Spiritual Exercises
The spiritual Exercises are a work of meditation and prayer which is regarded as the spiritual chief of work of Ignace de Loyola (1491-1556), founder about the Jésuites, starting from his spiritual experiment collected in particular with Manresa. The purpose of the book contains approximately 200 pages and is to be the " deliver maître" who guides the spiritual Accompagnateur at the time of a retirement of approximately 30 days. Indeed, by this book, Ignace de Loyola describes a spiritual step aiming at improving the intimacy of oneself with God. This is why, the exercises described in this work should not only be " lus" but " faits". These spiritual exercises (or rather of the retirements following spiritual exercises ) are proposed today for shorter spiritual retirements (from 2 to 30 days) by communities of spirituality ignatienne. They trace a way to which want to devote its life to the greatest glory of God.
the drafting of the text
influences
The imitation of Jesus-Christ Exercitario of emptied negro spiritual of the prior of the abbot of Montserrat, Garcia de Cisneros
contents
The meditations were written so as to reflect catholic spirituality authentically, but the stress laid on the personal meeting between reprocessing and God attracts also Christians of other confessions.The " first annotation" who opens the book explains the title: First annotation. By this term of spiritual exercises, one understands any manner of examining his conscience, of meditating, of contemplating, of requesting vocally and mentally, and other spiritual operations, as it will be known as further.
In the same way, indeed, as to walk, go and run are body exercises, in the same way calls one spiritual exercises any manner of preparing and of laying out the heart to draw aside from oneself all the disordered affections and, after having drawn aside them, to seek and find the will divine in the provision of its life for hello of sound âme.
Evangelic images of Jerome Nadal
At the instigation of Ignace de Loyola, Jerome Nadal, secretary of Ignace, then general vicar of the company undertook to make carry out a collection of engravings Evangelicae Historiae Imagines . This collection (153 engravings on the whole) was published in Antwerp in 1594, that is to say nearly 15 years after the death of Jerome Nadal who had ordered it. It was published by Martin Nutus, successor of the famous printer Christophe Plantin. It is the oldest collection of this type which reached us.
Little time before its death, Ignace de Loyola had pressed Nadal to design a guide illustrated to learn to the beginners Jesuits the meditation. This last ordered the illustrations with several artists, reserving the drafting of the legends.
These legends are very original: not only they comprise the title of the evangelic scene, but also a whole series of annotations which explain by references of letters inserted in the image (has, B, C, etc) such or such part of the scene represented, or more exactly of the place where it is held (what is called the " composition of lieu" in the spiritual Exercises).
The collection follows the order of the contemplations given by Ignace in his booklet of the Exercises. It becomes about it thus a complement. It helps reprocessing it to plunge itself entirely in the scene which it contemplates. It is made present there as if it were there.
Moreover, these drawings use perfectly the art of the prospect - then revolutionary at the time. Jerome Nadal wanted to thus return the Evangile more vibrating and more tempting.
The same use of the prospect will be done in the churches Jesuits: tables and architectures will encourage the believer to enter with all his being the contemplation of the life of the Christ.
Matteo Ricci brought with him this invaluable work to announce the Gospel with the Chinese. " This book, will write it, is of a utility as large as the Bible with the direction where while we speak can put under the eyes of our interlocutors of the things which words alone could not expliquer".
External bonds
- spiritual exercises on the site of the province of France
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List of the spiritual centers Jesuits proposing of the retirements according to the spiritual exercises
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Retirements according to the Exercises with the Community of the New Way