise. Perhaps you have heard of a Whole Life Confession. This is an exercise in which the individual "walks" through their entire history, paying attention to the sin dynamics that were at work through the years. You are specific in naming sins and sin eruptions in your life. This is for the purpose of sorrow, confession and repentance... and for moving deeper into forgiveness and freedom about your past. There is much more I could say about that practice, but this is not the place.

However, I use that same model and to a Whole Life Gratitude, which is doing the same thing, but identifying every gift, every blessing, every grace you have received through life. It is a wonderful spiritual exercise and it helps you Find God and His gifts in a sweeping survey of your life. It really gives you a new perspective and orientation about God's presence and work in your life.

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Remember, the movement of Gratitude is just one part of the Daily Examen. On most days, I make my through the entire Examen... but not always. There are times when I mainly practice this part of the Examen.

For the week ahead, I recommend that you simply practice this part of the Examen. Practice gratitude. Practice looking back through your day to discover the presence, the work and the gifts of God, and to be thankful for each one.

Next week I will talk about: Desire and Asking for what you Desire.

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

Here are the quotes:

All goods look better when they look like gifts. Chesterton, Saint Francis of Assisi

Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone? Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but parent of all the others. Cicero

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank-you,” that would suffice. Meister Eckhart, German mystic

Sometimes the most grateful pilgrim is the one whose road has been the rockiest. James Martin

If he is not stupid, he is monstrously ungrateful. Phenomenally ungrateful. In fact, I believe the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped. Dostoevsky

One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong is worth a thousand thanks when things go right. John of the Cross

Patient Trust (de Chardin, SJ)

Patient Trust

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability---and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually--let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

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

The Daily Examen, Part Two: Awareness and Centering

I exercise four or five days a week. I have pretty challenging routines of both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. A common mistake many people make is to dive right in to their training routines at the full intensity. Not only is this a mistake, it can be a costly one. For the body is not yet ready for vigorous, demanding exercise. The muscles are not loose or limber for what you are about to do to them.

Instead, you must warm up. Easy jogging causes the blood to begin to flow which warms up the muscles. Stretching helps loosen muscles that are tight. Light weights with slow moving repetitions prepare the muscles for greater demands.

How long a person needs to warm up is entirely personal, but I find that 5-10 minutes are about right for a good time of physical exercise.

I think the spiritual body needs warmed up as well. You aren't going to risk injury to your spirit by not warming up. But, without the warm up, I don't believe you will be as focused and ready for the Ignatian Workout (the title of Tim Muldoon's book, by the way.)

The spiritual warm up prepares your heart, mind and soul by helping you put aside distractions. Your attention is scattered and drawn to many things. You want to gather your attention to refocus it on God's presence. Your mind is naturally wandering (or racing) and you want to slow things down and redirect them in the way God is inviting you to walk.

Awareness and Centering is the first movement in the Daily Examen. Gallagher says, the Examen is "...profoundly relational... before all else we become aware simply of being with the God who is looking upon us."

This awareness is gained when we slow down refocus on the God who is with us and who loves us. There are several ways I use to do this.

ONE that works well for me is the slow repeating of a phrase that I use as a prayer of longing, desire, and invitation. The phrase changes, although I have a few that I use more than others. Most of them are very short and are the words of Scripture. This is not the time to be "wordy." It is a time to (1) feel your own desire for God and (2) to become conscious of the God who is with you. Too many words can be distracting.

Here are some phrases I use. I mainly use one phrase to begin an Examen. Sometimes I may use more than one, but usually, it is just one, repeated several times.

• Come Lord Jesus...
  
• My soul longs for you...
  
• I love you Lord...
  
• I seek your face O Lord...
  
• Here I am Lord...

A SECOND way is to use your imagination. Imagination was a favorite and frequent spiritual exercise that Ignatius recommended. Ignatius wanted the heart engaged with God and he knew the power of the imagination to stir the affections toward God. In this case the imagination focuses on a story or an idea from the Bible that shows relationship.

I have used imagination to recall:

• God walking with Adam and Even in the garden.
  
• Moses standing before the burning bush.
  
• David (the Psalmist King) in the quiet of the night pouring out his heart to God.
  
• Jesus inviting his disciples to come and be with him.
  
• Mary sitting listening to Jesus.
  
• Jesus walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
  

The way of using any of these stories is to imagine God with the person and to sense the longing of the person and to know that God desires to be with them. And then for you to experience that same longing.

A THIRD way is to sit in silence and practice slow breathing. When I do this, I will often use the name Jesus to focus my attention on Christ. I sit in a comfortable chair with good posture. I'll have my hands resting on legs with the palms turned up in the posture of receptivity. Sometimes this is sufficient, and other times I move into the first practice I mentioned.

A FOURTH way is to have a few favorite verses from the Psalms that are about longing and desire for God,or about your need for God. Again, you don't want to be too wordy. This is not a Bible study time, nor even a lectio divina (spiritual reading) time. One or two verses read prayerfully, spoken out loud prayerfully, repeated two or three times... and always with the sense of desire.

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This "entry way" into the Examen does not take very long. If I am very distracted and my mind is racing, it may take a few moments to become quiet interiorly (in the interior of your being). If there are distractions around you, they will intrude, so be sure to practice the Examen in a setting where external distractions are at a minimum.

This entry way is like the front porch or a foyer of a house. You are not meant to stand in the entry way for long. It is just the "way in" to the house. I don't have a watch with me, but I doubt it spend more than 2 or 3 minutes in this first step. Sometimes it takes only a few seconds for my attention and awareness to connect with God.

But this entry way is valuable for getting in touch with desire and longing for God. It is useful for preparing the mind and heart for reflection. It is useful for letting go of the distractions of the day.

This week, you may want to experiment, practicing this first step into the Examen.

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

The Daily Examen, Part One: Introduction

When I first began my exploration of and experience with contemplative spirituality, the Daily Examen was THE discipline at the center of this journey.

I was in pretty rough shape at the time. Burned out. Disillusioned with the ministry. Tired of leadership. Tired of being a bad leader. Frustrated and scared of how little I knew or experienced God. Wondering if God loved me. Doubting that I loved Him.

I learned how to do the Daily Examen from a class I took with John Ackerman (to the right) about ten years ago. John was a deeply spiritual and wonderfully wise and gentle teacher. The slow, halting, inadequate practice of this discipline was my lifeline. Every night, late at night, I would be in my study (sometimes for hours) doing the Examen... reflecting, journaling, praying, crying, seeking...

Through the Examen, I begin to pay attention to what was going on in my external environment, what was going on in my inner world in response to the stuff happening around me, and above all - where was Christ in both external and internal worlds. Attentiveness happened early... awareness took longer... insight was later in coming... transformation tagged along last.

Ten years later, the Examen is still a part of my "Regula."

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Some interpreters of Ignatius believe that the Examen is the central Ignatian spiritual exercise. I think they are right. Ignatius was not the first or only one to use the Examen, but it has come to be so associated with him, that if you do a Google Search, most of the top references have to do with the Ignatian Examen.

Ignatian spirituality has a core belief that God communicates with human beings through their experiences. The experiences of one's day become the "conTEXT" for one to do a "spiritual reading." Daily experience is the place where God is at work (John 5:17) and where Jesus is present (Matthew 28:20) and about which Jesus wants to speak with us (John 14:26).

Presence... Work... Word...

The Jesuits were committed to Finding God in All Things and the practice of the Daily Examen was/is the main spiritual disciplines to do this.

The Daily Examen is one way to receive illumination and enlightenment concerning the Presence, Work and Word of God (Ephesians 1:17-18) in one's life.

As an evangelical, this completely resonates with me. Our tradition is Word centered. We love the Scriptures. We love to study the Bible. We value it enormously as the Word of God, revelation and truth. Through the pages of the Old and New Testament the Person and the Way of God is revealed to us.

I do not think we always know how to engage with the Scriptures in ways that actually connect us with the heart of God and which transform our lives... but that is another post. The point here is, the Bible is the central avenue to walk in our search for knowing God.

Ignatius believed this and that is why Scriptural reflection is so central to the Spiritual Exercises.

In addition to this, Ignatius believed hundreds of years before Henry Blackaby (pictured above, to the right), that God is present with and working through the experiences of every day life. We must learn how to discover God in those experiences. Ignatius also believed that the same God was at work in our hearts and that this work is most clearly discerned as our hearts respond to the events of the day. Provided we have a way to notice this inner and outer work.

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43. Method of Making the General Examination of Conscience
There are five points in this method.

The words above are how Ignatius begins his one page explanation of this method. (By the way, the numbers refer to the paragraph section and not to a page.)

Here is one way (and how I) practice the Examen. I will give you the "steps" or "movements" today and in the weeks to come, take one step each post and explore it a bit more fully. You do not need to wait to begin practicing the Examen until I have presented all the steps. It is worth your while to practice each step and add to it as the weeks go by.

ONE: Awareness and Centering Prayer... this is really the preparation for Examen.

TWO: Gratitude... becoming aware of what you have received during the day that was God's gift to you. And being thankful for those gifts. (This is actually the first step Ignatius gives.)

THREE: Desire or Prayer... asking God for what you deeply desire in terms of your Examen.

FOUR: The Review of the Day... this is at the heart of the Examen and can be practiced in different ways. This is when you walk through your day, remembering both the experiences of the day and your responses to the day (your inner responses and your external responses). And paying attention to where God was at work and speaking but you did not notice "in the moment." (Some teachers of the Examen will recommend that you then pick "one" experience and response and move in to it more deeply.

FIVE: Forgiveness... asking for grace and pardon for the faults discerned and seeking healing concerning those things. (Some teachers of the Examen add more general petitions in to this movement as well.)

SIX: Amending and Anticipating... this is the action step of prayerful commitment to move forward and looking ahead to the next day. How will I live differently by God's grace? What will God's grace have for me in the day to come? (With this, the Ignatian method is ended.)

SEVEN: Some approaches encourage a final moment of rest, contemplation and awareness of how God has been with you in the time of Examen.

If steps two through six are the rooms of the Examen house.
Step one is the front porch entry way.
Step seven is the back porch departure.

More on the Examen in the weeks ahead.

May this week be a time of you Finding God in All Things.

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

A Few Ignatian Nuggets and the Jesuits in Cordoba Argentina

I am writing this while in Argentina teaching... so I don't have time for substantial writing on the Exercises. But here are a few nuggets that I hope will be as meaningful for you as they are for me.

FIRST, an accolade from Ron Hansen, novelist (left).
"I have simply been trying to figure out how to live my life magnificently, as Ignatius did, who sought in all his works and activities, the greater glory of God."

SECOND, an illumination from Howard Gray, S.J. (below)."Ignatian spirituality is at heart a discerning pilgrimage to God guided by three important elements: the reality of Christ, the mission entrusted to the church and human experience."

THIRD, a prayer from Ignatius.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will - all that I have and possess. You, Lord, have given all to me. I now give it back to you, O Lord. All of it is yours. Dispose of it according to your will. Give me love of yourself along with your grace, for that is enough for me.

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I too would like to live magnificently as did Ignatius.

That means, I too,(most likely) must be on a discerning pilgrimage to God guided by the same elements that guided Ignatius.

And it means I need to genuinely pray prayers similar to what Ignatius did.

Cordoba was one of the center's for Jesuit mission. If a future life, if I have the time, I would love to walk some of the Jesuit trails in Latin America. Doing this in Argentina would be nice. For two nights, I was staying one block away from the Jesuit block. The block is literally a city block near the center of Cordoba. It is a church and place of learning and residence for the early Jesuits in Argentina. The next time I am here, I am going to do a proper tour of the place, which now has a museum in it as well. While I was there, I did buy a copy of the Exercises in Spanish.

What was also real interesting is that several of the Protestant leaders that were at the training course are interested in the Jesuits and the Exercises. But, a few who had the book, made the observation that is at the heart of my motivation to produce a useful "manual." They said, they couldn't figure out how to do the Exercises!

I surfed the web looking for good resources I could link for anyone interested in this little tid bit of information. Here is the best I could find.

Lugares Magazine: The Jesuits in Argentina has some basic history, short and easy to read.

A website devoted to Jesuit Stamps from around the world! Who would have ever guessed! But this was really fun since I use to be a stamp collector and you can get a nice little bit of history added in to describe the stamps. This link is one that shows you the Cordoba Block which is also pictured below.

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

Check Back Later in October

I am on a missions trip and probably wont' post until the last Sunday in October.

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

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

The Nature and Purpose of the Spiritual Exercises (Part Four)

This is the fourth part of some reflections on the nature and purpose of the Ignatian Exercises. If you haven't read the previous parts, simply scroll down and read them first.

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TWELVE: A Spirituality of Prayer
When I did the Exercises for the first time, it was stressed over and over that these Exercises are exercises of prayer. Prayer was to be central. My director, over and over asked me about my experiences of prayer as I did the exercises. He was not that interested in me studying the exercises or what I learned about a biblical text. He wanted to know about my experience of God through particular exercises.

The Ignatian Exercises are an experience of prayer and that is both good news and bad news for evangelicals. It is bad news in that we are much more use to the study of the Bible and the rational understanding of the meaning of the text. So this prayer focus is stretching for us. It can be somewhat awkward at first. And that is why it is good news for us also. For our great need is not to find another intellectually oriented technique for study, but to find ways to connect intimately with the Presence, Work and Will of God for us.

(By the way, don't think the Jesuits were not interested in the mind. They were and are. They were some of the most brilliant and learned of scholars their world knew. Their intellectual triumphs are legendary. They produced outstanding theologians and scholars in a wide variety of fields.)

Throughout the Exercises, a retreatant uses Centering Prayers for preparation. I also learned to "ask for what I desire" at the beginning of each exercise. The exercise itself is a time of attentiveness to what God is doing in the biblical story, in the world around you and in your life. This attentiveness, itself, is a form of prayer. Our prayer response to God arises out of our time of noticing.

For example, Week One is the focus on sin. The retreatant is invited into the muck and mire of human existence. This is for the purpose of discovering what is in the depths of one's heart and then moving through "purgative" responses of sorrow, conviction, confession and repentance. This summer I spent about six weeks working through the series of Week One exercises, some right out of the Ignatian Exercises and some others which were my own design. I had many very significant times of prayer arising out of this.

Central to the Exercises is the practice of (at least) twice a day Examens based on the initial spiritual exercise one did. While I had learned how to the Daily Examen prior to doing the Annotated Retreat, my retreat deepened my ability to do the Examen and likewise the benefits I received from them. The Examen has remained a consistent part of my Spiritual Regula over the last decade, and it has led to another wonderful result, and that is the ability to Practice the Presence of God in the Moment. (That will be another post later.)



THIRTEEN: A Missional Spirituality
This aspect of the Exercises is one that totally intrigues and jazzes me. All the other dynamics of the Exercises are alone, make this approach a deeply vital way of spirituality, but this one, for me, makes it exponentially powerful. And I think it is "a" key that made the Jesuits who they were.

What is interesting for me is that I completely missed this idea, going through the Annotated Retreat. I don't know if it was my fault that I missed it... Or, if this is one of the features that nuances the difference between an Ignatian spirituality and a Jesuit spirituality. (I'll come back to this idea at the end of this point.)

Bear with me for just a moment as I take you on a brief "monastic" detour.

While there are many Catholic monastic orders, let me show you a simple way to see the differences between the Benedictines, the Franciscans and the Jesuits (by the way, I am interested in all three of these societies and study them, and seek to emulate their best practices).

Benedict created a monastic order that was a cloistered order, living behind the "walls" of a monastery. Benedict developed his Rule, which carefully governed the life of the Benedictine monk. The hours of the day were mapped out with specific responsibilities. And central to the mapping of the day was the practice of the eight canonical hours. This just means, the monks would gather together for community (or private) prayer throughout the day. The practice of prayer was central to their community life and many hours were spent in this work of prayer.

In essence, the life of the Benedictine revolved around proximity to their "house" (monastery) and the rhythm of work, study and prayer in that "house."

The Franciscans also had "houses" but they were a missional order at heart. They would spend much of their day outside their house, doing the work of ministry to the poor and needy around them. They were, as you will see, kind of a midway step between the Benedictines and the Jesuits.

The Jesuits have as a "tag line" for their "monastic brand" - "The world is our house." In other words,the Jesuits have no house. They are fundamentally, a missional order, whose house is the world in which they minister. The Jesuits were a dispersed order, sent as missionaries to live and work among the people. Even when it was possible to send several Jesuits to one location, their focus was not on cloistered living, but on work and service in the world.

If the Francis knocked a hole in the wall of the monastery, then Ignatius knocked down the wall. (This is a paraphrase of a statement I read somewhere, but no longer remember its source.)

The Jesuit did not have a "house" in which he spent long hours of prayerful contemplation. In fact, Ignatius severely rebuked some of the early Jesuits who were spending too much time in private prayer, because they were withdrawing from the world and their mission in the world.

Therefore, the Jesuits needed a Missional Spirituality they could practice while they did their work. This has led to several ideas which aptly describe the Jesuits and their approach to spirituality.

Contemplation in Action

Reflection on the Run

The Jesuits were fundamentally activists who developed a spirituality that would shape and nurture all their action. They were not fundamentally contemplatives who then did service to the world in their left over time. I am not saying that one way is right and the other is wrong. I am just pointing out the different monastic ways. And this distinction is pretty important.

This Jesuit approach will have a strong appeal and lasting benefit for those who are highly activist and for whom missional engagement in the world is a passion.

The Jesuits developed a spirituality that empowered them for some of the most fruitful missional activity the world has ever seen. The results they saw were enormous. The fruit they generated was staggering in its depth and breadth. The Jesuits had some of the original BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals, Jim Collins). And they had a spirituality that made it possible.

In another post to come, I will share why I think Ignatian spirituality is well suited for all activists, and especially for men, who tend to be activist in orientation. It is within reach for such individuals to become contemplatives in action, who reflect on the run, and who turn the world upside down.

As I already mentioned, I missed this entirely, when I did the Exercises in the form of the Annotated Retreat. And it may be because Jesuit spirituality, which was designed for the Jesuit Order, which was essentially a missional order, has been adapted and morphed for non-Jesuits. Jesuit spirituality, so morphed, becomes a bit more generic Ignatian spirituality, which uses the spiritual methodologies developed by Ignatius, but outside of the Jesuit context of mission. And to borrow the title of a somewhat recent movie, something is Lost in Translation when this happens.

I didn't make this connection until I began to study the history of the Jesuits and read biographies of Ignatius and the other Jesuits. Then, this principle was simply everywhere. I think this is a much needed corrective to some of the contemplative spirituality today that seems to lack a missional outcome. But, more on this down the road.

FOURTEEN: Indifference and Freedom
I suppose I could go on for many more posts on features of Jesuit spirituality, but I'll do this as the final one...and I'll do this one briefly, for this is a central theme which I'll blog about later.

The Jesuits, like the other monastic orders, had strong learnings toward obedience. The classical vows for most monastic orders were vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. The Jesuits needed to foster a radical obedience in the heart of their members, for they were a highly mobile missional society who needed to "go" at a moments notice.

Ignatius wanted his Jesuits to be so ready to move at a moment's notice, that if they were in the midst of writing a letter, and were given a command, they would stop writing the letter and go. What is striking about this, is that Ignatius did not mean, act in obedience before they even finished their letter. He meant, stop in the very act of writing out a specific "stroke of a letter." Instant, whole-hearted obedience.

The only way such obedience would be possible, such readiness and willingness in place, was if the Jesuit was free from all attachments. And the way to such freedom was to learn "indifference" to all things, save obedience to Christ's will.

This is one of the most troubling of all the features of Jesuit/Ignatian spirituality for me. It is among the most difficult. It is at odds with many other things I believe about leadership and ministry. It creates a tension for me as I help leaders develop personal mission and vision, and as I encourage them to search out the deepest longings of their heart. And then to be highly intentional and strategic about all this. Then Ignatius comes along and tells me that holy indifference and a surrendered will is the way.

Especially since we live in an age where the individual is supreme and God is mainly viewed as a means to an end we desire - this is a substantial theme, essential to Ignatius, that we can overlook. And we do so to our great detriment.

Ignatian spirituality has been described as a Spirituality of Freedom... and it truly is for those who have learned to hold all things loosely.

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Next week, we'll look at some of the main criticisms of Ignatian spirituality.


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