The Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life

The Spiritual Exercises emerged out of St. Ignatius’ own experience as a person seeking to grow in union with God and to discern God’s will in their life. Journaling was important for St. Ignatius and he kept a record of all the ways in which he was moved; where his feelings were directing him; and ultimately where he felt God was leading him. His spiritual journal shows him gaining insight and deepening his spiritual experience. He added to these notes as he directed other people and discovered what “worked.” Eventually, St. Ignatius gathered these prayers, meditations, reflections, and directives into a carefully designed framework that he called “spiritual exercises.” These exercises are at the source of Ignatian Spirituality. What we call the 19th Annotation was an added note describing a way people could experience these exercises in everyday life, since not everyone could commit to 30 plus days of silent prayer. Here are remarks given recently by Fr. Jerry Hayes, SJ during an introduction to the Spiritual Exercises in everyday life.

The Spiritual Exercises are at the very core of St. Ignatius’ spiritual journey. He spent 30 plus days in a cave examining his life, looking at ways that he can engage with Christ more fully and had a Spiritual Director that he would go see two or three times in those 30 days. In Catalonia, Spain, we walked down from Montserrat, where the spiritual director was, across the valley and along the river, and we came up to the cave. We had been walking for seven and a half hours. So, the commitment that he made to his Spiritual Director was pretty intense. During those 30 days, he jotted down notes feverishly. He called them “exercises” because this type of prayer takes a lot of time and energy. We have rote prayer, and we have liturgies, but this kind of prayer goes deep into the person, and St. Ignatius really understood the human person. You get that sense from the Exercises. The Exercises begin with an understanding of who you are in the world, your place in the world, and how you are sinful: “I am a sinner and yet I have this unconditional love that God gives me,” and that understanding grounds us as we pray daily, using a specific prayer method. 

The Exercises often begin with the daily Examen. This prayer is like taking your pulse. Checking in with yourself to see where you are: what are you feeling, how are you approaching your days, and where is your heart?  The Examen helps us understand how closely connected we are to God. Our spirit is focused and we ask what is God's desire in our lives? Then we go deeper into the Exercises during four periods called weeks.

For a 30-day retreat, the first week is typically around 10 days. During this time, you use scripture to examine your life, look at yourself as a sinner and understand yourself in light of God's mercy for you. 

• In the first week of the Exercises, we come to terms with who we are in relationship with God. 

• In the second week we encounter Christ, going through the movements of Jesus's life to better understand how Christ is with us, and how we, as disciples, can follow Jesus in our own living. 

• The third week is like Holy Week as we follow Jesus to the Cross. In our prayer, our meditation, and in our contemplation, we imagine Jesus’ suffering, so that we can better understand the Cross. 

• And about the fourth week let me say this: I know a gentleman and he's doing the exercises in the 19th Annotation—he said, “I'm in the fourth week! I'm so happy to be in the fourth week!” because the fourth week is about Jesus and the Resurrection, but more importantly—it is about the love that God pours out on us. 

During all the weeks, we’re using Scripture. For example, the third week we meditate on Christ’s Last Supper, the Passion, and death, and for all of this we’re using Scripture. So, the director in the 19th Annotation will give you pieces of Scripture along the way and ask you use it during prayer. When you meet with your director, you're given a list of scripture passages to work with, and then a week later, you meet with them again and they ask, “Well, how did that go?” And you sift out where God was calling you, where God was working with you, and what's not sitting right with you. Is there dissonance in your prayer because of a particular passage? And you bring that up with your spiritual director.  

All are welcome to journey to find God in all things through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Many people who have made the Spiritual Exercises have attested to its powerful influence to give direction to their lives and to help them grow in faith, in knowledge, and love of the person of Jesus Christ. We welcome the opportunity to extend to you The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius! Learn more!