Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way

The Sources Behind and Influences on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, Part One

My intention is to do a variety of posts on this blogsite. Some of them are about spiritual formation ideas that are Ignatian in origin. Others are more theological, pondering the biblical and theological themes that are woven throughout Ignatius and the Jesuits. And from time to time, some of them will be historical.

For the next two weeks, I want to explain the "main sources" that influenced Ignatius and which shaped the Spiritual Exercises. This will also include a little biography of Ignatius during the time of his early spiritual formation.

Many… many years ago when I was doing my first seminary degree with a focus on New Testament studies, I had the privilege of studying under some truly great scholars and exits of the New Testament. Gordon Fee, Ramsey Michaels, and David Scholer were three of my professors who often emphasized the importance of understanding the "context" in which a text was written, as necessary for understanding the "text."

I have found this to be true for understanding the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. The first time I was introduced to the Exercises in a 19th Annotated Retreat, it was an "a-contextual" experience. In other words, I was introduced to the text of the exercises but with almost NO explanation of their background, the milieu out of which they arose, the situations that gave birth to them, or the organizational context in which they were used.

So this post, and the next, are exploring "some of" the contextual background that gave rise to the text of the Spiritual Exercises. In this post, I'll describe three influences and add three more next week.

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ONE:

Ignatius, until 1521 and the age of 30, was well on his way in a career as both a military man and a political statesman in the world of Spanish nobility. On May 17, 1521, Ignatius was wounded in battle when a cannonball shattered his leg. The injury forced Ignatius to surrender (his troops were far outnumbered 14-1 by the French army). He received inadequate medical treatment and was carried to the ancestral home of the Loyola, where he would have a slow recovery.

While in recovery, a spiritual transformation began. In large part, this transformation was launched by the reading of two books. Ignatius wanted to read stories of knights and chivalry and romance, but no books were available in the castle of Loyola. The only two books available were on the life of Christ and a collection of stories on the lives of saints.

The Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony (a Carthusian monk) had been translated into Spanish and Ignatius had a four volume edition. Ludolph told the stories of Christ, which were embellished with details by the author. (Picture to the right,)

The second book was, The Golden Legend (in Latin - Flos Sanctorum), written in 1260 by Jacopo de Voragine. (pictured below) 
 

This was a well known and popular "lives of the saints." The title page of this book had a picture of Christ crucified. There was an introduction by the translator of this book and in the introduction are these words:

Whoever reads this book should grasp the crucifix with his right hand and hold it aloft as a royal standard . . . as an emblem which armed the chivalrous hearts of the saints for a courageous conquest of the world, the flesh, and the devil . . ."  (Quoted in Modras, pp. 29)

 

Before his injury, Ignatius had dreamed of personal glory on the battlefield and in the courts of power. His dreams were of military and political conquests. But the reading (and re-reading) of these books began to shape his dreams. Voragine described the saints as "knights of God." Ignatius began to feel his allegiance being transferred to Christ the King… and he began to imagine himself doing great deeds, making great sacrifices, in the service of Christ and the gospel. 

The twin themes of Christ the Lord/King and devoted, saint-like service for Christ weave their way into Ignatius own vision for life and these themes are dominant in the Spiritual Exercises.

But Ignatius began to notice something happening to him as he read these books . . .

TWO:

As he reads and imagines service to Christ he notices there is an interior movements taking place in his heart and soul. He also notices a different kind of inner experience when he would day dream about his old desires for glory and romance and conquest. He notices that the dreams and thoughts about Christ and service for Christ had one kind of inner reality, and the dreams of glory as a knight, love and ruler had a different kind of internal product.

Ignatius has nine months of convalescence where he began what would be a life long practice of paying attention to the inner experiences, reflecting on his inner life (we also like to call it, what is going on "below the waterline") and discerning the meaning of these inner experiences. He learns to discern the connections between what is going on in the world around him and what is going on in the world within him.

This discernment, both of the external world and the inner world of response becomes a hallmark feature of Ignatian spirituality and models and "tools" for learning how to do this are incorporated throughout the Spiritual Exericses. In fact, one way to understand the Spiritual Exercises is that it is itself a tool to discern the Work of God around one and the Work of God within one… and then to make the best choice of response to cooperate with the Work of God.

After his convalescence, Ignatius makes his way to Manresa, planning on staying there for a short time, before making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 

Before he arrives at Manressa, he stops at the Abbey of Montserrat. This is a Benedictine monastery. Ignatius goes there for additional preparation for his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to make a general confession of his sin. He spends two weeks of prayer and reflection, in preparation for his confession. He is provided a book (I'll explain this in the next section) to aid him in preparing for his confession.

He makes his confession, gives away the remnants of his previous life (fine clothing to a beggar) and leavens Monterssat as a "knight of Christ… a new knight of a spiritual order" embarking in the service of his Lord Christ.  (Meissner, pp. 65)

Continuing on to Manressa, he spends ten months there. He lives in a cave as a hermit. (This is not the cave Ignatius used, it is only provided as an illustration of what such caves were like.)
 

He engages in strict, ascetic spiritual practices. He prays for seven hours every day and participates in other hours of prayer, he inflicts austere disciplines upon his body. He does extended fasts, he sleeps little, he exists with minimal comforts, he ignores his physical appearance which use to be a source of vanity. In other words, Ignatius is seeking to mortify the flesh, to crucify the self, to put to death the old ways of Inigo (his true name). He is relentless about confession of sin to the point of fastidious, tediousness.

And the entire time, he is paying attention to his inner world of experiences. During this time he experiences much "desolation." (This is a key Ignatian term, along with consolation, that I'll explain sometime in 2010.)

Ignatius, above all, wants to follow Christ completely. He learns to discern the attachments and hindrances that prevent this, as well as the pathways that make it possible. Ignatius is engaged in what I call a "John the Baptist, preparing the way" work so Christ may be supreme in his life and that Ignatius may respond fully to whatever Christ asks.

It has been said that Ignatian spirituality is profoundly autobiographical. Add to that, the fact that  Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality of self-awareness and God-attentiveness, and you begin to understand the great importance of personal experience that Ignatius had and which he wants to facilitate in others. The Spiritual Exercises are designed to facilitate the experience of God and then the right response to God.

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Since it becomes difficult to read posts that are too long (and this one is plenty long), I'll pick up with some key books that influenced Ignatius next week… and one of those books being - The Imitation of Christ.

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

Dear Lord, Three Things I Pray...

 The musical, Godspell, made the following prayer famous.

O Dear Lord

Three things I pray.

To see thee more clearly.

Love thee more dearly.

Follow thee more nearly.

Day by Day.

Since this is a blogsite devoted to all things Jesuit (for evangelicals) you probably aren't going to be surprised at what I say this next.

This prayer has its origins in Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. Here it is in Ignatius' words:

 104. Third Prelude. This is to ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely. (Ignatius)

The Godspell musical made it a "catchier" chorus/prayer, but nonetheless, its origin is Ignatius' instructions to retreatants on getting ready to contemplate the Incarnation.

  

And at this time of the year, as we celebrate the Word made flesh, God with us, Immanuel - may we all make this our prayer.

Dear Lord, three things I pray…

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

The Daily Examen, Part Eight: A Few Practical Suggestions

Opps, sorry for those of you who already accessed this and found it blank. Here is the content of the post.

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In this final post on the Daily Examen series, I want to briefly answer some practical questions you may have. Before I answer those questions, here are two important thoughts about the Examen.

First - it is above all a Prayer Exercise and then it is an Awareness (or Examination) Exercise. Ignatius wants us to connect intimately with the God who loves us and who is with us. So, even as you are doing the work of examination and awareness, you should do it with the sense of prayerfulness.

Second - it is a pattern that is quite transformative as it is practiced in whole, but it is a fluid, flexible approach to Prayer and Awareness. In other words, you don't have to do every part of the Examen every time. And, you can vary the length of the parts you do as you feel the need. I do suggest that for those who are new to the Examen, that you begin by practicing it as Ignatius presented it. Do the entire Examen to become familiar and then comfortable with it. As time goes on, adapt it as you have the need and the leading of God.

Now, for a few practical matters.

(1)  WHEN should I do the Examen?

Ignatius counseled us in this. Twice a day. Sometime about midday, looking back over the day so far. And then a second time in the evening, perhaps before going to sleep. I have two suggestions on this. The first is that you try using it in the evening, when you can to the retrospective look over your entire day.  But not so late that you are sleepy. The second suggestion is that you find the time of day that works best for you. If you so desire, you can a morning Examen when you look back over the previous day. 

(2)  HOW OFTEN should I do the Examen?

The undeniable fact of life is that we are very busy and time is at a premium. And perhaps it is for that very reason that I encourage you to be a regular practitioner of the Examen.  For most of us, four or five times a week, with a little discipline and planning on our part, is quite possible. As you do this consistently, you will build this discipline into your routines and it will become more habitual and a good part of your daily rhythm.

If you are in a time of stress, challenge, difficulty, crisis or a crossroads time of decision making, I encourage you to do the Daily Examen as often as you can. For, your heart and mind will be preoccupied with your needs and struggles already. So, why not use that time you are already thinking about those things and do so in the context of the Examen.

And, for those who are so busy that you can only do it two or three times a week, here is another suggestion. Do a Weekly Examen at the end of the week. I do a Weekly Examen most weeks, even if I am doing Daily Examens. This Weekly Examen gives me the chance to get a broader perspective of what God is doing in my life.

(3)  HOW LONG does the Examen take?

Ignatius thought that a well disciplined Jesuit could do a very sufficient Examen in about fifteen minutes. The key there is "well disciplined." Ignatius was referring to the Jesuit who had achieved a good state of holiness and self-denial, maturing nicely in their Christian life.

If you are practicing a full Examen, thirty minutes is probably more reasonable to have a good experience of prayer and discernment. If you do parts of an Examen, it can be shorter. 

My Examen's take a little longer because I JOURNAL as a tool of awareness. My journaling is itself a form of prayer. I sometimes write my prayers in my journal. At times I write and then pray and move in and out of these things without even knowing it. But with that said, thirty minutes should be a good amount of time if you are new to the Examen. 

(4)  WHERE can I do the Examen?

If at all possible, the place should be quiet and free from interruptions and distractions, especially for learning the Examen. Another feature of our world is that it is noisy and distracting. Therefore, we have difficulty with focus and attention. The Examen requires both of these.  Christ is asking for your full and loving attention and you want to give it to Him.

I have a little "sacred space" that I use. It is my "prayer chair." I have good lighting and a side table.  Early in the morning (for lector divina and other devotional practices) and late at night for the Examen, the rest of the room is dark and free from visual distractions as well. 

I have also done this in my office, which feels quite different when I do it. I have done it in motel rooms, in conference halls, and a few times I have done it while running. But for me, the quiet sacred space is best for attending to God and His presence and work in my life.

HOWEVER, the Examen, as it is consistently practiced, will have the benefit of helping you learn to Practice the Presence of God in the moment. As Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection was able to do this while he washed dishes, we too can learn to attend to God at any place and any time.

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May the Daily Examen become a part of your Regula of the Spiritual Life and draw you close to the God who loves you.

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

A Benedictine's Jesuit Images (by Joan Chittister)

Here is an article on the Jesuits by Joan Chittister, and if you click on this link it takes you to her website.  

Thanks to my friend Gordon Carpenter for this brief article who gave it to me.

The Daily Examen, Part Seven: Resolution to Amend

 The final part of the Daily Examen, in the words of Ignatius:

The fifth point will be to resolve to amend with the grace of God. Close with an Our Father.   (Exercises #43, 5)

This is the look ahead to tomorrow... and how tomorrow can be different with the insights learned today. 

This is the "course correction" impulse of the Examen. 
This is the alignment process of the Examen.

We ask for what we desire for tomorrow. We ask for strength, for grace, for humility, for whatever we need in light of what we have discerned. We ask for courage, wisdom, love, for whatever we need so we may do the missional work of engaging the world in the name of Christ.

 Some of the genius of the Ignatian Way is that it is Contemplation, Reflection, Prayer and Discernment all is the service of Missional Service and Engagement. The Examen is not simply a self-focused time of prayer and discernment. It is a time to discover the Presence and Work of God leading us into the world for the purpose of "helping all."

So the Examen ends looking forward and looking outward and doing this with expectation.

I usually do not take very long in this final movement of the Examen. And I often do this with a deep sense of gratitude that I have tomorrow as another gift from God. I desire to make the most of that gift, that day, that opportunity... and always, for the greater glory of God.

And Ignatius counsels that we close with Our Father, who art in heaven . . .

 So now you have the entire Examen as I practice it in light of the guidance of those who have practiced it much longer than I. 

I encourage you to practice the Examen for the next 30 days and try to do it at least four of five times a week. Journal your experiences if that is helpful for you. 

Next week I will conclude this series on the Examen by talking about a few practical details.

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

p.s.  Tomorow is an extra post for the week. it is a link to a very short reflection by Joan Chittister on why she likes the Jesuits.  (Thanks for this link to one of my spiritual companions, Gordon.)

The Daily Examen, Part Six: Asking Forgiveness

Ignatius says it very simply:
  
"The fourth point will be to ask pardon of God our Lord for my faults." (#43, 4)

The  Daily Examen, if it has been rightly practiced, has led you into awareness and discernment of the Presence and Work of God in your life, as well as your inner responses to  God.

The Examen has enabled us to see our inadequacies, the wrong things we have done, the good things we have left undone. We are aware of our inner "disorders" and our "inordinate attachments." The Scriptures and the Exercises name all this as sin. We experience sorrow about our sin and also longing for God to be with us.
 

The natural response to this awareness of disorder is to ask forgiveness and to receive healing from the God who loves us.

We ask for forgiveness with great expectation, for we ask forgiveness of the Prodigal (lavish) God who loves and longs for us, who accepts and pardons us, who heals and restores us. (Luke 15:11-32)

We ask forgiveness of a Gracious God who has instructed us to forgive others 77 times (or 70 x 7 times). The God who counsels us to forgive in this way, does so, because He forgives us in this way. (Matthew 18:21-22).

We ask forgiveness of the Christ who prayed, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do" as He hung on the cross for our sins. (Luke 23:34)

So we ask with full expectancy of receiving forgiveness, freedom and healing.

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 Your Daily Examen is almost over, just one more final part to this.

This week, practice the Examen several times, going through all the parts that have been described for you.

Pay attention to your experience of God as you do this.

Blessings and joy,

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

30 Days on Retreat With the Exercises of St. Ignatius (Paul Mariani)

 Today, Black Friday, was spent (mainly) indoors, sitting at my favorite reading chair, curled up with some new friends (books). Much of the day I had by myself, so there was solitude and silence.

I had decided to read:  Thirty Days on Retreat With the Exercises of St. Ignatius by Paul Mariani.

It was a delightful time... a moving time... a wistful time...

I would recommend this short book as a good read for anyone who would like to have a view of what a 30 day retreat is like for one who does the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius.

For me, it was especially moving, I think for several reasons.

One, I went to seminary on the North Shore of Boston and was familiar with much of the area that he described. The Jesuit Retreat Center he was at was Gonzaga Retreat House near Gloucester. Many old, good memories were stirred as I read this book.

Two, I have done the Spiritual Exercises, only in the form of the 19th Annotated Retreat, but still, am very familiar with them. It was a treat to listen in to the daily journey and experience of one Making the Exercises. My own experiences were woven in to the story as he described his time.

Three, I have read other Memoirs of those who have done the  Exercises and told the their story. It is a genre of reading that is rich and spiritually formative, and more so with each memoir read.

As I finished with the last pages of his story, I had a sense of sadness and longing... one which he expressed in these words:

 

And did we not brush up against some Mystery together here? Did we not speak here as the angels speak, in a language beyond words? Did we not hear God singing to us? What can compare to that, really? We walked about talking and exchanging addresses, and the room with laughter. A laughter laced perhaps with sadness, knowing the this time will not come again...

How I shall miss the stately presence of my fellow pilgrims here. Already they're scattering to the wind, some to catch trains and planes, others in cars, ready to move on to whatever lies ahead. It all changes, doesn't it? Like the sea that keep crashing in, as it will when other pilgrims replace us, and others in time replace them...

So I knew I had been with a writer who managed to create a bond of fellowship between us . . . he my author and I his reader. And I felt the same sadness with the goodbyes... and a longing for more.

I felt a little like I did with the ending of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when I first read it in 8th grade. I cried when it was over. It could not be over. The Fellowship had to endure forever...

And later, years later, I slowly came to know that the Fellowship does endure. It stretches down through time, pilgrim after pilgrim, traveler following traveler, a Hall of Fame growing, a Cloud of Witnesses expanding. And one day I too will join them across the ocean.

Until then, there is much love, much learning, much service, much joyful obedience and a dark valley that is ours to experience. 

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

The Daily Examen, Part Five: The Review of the Day

Finding God is All Things was a core theme for Ignatius. His belief was that God is always at work and to be found in the events and experiences of the day (John 5:17).

God is at work in our day and in its events as well. Our experience is that for most of us most of the time, we are too busy, our environment is too noisy and we are distracted. Silence is scarce. Focus is difficult. Awareness and discernment are at a premium.

So . . . instead of finding God in all things, we miss His Work and His Presence. We therefore the opportunity for constant course correction to be aligned with His Work.

Enter the Daily Examen...

For Ignatius, the Daily Examen was a way to find God, to pay attention to HIs activity and then to keep in step with the leading of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:25).  To be sure, Ignatius had many additional tools to offer those wishing to grow in their ability to discern God's leading, but the Examen is at the heart of his way.

I have been a practitioner of the Examen for many years. This sustained practice eventually led me into another experience. As time (the years) went by and my skills in awareness and discernment grew, I began to experience what Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection called - The Practice of the Presence of God.

I no longer had to wait until the end of the day Examen to discover God's Presence and Work, I began to notice it "in the moment." I was able to make course adjustments "on the spot" due to that awareness. However, I still do the Examen and find it a valuable spiritual pathway.

The part of the Examen I am describing today is what is known as the review of the day and it is at the heart of the Examen.

When I first began to do the Examen in 1999 (and I was in very rough spiritual shape) I would do it late at night. I would get out my journal and begin to make a list of all that had happened to me that day. Events, situations, encounters, conversations, activities, AND my inner emotional engagements with all those things. Sometimes I had a list of 35 or 30 "items" on my list.

Then I would begin to reflect on many of those items, walking through them in sequence. I would think through what happened, how did I respond, how did I feel, why did I feel that. I was using the events of the day to go deep below the water line of my life. As I did this day after day, as you can guess, I began to notice patterns of interior issues. At that time, there was a lot of darkness. My inner world was messy and mysterious and frankly - confusing. It took a lot of time to sort it out.  But the Examen was the tool by which that exploration took place.

NOTE:  I wish I were an artist and could illustrate my day, that would be beautiful. I had to be satisfied with writing about it.)

Today, now about ten years later, I no longer write down that many experiences of a particular day. I am now more selective and usually can list, with just a little thought, the more significant things I should pay attention to.

Here is the list I made last night of some important events of my day (Thursday).  [Note - I wrote this post Friday morning and set it to publish on Sunday.]

(1)    My Spiritual Friendship group, which was a simply profound time of three of us engaging in this spiritual discipline. God showed up, insights were beautiful, God's work was wonderful.  Lots of details and things to follow up on (and in my journal I did just that).
 

(2)    A strategic meeting with a global worker about future partnerships.   (God - what are you inviting us into?) We need discernment.
 

(3)    A long email which took me about an hour to compose and rewrite, and edit. It was about an extremely important partnership and it had loads of implications. I didn't send it. I felt I should sit on it longer. That night I processed - what is going on?
 

(4)    Working on a proposal for another leader about an opportunity.  (great stuff... again, how are you leading in this?)
 

(5)    A phone conversation with a person who is hurting.
 

(6)    A few hours of being with a good number of people who are a part of a mid-size community which I lead. As a community, we volunteered to do a lot of the work in preparing and serving a Thanksgiving Dinner for an inner city sister church.  Wow... lots of smaller experiences during that time. What was I feeling? What was going on?
 

(7)    A few minutes with the Leading Edge team and its trainers and participants.  I had strong feelings of consolation and joy as I was with them.
 

(8)    And then to finish the day, two hours with an extraordinary group of missional leaders who have gathered for a conference... hearing three plenary sessions.

This is what I wrote down in my journal. Then I began to reflect, pray and explore these experiences and their meaning... and above all - where is God and what is He up to in and through these experiences. 

In the moment I was also paying attention to God's work, but at the end of the day, in my Examen, I had more focused time to attend to these things and to wonder about the patterns weaving through them. I found some things that I did not see "in the moments" as they were happening.

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For many years, the Examen was the primary pathway for me to discover and move further in to God's Presence and Work.

Now, it is an Enhancement pathway. I do not practice it with the frequency I once did. In part, that is due to the fact that much of my day is a living Examen. 

Still, I find it useful (often) to do a more focused end of day Examen. Sometimes I will do an end of week Examen. 

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For this week, I recommend that you mainly practice this review. Do a very brief walk through of the previous parts of the Examen... enough to become centered and ready, but give this part the majority of your time. I recommend that you journal this process. Journaling is not required, but it sure is helpful for focused attention. Writing both focuses the attention and it slows the thinking. It creates space for the Spirit of God to imprint your mind and heart.

Write down ten or twenty or as many as is useful items from your day.

After you have your list, look them over and do an initial selection of which ones seem most important and most worthy of reflection.

Now, start to reflect. I use a set of questions to launch this reflection. Use these questions, or ones similar.

  

God what were you doing as this ____________ was taking place?

God what were you saying to me about __________ but I missed it in the moment?

God what did you want me to do about _________ but I missed it in the moment?

God what do you want me to see and hear now about ________________ ?

God what do you want me to learn and to do about ____________ ?

These questions are not always directly and obviously answered. On the other hand, you will be pleasantly surprised at the spiritual insights you begin to discover as you ask them.

Ask... listen.. reflect... write... pray... wait... and continue to move in and out of those things.

Grace and Discernment...

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

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