Exercises 21-31

Who We Are
How We Serve
Our Spirituality
- Ignatian Spirituality
- The Spirtual Exercises
- Daily Ways to Pray
  - Weeks 1-10
    - Week 1
    - Week 2
    - Week 3
    - Week 4
    - Week 5
    - Week 6
    - Week 7
    - Week 8
    - Week 9
    - Week 10
  - Weeks 11-20
    - Week 11
    - Week 12
    - Week 13
    - Week 14
    - Week 15
    - Week 16
    - Week 17
    - Week 18
    - Week 19
    - Week 20
  - Weeks 21-30
    - Week 21
    - Week 22
    - Week 23
    - Week 24
    - Week 25
    - Week 26
    - Week 27
    - Week 28
    - Week 29
    - Week 30
  - Weeks 31-37
    - Week 31
    - Week 32
    - Week 33
    - Week 34
    - Week 35
    - Week 36
    - Week 37
Becoming a Jesuit
Supporting Our Work
News & Events
- News of the Northwest Jesuits
- Province Events
Contact Us
- Province Leadership
- Links and Resources

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius 21 through 31

From the Literal Translation by Elder Mullan, S.J.

[SPEX21]
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

TO CONQUER ONESELF AND REGULATE ONE'S LIFE WITHOUT DETERMINING ONESELF THROUGH ANY TENDENCY THAT IS DISORDERED

[SPEX22]
PRESUPPOSITION

In order that both he who is giving the Spiritual Exercises, and he who is receiving them, may more help and benefit themselves, let it be presupposed that every good Christian is to be more ready to save his neighbor's proposition than to condemn it. If he cannot save it, let him inquire how he means it; and if he means it badly, let him correct him with charity. If that is not enough, let him seek all the suitable means to bring him to mean it well, and save himself.

[SPEX23]

FIRST WEEK

PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.

[SPEX24]
PARTICULAR AND DAILY EXAMEN

It contains in it three times, and two to examine oneself. The first time is in the morning, immediately on rising, when one ought to propose to guard himself with diligence against that particular sin or defect which he wants to correct and amend.

[SPEX25]
The second time is after dinner, when one is to ask of God our Lord what one wants, namely, grace to remember how many times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect, and to amend himself in the future. Then let him make the first Examen, asking account of his soul of that particular thing proposed, which he wants to correct and amend. Let him go over hour by hour, or period by period, commencing at the hour he rose, and continuing up to the hour and instant of the present examen, and let him make in the first line of the G=== as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. Then let him resolve anew to amend himself up to the second Examen which he will make.

[SPEX26]
The third time: After supper, the second Examen will be made, in the same way, hour by hour, commencing at the first Examen and continuing up to the present (second) one, and let him make in the second line of the same G===== as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect.

[SPEX27]
FOUR ADDITIONS

FOLLOW TO RID ONESELF SOONER OF THAT PARTICULAR SIN OR DEFECT

First Addition. The first Addition is that each time one falls into that particular sin or defect, let him put his hand on his breast, grieving for having fallen: which can be done even in the presence of many, without their perceiving what he is doing.

[SPEX28]
Second Addition. The second: As the first line of the G===== means the first Examen, and the second line the second Examen, let him look at night if there is amendment from the first line to the second, that is, from the first Examen to the second.

[SPEX29]
Third Addition. The third: To compare the second day with the first; that is, the two Examens of the present day with the other two Examens of the previous day, and see if he has amended himself from one day to the other.

[SPEX30]
Fourth Addition. The fourth Addition: To compare one week with another, and see if he has amended himself in the present week over the week past.

[SPEX31]
Note. It is to be noted that the first (large) G======== which follows means the Sunday: the second (smaller), the Monday: the third, the Tuesday, and so on.

Contact the Webmaster