A reflection on something that I participated in before my priestly ordination.
As an important part of the process of spiritual formation in the seminary, our priestly training included a mandatory retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. This silent retreat took place in a House of Spiritual Direction and for those in my year, we had the taste of this spiritual nourishment in an area called the Seven Fountains, which is a place in Chian Mai, Thailand, where many go for retreats, conferences, days of prayer and spiritual direction so that they can find growth in their faith, prayer and in the ability to respond to God in their daily life.
The Spiritual Exercises came out of the personal experiences of Ignatius of Loyola when he was keen to grow in union with God and when he was learning to discern God’s will. He kept a spiritual journal to track the spiritual insights he obtained, through which he deepened his spiritual experiences. He made extensive notes which later became the actual Exercises itself.
What are the Spiritual Exercises?
It is often said that the Exercises is a series of well-rounded overrate of personal prayer, understanding the spiritual journey, as well as the ministry of companioning others on their spiritual journey. I am grateful that my companions during the time at this retreat were my very own classmates who are now very active and dynamic priests.
The Text of the Spiritual Exercises.
The exercises are meant to be led by a retreat director. Each day’s meet up with the Spiritual Director leads to a colloquy which is an intimate conversation between the exercitant and God the Father, or a conversation between us and Jesus, or between us and Mary or one of the saints. An important dimension of the exercise is that not all are called to material poverty, but are called to “poverty of spirit”, or spiritual poverty.
The different contemplations of the exercises.
The contemplation on the Incarnation begins with imagining the Trinity looking down from heaven and responding with the Incarnation. The next or second week sees the exercitant contemplating part two of the Incarnation, which is Mary’s human response. Tjos explores both the Annunication and Mary’s response. The third week sees us contemplating the Language of the Cross. It explores the idea that Jesus’ passion brings us to embrace the world as it really is. In the fourth and final week of the retreat, we contemplate on how the resurrection brings joy. The three significant truths rooted in the Resurrection (faith, hope and love) open a window to the grace and virtues of the fourth Week. What is highlighted are the reasons for our joy when contemplating the Resurrection.
I am not surprised if anyone reading this blog is at this point asking me why I am reflecting on such a spiritual exercise which I took part in before I was ordained a priest. It is a legitimate question when one takes into consideration that for almost a month now, I have been waiting and feeling anxious about the surgery that my skull needs since the unfortunate accident at the end of May.
No, I am not returning to the time of the Spiritual Exercises, but I have thumbed through some texts that feature the Exercise itself. It sent me a great reminder of what I went through back then, and to jettison all that just to anxious about waiting for something to happen does seem like a waste of precious energy and time.
One of the most important things that we came out of the retreat appreciating were the first two degrees of humility according to Ignatian spirituality. One of the very important things we picked up was the actual contemplation on the Love of God. This is not a subject that we were taught upfront in the seminary, but because we had the experiences of the different weeks, it helped us to see the fruit that came from the contemplation on the Love of God.
Do I suggest that anyone who considers himself or herself a keen disciple of Jesus should go for this prayer experience? I’m not sure I would do that outrightly. It really depends on whether your Spiritual Director whom you see regularly recommends this for your spiritual advancement. There are times of contemplation that can be challenging like getting up in the middle of the night to go to the Adoration Room. These are good, but to a lay person, it can be daunting, especially in a remote place like Chiang Mai.
The gold that I have gained from the experience has set me in a good place to handle the present stress of waiting and anticipating the surgery that my skull requires. I’ve come to realise that there is a lot of feeling of displeasure in feeling anxious about waiting, and my mind can utilise the time better in contemplation of things that would benefit my soul and spiritual life.
It is well known that the human heart is the concern of the Spiritual Exercises. It nurtures the Spirituality of the Heart of each exercitant. Perhaps my heart has been stiffened by what I have gone through in life, and this time of being away from all the “action” is where my spiritual training for my heart becomes activated.
I thank you, dear reader, for reading my reflection this week. If you think this exercise is for you, perhaps it is something you can bring up to discuss with your Spiritual Director soon. My prayer goes with you as you may plan to deepen your spiritual life.
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