The Emotions of Ignatius of Loyola and the Mental Pictures of the Spiritual Exercises

2021 ◽  
pp. 33-70
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Michael Barnes SJ

This article considers the theme of discernment in the tradition of Ignatian spirituality emanating from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). After a brief introduction which addresses the central problematic of bad influences that manifest themselves as good, the article turns to the life and work of two Jesuits, the 16th C English missionary to India, Thomas Stephens and the 20th C French historian and cultural critic, Michel de Certeau. Both kept up a constant dialogue with local culture in which they sought authenticity in their response to ‘events’, whether a hideous massacre which shaped the pastoral commitment and writing of Stephens in the south of the Portuguese enclave of Goa or the 1968 student-led protests in Paris that so much affected the thinking of de Certeau. Very different in terms of personal background and contemporary experience, they both share in a tradition of discernment as a virtuous response to what both would understand as the ‘wisdom of the Spirit’ revealed in their personal interactions with ‘the other’.


Author(s):  
Kevin J. Wetmore

The historic Jesuit theater represents two centuries of didactic theater in which the Society of Jesus, following both the organizational instructions andSpiritual Exercisesof founder Ignatius of Loyola, used theater to inculcate virtue in both performer and audience member while teaching Latin, dance, poise, rhetoric, oratory, and confidence to the students who performed. Jesuit spirituality is inherently theatrical, and conversely Jesuit theater was intended to also be highly spiritual. The dramaturgy and scenography was spectacular and designed to draw audiences who would delight in them and learn the moral lessons the Jesuits hoped to teach while simultaneously drawing them away from a corrupt public theater. This essay considers Jesuit drama and theater in four key aspects: (1) Jesuit spirituality and performative practice; (2) the historic Jesuit educational theater of early modern Europe; (3) Jesuit drama in the missions outside of Europe; and (4) contemporary Jesuits involved in theater.


2007 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Fisher

In his magisterialLagrime di San Pietro(1595) Orlando di Lasso composed a cycle of 20 madrigals on texts by Luigi Tansillo on the theme of St Peter's denial of Christ and his subsequent remorse, capped by a Latin motet (‘Vide homo‘) representing the rebuke of the crucified Christ. TheLagrimemay be seen as a penitential gesture on Lasso's part, but a textual and musical analysis also suggests numerous parallels with contemporary Catholic spiritual exercises, particularly those of Ignatius of Loyola and Luis of Granada. The cycle thus takes its place in a broader Counter-Reformation discourse of meditation and penance.


2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Mooney

AbstractThis essay examines the life of Ignatius of Loyola (c. 1491–1556), founder of the Society of Jesus [Jesuits], whose religious experience defined the contours of Ignatian spirituality. Through an exploration of foundational documents such as Ignatius's “autobiography,” the Spiritual Exercises, the Jesuits' Constitutions, and early Jesuit writings, this essay shows how the diversity of early Jesuit ministries – as spiritual guides, opponents of Protestantism, schoolteachers, and missionaries to lands outside Europe – can be subsumed under the single rubric of “apostolic mission.” Constitutive features of Ignatian spirituality impinging upon the Jesuit notion of and concrete practice of apostolic mission included the priority of prayer, the Trinitarian missio Dei, the positive embrace of creation and culture, a commitment to seek God in all things, go wherever others needed help, form them to help others, and choose ministries according to what most served the universal good. These principles, not always realized in actual Jesuit ministries, prove useful today for theorists and practitioners of Christian mission. Cet article examine la vie d'Ignace de Loyola (c. 1491–1556), fondateur de la Société de Jésus (Jésuites), dont l'expérience religieuse a défini les contours de la spiritualité ignatienne. A travers l'exploration de documents fondamentaux tels que la « biographie » d'Ignace, les Exercices spirituels, les Constitutions des Jésuites et les premiers écrits jésuites, l'article montre comment la diversité des premiers ministères jésuites – comme guides spirituels, opposants au Protestantisme, enseignants et missionnaires vers des terres hors de l'Europe – peut être rassemblée sous la rubrique unique de « mission apostolique ». Les traits constitutifs de la spiritualité ignatienne qui eurent des répercussions sur la notion et la pratique jésuite de la mission apostolique comprenaient la priorité de la prière, la missio Dei trinitaire, l'accueil positif de la création et de la culture, un engagement à chercher Dieu en toutes choses, à aller partout où il y avait besoin d'aide, à former à aider les autres, et à choisir les ministères en fonction de ce qui contribuait le plus au bien universel. Ces principes, pas toujours réalisés dans l'exercice des ministères jésuites, sont encore utiles aujourd'hui aux théoriciens et praticiens de la mission chrétienne. Dieser Artikel untersucht das Leben Ignatius von Loyolas (1491–1556), dem Gründer der Gesellschaft Jesu (Jesuiten), dessen religiöse Erfahrung die Konturen der ignatianischen Spiritualität bestimmt hat. Durch eine Untersuchung der Gründungsdokumente wie der ,,Autobiografie“ des Ignatius, der Geistlichen Übungen, der Konstitutionen der Jesuiten und früher jesuitischer Schriften zeigt dieser Artikel, wie die Vielfalt der frühen jesuitischen Dienste – als spirituelle Leiter, Gegner des Protestantismus, Lehrer und Missionare außerhalb Europas – unter der einen Rubrik ,,apostolische Mission“ zusammengefasst werden kann. Grundlegende Züge der ignatianischen Spiritualität, die das Verständnis und die konkrete Praxis der apostolischen Mission beeinflussen, schlossen den Vorrang des Gebets ein sowie die trinitarische missio Dei, einen positiven Zugang zu Schöpfung und Kultur, die Hingabe Gott in allen Dingen zu suchen, dorthin zu gehen wo andere Hilfe brauchten, sie auszubilden, damit sie anderen helfen können und jene Dienste zu wählen, die das höhere Gut am meisten förderten. Diese Prinzipien, die nicht immer in den aktuellen jesuitischen Diensten umgesetzt werden, erweisen sich heute als nützlich für Theoretiker und Praktiker der christlichen Mission. Este ensayo examina la vida de Ignacio de Loyola (c. 1491–1556), fundador de la Compañía de Jesús [jesuitas], cuya experiencia religiosa define los parámetros de su espiritualidad. A través de un análisis de documentos fundacionales, tales como la “autobiografía” de Ignacio de Loyola, los Ejercicios espirituales, Constituciones de la Compañía y otros escritos de los primeros tiempos jesuíticos, este ensayo señala cómo la diversidad de los ministerios de los jesuitas en su etapa inicial – directores espirituales, opositores del protestantismo, maestros de escuelas y misioneros a lugares fuera de Europa- puede clasificarse bajo la categoría de “misión apostólica.” Elementos importantes de la espiritualidad de Ignacio de Loyola que inciden en la noción y la práctica concreta de la misión apostólica jesuítica incluyen la prioridad de la oración, la missio Dei trinitaria, el aceptar la creación y la cultura, el compromiso de buscar a Dios en todas las cosas, ir a donde otros necesitan ayuda, proveer instrucción sobre cómo ayudar a otros y elegir ministerios que sean más beneficiosos para el bien universal. Estos principios, no siempre presentes en el ministerio actual de los jesuitas, hoy resultan útiles para los teóricos y prácticos de la misión cristiana.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-64
Author(s):  
Bradford E. Hinze

This article identifies the grace of conflict with acts of resistance and with the reclamation of the giftedness of precarious communities. This argument is defended drawing on the work of Michel de Certeau, Pope Francis, conflicts in the life of Jesus in the synoptic traditions, and by considering a living parable of praxis in relation to the ascetic practices of agere contra and the Contemplation to Attain Love in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola.


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