Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way

The Ignatian Way by Charles Healey, S.J.

For those who want a very nice, short, easy to read, but yet full of substance introduction to the Jesuits, I highly recommend this little book by Charles Healey, S.J.

The Ignatian Way: Key Aspects of Jesuit Spirituality.

I have read a number of introductions to Ignatius and the Jesuits. The BEST one is quite long and is The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything, but that will take a longer time to work through, even though it too is very readable.

In The Ignatian Way, Healey gives a nice biographic introduction to Ignatius. He covers the Spiritual Exercises, giving the big picture of what the Exercises are about. He talks about the themes of prayer and discernment - for ultimately, the Exercises are all about prayer and discerning the ways of Christ for one's life.

He also gives a nice explanation of the Constitutions, which are other vital documents that define the Jesuit life and mission. Very few people read these and yet, they are a fleshing out of the life intended in the Exercises. He calls attention to the requirements for those who would be the Superior General and final authority for the Jesuit society. The set of qualifications needed for leading the Jesuits is simply - beautiful.

There is a very nice summary of the core essence of Jesuit spirituality, as well as some of the contemporary issues the Jesuits are facing.

And the final pages are brief bios of about 20 significant Jesuits. Just short snapshots of who they were and what they did.

If you want an introduction to Ignatius and the Jesuits . . .

Or if you want a reminder of their essence . . .

I highly recommend The Ignatian Way.

Brian K. Rice  
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Changing Your "Regula" From Time to Time

If you are unfamiliar with the word - "regula" it is the Latin word for rule. Not a rule in the sense of a law or principle, but rule in terms of a "pattern." However, when a pattern becomes a normative way, then it also takes on the status of a law.

The idea of regula comes from the Rule of Benedict, which was both the pattern and the law that was established for the way the Benedictine monks would practice spirituality and their life together.

Benedict Giving the Rule to Monks

This idea of regula can be borrowed and adapted for individuals. As you begin to build a collection of spiritual practices, along with a consistent way of using those practices, you are designing your personal regula.

I have a well designed and faithfully followed regula of spirituality. It works well for me. It is the pathway by which I move into the presence of Christ and a mature salvation. I practice it consistently.

But from time to time, some variety is needed in one's regula. Just like in physical fitness conditioning/exercising, the same pattern can become monotonous (by the way, this was a problem that the monastic orders had to deal with).

The same practices can also become less productive. In the realm of physical fitness, trainers know that from time to time, routines must be changed. Muscle confusion from changing routines is a fundamental principle of fitness training.

I think, something similar, should be done in spiritual exercising. Spiritual Muscle Confusion. So, from time to time, I intentionally change my spiritual exercise regula, shift some spiritual practices around, set some aside and pick up others . . . change the routine a bit (or a lot).

A few weeks ago, I did a significant change and I have really liked this change. I'm not sure how long I will keep doing these additional practices, but for now, they have been very generative for my journey.

First, every week, I read in the novels of Susan Howatch that are a part of her Starbridge series. These novels are about the Anglican church, spiritual formation, the deadly sins - especially in the lives of pastors, directors, etc., and spiritual direction. I have found them deeply moving and launching of reflection and prayer.  (Glittering Images was the first novel in that series.)
 

Second, I am doing a "medium wide" reading through spiritual classics and rummaging for nuggets useful for lectio divina. My normal lectio divina practice is to read a very short passage and sit with it. But I am interested in more wider reading in the spiritual classics. So, for example, right now I read 4 or 5 of the letters of Fenelon a day. In that amount of material, I find many stepping stones for reflection. I am selective and may work with half dozen of them. I journal and pray according to those thoughts.

Third, I am using a devotional book called For All the Saints. In the past, I used this, reading the texts for a day and working with those texts. Now, once a week, I take the prayer texts for the entire week, read them, notice what language and ideas move me. I use those words to shape my own prayer. I'll spend quite a bit of time in prayer that day, praying in directions and about themes that would not normally suggest themselves to me.

This change in my regula has been invigorating. I still do other things that I have done for a long time, but I have eased off in the frequency of some of those things, and am giving time to these changes.

The idea is simply to pay attention to what you are doing in spiritual formation and from time to time, considering some new things.

Blessings, grace and wisdom as you keep in step with the Spirit's leading on your formation.

Brian K. Rice  
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

What Does Love Look Like (A Spiritual Exercise)

For this post, I'd like to give you a spiritual formation Exercise to do. You will need some time for this Exercise. So you may not be able to do it now, but you can skim this post and see what is involved.

Lectio divina is a way of paying attention to the Voice of Christ by listening carefully to sacred texts (above all the Scriptures, but also to other devotional literature).

Visio-divina is a way of paying attention to the leading of the Spirit through reflection on images. Since I am a visual processor, I often use images as a source for reflection and prayer. I think the first person I ever heard use this language is the Creative Arts Director at LWCC (DeAnn Roe).

Audio-divina would be using the auditory sense and use music as a part of the discerning experience.

And you can combine all of these. Here is a video by Misty Edwards of her worship song - Arms Wide Open. It is over nine minutes. But you can use that time to center on Christ, to reflect on the core theme which is repeated often, to pray, to listen. If you have not used this kind of resource as a pathway for spiritual formation, give it a try and see what the experience is like. If you do, drop a comment on what the experience was like.

By the way, don't be alarmed by the first images that are on this, as she asks - "what does love look like?"

 

 

Brian K. Rice  
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typeapd.com