Ignatian Spirituality

What it is?
What it implies, especially for
formation?
 “To be Jesuits signifies to be a person of incomplete thought, of open
thought.” Why is this not relativism? “We must always think looking at
the horizon which is the glory of God, a glory that always becomes
greater [magis not maximus] . And this surprises us without ceasing.”

“We (Jesuits) are men in tension. We are also contradictory men and
incoherent, sinners, all of us. But we are men who wish to walk under the gaze
of Jesus.”(Pope Francis, Homily at the Gesu, Rome, Jan. 3, 2014)

Father James V. Schall, S.J.,

This homily, however, might be called not an exhortation to Franciscan
poverty, Dominican preaching, Benedictine “ora et labora,” or even Jesuit
obedience, but to Augustinian “restlessness.” Almost everyone, in any
age, who reads St. Augustine, including popes, is struck by his famous
passage that reads: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts
are restless until they rest in Thee.”

We are to remember that “the power of the Church does not

dwell in itself or in its organizational capacity but is hidden in
the profound depths of God.” This is why “we are always in
tension.” It is not that we do now know much or do much. But
God always “surprises” us by how much is left to do and how
much more there is to know. At the immediate level of our
actual lives, we must be conscious of our finiteness

Father James V. Schall, S.J.,

What is Spirituality? It’s an elusive term.
A spirituality is, as the “Formula of the Institute of the Society of Jesus” puts it,
“a pathway to God.”

Goal of Christian life: Imitation of Christ or union with God

For example, Benedictine spirituality demands fidelity to the
monastic order of prayer, work and hospitality with the
assumption that such fidelity will allow God to be experienced
in surprising ways.
How do the Jesuits do it?

Jesuit spirituality demands attention to the personal experiences that

occur in the course of arduous, demanding ministry in the world to
discover how God is acting in a person’s life.
Jesuits are to be men of prayer for whom spiritual means are primary,
yet they are asked to use all the natural means at their disposal for their
apostolic work.

They are to be disciplined men purified of inordinate attachment to worldly

values, yet actively engaged in the world; they are, indeed, expected to find
God in their activity

They are to be distinguished by their poverty, yet able to carry out

their apostolic activities among the wealthy as well as among the
poor.

Jesuits are to be chaste and to be known as chaste, but are

expected to be warm and loving companions at home and
on the road, that is outside of cloister.
They are to be men of passion, intelligence, initiative and creativity,
yet responsive in obedience to superiors.

They are expected to be men who believe that God’s Spirit

communicates directly with individuals and thus who are discerning
regarding the movements of their hearts, yet also to be men
distinguished by disciplined obedience and fidelity to the institutional
church

They are to be committed to the people and institutions

with which they are involved [stability], yet able to move
quickly to whatever place superiors send them [mobility].

In the book of the Spiritual Exercises itself this tension is

evident; the fifteenth “preliminary observation,” with its
premise that God communicates to individuals, sits in
tension with the “Rules for Thinking with the Church”
[352ff.].
Often, spiritualties (even vocations) are born out of crisis situations

Eg. M. Gandhi, Narsinh Mehta…

Wounded people retire

Wounded Ignatius retires into the tower of Loyola.

There begins a Journey. From a self-centred person

(man full of vainglory) to a other-centred person

Formation is a journey, a pilgrimage

What does a monk do within the four walls of the

cloister?
Ignatius’s journey begins with awareness, paying
attention.

Realisation of the immediate experience of God.

Jesuit spirituality is distinguished from other spiritualities by this personal
attention to feelings, desires, dreams, hopes and thoughts

In the history of spirituality this is known as a “kataphatic”

type of spirituality, to distinguish it from an “apophatic”
spirituality.

Ignatius is led by the desire to help souls. This

objective guides his entire life. All Ignatian decisions
could be explained from this key of “helping Souls”

Nadal: house of the Jesuits is to be open road.

 Nadal: house of the Jesuits is to be open road

Mysticism of the closed eyes and

mysticism of the of the open
eyes.

I sought my soul, But my soul I could not see. I sought my God, But my God eluded
me. I sought my brother, And I found all three. – William Blake
Nadal: house of the Jesuits is to be open road
To help souls Ignatius gathered companions, of different nationalities. What
binds us then?

1Cor 10: 17
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of
the one bread.
Because there is one mission, we who are many are one body, for we all partake
of the one mission.
The tensions that began to surface towards the end of Ignatius’s generalate

Eg. 1: Union with God through prayer or

Service. Simon Rodrigues wanted to impose
longer hours of prayer (an understanding move
though)

Eg. 2: mobility and stability. Schools

demanded stability
The tensions that began to surface towards the end of Ignatius’s generalate

Eg. 3: Poverty and

Intellectual pursuit
(emergence of Humanism)

Eg. 4: Divorce between Theology and Spirituality (12th

C) Alumbrados (Experience) vs. Theology (Speculation)
John O’Malley puts the matter thus: “The Jesuits wanted,
however, to provide that theology with a new casing and to
direct it more effectively to ministry. Nadal expressed their
ideal succinctly: ‘to join speculation with devotion and with
spiritual understanding...This is our desire. This is the
underlying premise of the plan of studies in the Society’” (The
First Jesuits). In other words, Jesuit theology wants to arise from
the experience of God and lead to a deeper experience.
C [812]
The Society was not instituted by
In conformity with this hope, the
human means; and it is not through
first and most appropriate
them that it can be preserved and
means will be the prayers and
increased, but through the grace of
Masses which ought to be
the omnipotent hand of Christ our
offered for this holy intention,
God and Lord. Therefore in him
and which should be ordered for
alone must be placed the hope that
this purpose every week, month,
he will preserve and carry forward
and year in all places where the
what he deigned to begin for his
Society resides.
service and praise and for the aid of
souls [the end].
C [814]
When based upon this foundation,
the natural means which equip the
human instrument of God our Lord
to deal with his fellow human beings
will all help toward the preservation
and growth of this whole body,
provided they are acquired and
exercised for the divine service
alone; employed, indeed, not so that
we may put our confidence in them,
but so that we may cooperate with
the divine grace according to the
arrangement of the sovereign
providence of God our Lord.
For he desires to be glorified both
through the natural means, which
he gives as Creator, and through
the supernatural means, which he
gives as the Author of grace.
Therefore the human or acquired
means ought to be sought with
diligence, especially well-
grounded and solid learning, and
a method of proposing it to the
people by means of sermons,
lectures, and the art of dealing
and conversing with others.
 From where does the tension arise?
From Ignatius’s experience in Manresa. The infused mystical graces,
which were devoid of error, yet, the inquisition prohibited him to
speak about them
What does he do?
Goes to Paris [the method of study there was superior to other
universities]. Later he adopted the method. (ratio studiorum)

Possible deception:
Excessive dependence on mystical graces (Alumbrados) and the
possibility of one saying: “If I avoid study and training, then I will not
be tempted to take pride in my own accomplishments.”
 How does Ignatius maintain the balance in formation?
Through various experiments in the Novitiate… long years of rigorous
study combined with teaching catechism to children.

The last stage of formation

...it will be helpful for those who had been sent to studies, upon finishing
the work and effort of intellectual formation, to apply themselves during
the period of final probation to the school of the heart, exercising
themselves in spiritual and corporal pursuits which can engender in them
greater humility, abnegation of all sensual love and will and judgment of
their own, and also greater knowledge and love of God our Lord; so that
when they themselves have made progress they can better help others to
progress for the glory of God our Lord. C[516]
 Prayer/Trust vs. Work
“Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on yourself.”
This aphorism is often cited as typically Ignatian. However, it appears nowhere
in his writings.

Pedro Ribadeneira to Ignatius: is there

anything you worry about?

[Gian Pietro] Caraffa was elected pope.

It took Ignatius only six minutes to become

radiant
 The Peace Painting

Peace/spiritual consolation does not

mean absence of tensions
 Prayer/Trust vs. Work
Niśkāmakarma: Everything is a gift.
It is God who gives fruits of our
labour.
What is generosity?
Generosity is not giving me that
which I need more than you do, but it
is giving me that which you need
more than I do. – K. Gibran

It would be Ignatian to say: “Pray as if everything depended on you; work

as if everything depended on God.”

Classical examples of people who “united the human instrument with God”
(C[813])… F. Xavier, M. Ricci
 Only this will be said in
C[582]… in what pertains
general: On the one hand,
to prayer, meditation, and
they should take care that
study, and also in regard to
the excessive use of these
the bodily practices of
practices not weaken their
fasts, vigils, and other
bodily strength and take up so
austerities or penances, it
much time that they are
does not seem proper to
rendered incapable of helping
give them any other rule
the neighbor spiritually
than that which discreet
according to our Institute; on
charity dictates to them,
the other hand, they should be
provided that the
vigilant that these practices not
confessor always be
be relaxed to such an extent
informed and also, when a
that the spirit grows cold and
doubt about advisability
the human and lower passions
arises, the superior.
grow warm.

A note on Agere Contra. SE [97]: Oblation: Consequence of Love

What is the intent of Ignatius here?

His main point is to

make clear that the
formed Jesuit needs to
be discerning about
the practices of prayer
and asceticism in
order to be an effective
apostle.

Ignatius himself had experienced such a desire for union with

God that he had done his body permanent harm by his early
austerities and long hours of prayer.
 Two Images
Asceticism vs. Mysticism
A ballet dancer

A trained race horse

SJ is an apostolic Order
FI: He [a Jesuit] is a member of a Society
founded chiefly for this purpose: to strive
especially for the defense and propagation
of the faith and for the progress of souls in
Christian life and doctrine, by means of
public preaching, lectures, and any other
ministration whatsoever of the word of
God, and further by means of the Spiritual
Exercises, the education of children and
unlettered persons in Christianity, and the
spiritual consolation of Christ’s
faithful through hearing confessions and
administering the other sacraments.
SJ a “man for others” (Arrupe)

General Examen: The end of this Society

is to devote itself with God’s grace not
only to the salvation and perfection of
the members’ own souls, but also with
that same grace to labor strenuously
in giving aid toward the salvation and
perfection of the souls of their
neighbors

A formed Jesuit is supposed to find God

in all things, especially in his apostolic
activity
The fruit of the "Contemplation to Attain the
Love of God" is to love and serve God in all
things, says Ignatius. Here I would like to
make three distinctions and talk of three
levels: to love God and to serve God in all
things, this is one level; to love God and
serve God in all actions, that would be
another level; and to love God and serve
God in apostolic action, that would be the
third level. – Tony D’Mello
 Third level:
First level: Proper of a hermit Proper of a apostolic vocation

Second level: Proper of a monk

 Swings of the pendulum

Early centuries: Stress on Prayer

Pope Paul IV exclaimed in an interview with the second

general superior, Diego Lainez, “Woe betide you, if you do not
pray! Cursed be the study, for which the divine office is
omitted.” When Borja became the third general superior in
1565, he asked that the General Congregation prescribe an
hour of daily prayer in addition to daily Mass and two periods
of examination of conscience. This became the norm for all
Jesuits until the Thirty-first General Congregation in 1965-66
reverted to language more in keeping with that of the
Constitutions.
“Our rule of an hour’s prayer is therefore to be adapted
so that each Jesuit, guided by his superior, takes into
account his particular circumstances and needs, in the
light of that discerning love which St. Ignatius clearly
presupposed in the Constitutions” (229).
 Swings of the pendulum

In present times: Stress on action?

If in the beginnings of the society the pendulum swung

towards the extreme of excessive prayer, now it tends to
swing the other way, justifying with reference to the
Constitutions. They were called to be apostolic. Ignatius
himself once said that fifteen minutes of prayer a day should
suffice for a Jesuit.

However, when Jesuits use this

argument they neglect to note that
Ignatius had said that the fifteen
minutes should suffice for a mortified
Jesuit.
 Swings of the pendulum

Why do people find distasteful? This often is a

problem! Many people give up prayer during
formation. How can we help them?

Ignatius makes it clear in the EE [1]: By the term

Spiritual Exercises we mean every method of
examination of conscience, meditation,
contemplation, vocal or mental prayer, and other
spiritual activities, such as will be mentioned later.
But for many year the Ignatian prayer came to be
identified with the meditation where the use of
Memory , reasoning (intellect) and will (three
powers of the soul) was stressed. Prayer was seen
as head work.
 Prayer: intrinsically
attractive
There are religious who make the annual retreat
because “I am a religious. I have to make the retreat”

How can we approach prayer as a reality that is

intrinsically attractive?

Ignatius was a man who found great relish in prayer. He had

familiarity with God. SE [15]: …Creator and Lord himself
should communicate himself to the devout soul, embracing it in
love and praise, and disposing it for the way which will enable
the soul to serve him better in the future

17. Lunes, 18 de febrero.

Anoche, un poco antes de acostarme, me hallaba un poco fervoroso ‹interior›,
con devoción y con gran confianza de hallar las Personas divinas, o su gracia,
porque iba a concluir la elección. Una vez acostado, sentía especial consolación
al pensar en Ellas, abrazándome [abraçando/abrasando] el pecho para contener
el regocijo interior de mi alma. (Sp Diary [43])
 Why is prayer intrinsically attractive?
Because of the concept of God that Ignatius has: namely God is
self-communicating . He wants to give his very self to us. CTAL.
The one prayer that Ignatius
would not allow a Jesuit, no
matter how humble, to drop was
the examination of conscience at
least twice a day. Why?
Jesuits are asked to find God in
their apostolic activity. The
examen gives the Jesuit the
opportunity to look back
over a part of the day to
discover where he has been
meeting God and where he may
have avoided such a meeting.
 Phil 1: 21-26
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to
live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and
I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed
between the two: my desire is to depart and be with
Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh
is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of
this, I know that I will remain and continue with all
of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may
share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus
when I come to you again

Ignatius hoped that Jesuits would experience a similar

tension of desires with regard to union with God and service
of their neighbor.
1. Do I recognize the polarities/tensions within
me? When? How? Can I articulate them for myself?

2. Do I recognize them in those in the formation?

What are the dangers involved? i.e., How they
become victims of the tricks and deceptions of the
evil one.

3. How have I helped them? What creative ways

can I/we think of in helping them?
A witty but harsh comment about Jesuits
They come together without knowing each other
They live together without loving one another Is it true?
They die without crying for each other

Ignatius’s self understanding of the Society:

“Friends in the Lord”

Francis Xavier kept the names of

the first companions near his
heart, wrote movingly of his love
for them and read their letters
with tears in his eyes.
The Constitutions do not use the word “community.”

But it certainly is a concern today: to bring back a healthy tension into

the balance of community life and apostolate.

That sister is always out... Frequently, a typical complaint

Some are all the time in the community but are not of the
community.
I myself come from a large family.
The concern for others came
naturally. Today it is not so. People in
formation come from small families
and often do not know what it
means to share or have not
experienced the joy of sharing
Ignatius is convinced about the importance of (com)unity.

C [655] “For the Society cannot be preserved or governed or, consequently,

attain the aim it seeks for the greater glory of God unless its members are
united among themselves and with their head”

Jesus called the apostles to be with him and work for him (Mk 3:14). SJ
model is apostolic. That the disciples be one is important.

The disciples, after the resurrection

experience, come back to the
community. The mission springs from
the community.

In the time of Ignatius due to

warring states, the unity among the
SJs was very important
 The unity Ignatius speaks of is union of hearts and minds and
not merely physical unity. Dispersed yet united. The first
companions nurtured their friendship through letters.

In Tertianship the tertian master made us write letters to each other

One regret of Ignatius was that he admitted
too many into the Society. He did not want
a mob but companions, a society. The one
who is unwilling to obey and is divisive (is
like a rotten apple) should not be taken and
if taken should be dismissed at the earliest.

Obedience safeguards union. That is

why the first companions vowed
obedience to one among the group.

How select our candidates is crucial.

Friendship and love is always in the Lord. Only the friendship in the
lord enables people to part from one another yet remain intimate
friends. Xavier and Ignatius are a classic example.

The prerequisite to build friendship in the Lord is a personal and

collective experience of God.

The disciples on the road to

Emmaus:
Were not our hearts burning?
Do we facilitate such experiences in the formation?

4 things that can be of help

1. Intimate friendship with God

2. Spiritual conversation among

companions... “cosas de Dios”

3. Place one’s own needs after the

needs of others and of the institution

4. Remembrance of the absent

companions
2. Spiritual conversation among Possible reasons that discouraged
companions... “cosas de Dios” friendship in the Lord

Fear of entering into deep

friendships because parting from
friends is painful. “Friendships in
general are risky, difficult to develop,
and often messy”.

Particular friendships were not

allowed

Sharing of feeling with one another

was downplayed because feelings
are “irrational”.

Prioritise apostolate as an excuse

not to dedicate time for intimate
friendships
How do we conduct our How do we foster friendships outside the
recreations? Always in community with other religious and lay
group? people who share our common mission?

Collaboration is not possible without genuine friendships.

GC 35. D 3.41 Our mission is not limited to our

works. Our personal and community relationship
with the Lord, our relationship to one another as
friends in the Lord, our solidarity with the poor
and marginalised, and a life style responsible to
creation are all important aspects of our lives as
Jesuits. They authenticate what we proclaim and
what we do in fulfilling our mission. The
privileged place of this collective witness is our
life in community, Thus, Jesuit community is not
just for mission: it is itself mission.
In his famous letter on obedience,
sent to the Jesuits of Portugal in
1553, Ignatius advocates obedience
not only of the will but also of the
intellect, so that one agrees with
whatever a superior orders. Such
obedience
“To maintain a right mind in all
things we must always maintain that
the white I see, I shall believe to be
black, if the hierarchical Church so
stipulates” SE [365].
In the Constitutions Ignatius goes so
far as to say that Jesuits should be
willing to obey even “an indication
of the superior’s will without an
expressed command” C[547].
Superiors ordered, subjects obeyed.

When one reads such exhortations, one can wonder

whether there is any place in Jesuit spirituality for
learning from experience, that is, for individual
discernment of spirits.
There is, in Jesuit spirituality, a creative tension between obedience and
discernment of spirits.

Ignatius belonged to a hierarchical

society. He once belonged to a
military where he just obeyed.

He himself experienced tensions:

In Manresa he found little help with his scruples from his

confessors; his final freedom from these scruples came when
he discerned that they were not from God, but a temptation.

The inquisition silenced him.

The holy land friars order him to leave

 Ignatius did not always immediately accept Pope’s
wish as God’s command.

When the pope wanted to make Francis Borja a

cardinal he did everything he could to prevent it
from happening.

As general superior, he would “explain” his reasons for many decisions

about the organization of the Society by referring to his experience at the
Cardoner. Learning from experience was crucially important to Ignatius

Obviously the practice of obedience is much more nuanced than

appears from the texts we have cited.
The creative tension may become clearer if
we describe the way Ignatius governed

According to Ignatius, there are three preliminary steps to the

interpreting of a sign of God which result in an authentically
spiritual decision:
to have authority or responsibility for making the decision or
participating in it,
to pray to God to bestow his light,
and to be inwardly free of all preference and of all personal
passion. (Ravier, p. 340)
 5 PHASES LEADING TO A GOOD DECISION BY A
SUPERIOR
1. Superior and his counselors try to get as much information as possible
about the matter to be decided

2. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of the possible decisions that

could be made.

3. They pray for “indifference” and for light from the Holy Spirit.

4. After the counselors give their opinion, the superior gives his opinion and
then weighs the matter once again before God; no matter what the majority
of the counselors believe, the superior must decide before God and his own
conscience.

5. Once he has made his decision he must then again offer it to God in prayer
asking for confirmation of his decision. “A decision made in this manner then
became for Ignatius the will of God. Unless there were obviously contrary signs,
he carried it out regardless of cost”
The account of conscience that is a hallmark of Jesuit spirituality.

The purpose of account of conscience:

In order to send on a mission. Ignatius wanted to know everything

about the subject before sending on a mission.

He was keen on knowing the inclinations of the subject before

sending.

He wanted the superior to be open to the will of God being

revealed to him through the experience or the discernment
process of the subject
The Consciousness Examen

Jesuits are not robots. They are persons who have mind and heart
of their own.

They represent clearly to the superior what they have learnt from
their experience in the account of conscience.

A recent example:
Establishment of a English
Medium School in a rural
mission. The provincial
superior opens up to the
will of God revealed to the
individual in his personal
discernment.
Until recently most Jesuits came to know their
appointment through the news letter. Fortunately, it’s
no more the procedure.

Role of experience as a medium of communication of

God's will was down played until recently. The
authority was the principle channel of the revelation of
will of God. The account of conscience has regained its
central role in the government of the society.

The tension can lose its force and creativity in Jesuit spirituality if superiors
lose credibility as a source of finding God's will. This happens if the superior
gives into pressure or listens only to the subject etc.

From the side of Jesuits who are not superiors, the tension can lose its
creative force if they do not trust superiors and do not speak honestly with
them in the account of conscience
In the contemporary culture obedience is seen as binding (not freeing)

GC 35 D4.19: Faith in Jesus Christ teaches us that self-realization comes

from self-giving and that freedom is not so much the power to choose as
the power to order our choices toward love.

3 strands of a/c of consc.: Obedience in the Society is grounded in the

desire to be sent effectively, to serve completely, and to create ever
stronger bonds of union among ourselves. (no. 23)

We ask formators to help Jesuits in formation become progressively aware

of the demands of a life of obedience: transparency with superiors, esteem
for the account of conscience, the responsible exercise of personal
initiative, and a spirit of discernment which accepts the decisions of the
superior with good grace (no. 38).
Distinguishing examples of obedience
Titanic enthusiasts have many reasons to thank Father Frank Browne. Not
only him, but his superior who summoned him back to his duties rather than
permitting him to complete Titanic’s voyage. During his short time on board
Titanic, the 32 year old Jesuit priest captured some of the most enduring and
iconic images of the ship,
images upon which our
modern-day knowledge of the
interior of Titanic and the
atmosphere on board are
based. Father Browne’s
recall to base saved this
invaluable Titanic
photographic collection
from a watery grave.
The 4th vow described as “our beginning and principal foundation” by
Ignatius has earned the Jesuits the sobriquet “the pope’s army”

The fourth vow is prior in time to other vows. They were added to the
existing fourth vow.

The practice of the 4th vow has been the source of tension and controversy in
the history of the Society.

The problems involved in the forth vow

1. Whom to obey? The Pope, who was the sovereign, or the local king, who
often was at war with the Pope? Paul VI was especially anti Spanish and was
at war with Spain
2. In far away lands, after being sent, SJs took decisions that were not
acceptable to popes and cardinals.... E.g., The Chinese rite controversy.
Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus in 1773.

Jesuit pride, a reason why God might have wanted the

suppression of the Society… -Giulio Cordara, S.J.

After the re-establishment, The formation of these new men

tended to focus only on one side of the tensions we have been
discussing so far.
E.g., Obedience was stressed, but individual discernment of
spirits was overlooked.
The interpretation of the fourth vow tended to stress complete
loyalty to the papacy. (And not merely the obedience pertaining
to missions)
In recent times Fr. Arrupe (and the Jesuits in general) was
mistrusted by J P II. Jesuits showed extraordinary respect to J P II.

Jesuits at their best are

obedient to the pope while at
the same time not puppets that
have no minds of their own.
They believe that God's Spirit
speaks in and through all of
God's people and that the
institutions of the church,
hierarchy, religious and lay,
need to be attentive to this
voice. Their spirituality again
shows itself as one of creative
tension.
An inscription outside the Roman College read: «Scuola di Grammatica,
d’Umanità e Dottrina Cristiana, gratis».

Ignatius opted for complete poverty for the Society.

Why then are our services no more free today?

Historical developments

The request of the Viceroy of Sicily led the Jesuits to

inaugurate the first school in Messina for lay students.
Many more foundations followed.
In Ignatius’s time itself, Jesuits faced the question of how
to remain poor while doing everything possible to get the
wealthy to aid them.

Roman College ran into financial difficulties until it

was endowed by Pope Gregory XIII
Poverty was measured by the needs of the apostolate; it was not an
end in itself.
One could easily be seduced into rationalizations that allow almost any
luxury as necessary for the apostolate. But Ignatius would tell them to
remain within the tension of trying to discern how to use material goods
and money for the good of souls and not to escape from the tension by
resort to radical poverty.

After the restoration of the Society in 1814, the Society faced the daunting
task of beginning over again all its apostolic enterprises.

To support their works at home and abroad Jesuits found that

they had to take stipends for Masses offered.

The SJs appealed to the popes for a dispensation from

their vow of gratuity of education ministries, and the
dispensation was granted and was continually renewed
for over a century.
 Rediscovering the spirit of the founder

GC 31 allowed income provided it was not from a stable source

GC 31 also separated community from works

GC 32’s main focus: Faith and Justice

The institution could have endowments and receive income. But the
Jesuit communities were equated with the original meaning of “houses
of the professed” and as such could have no stable revenues from
invested capital.

“Jesuits will be unable to hear the ‘cry of the poor’ unless they
have greater personal experience of the miseries and distress of
the poor...” (Decree 12, n. 5)

“The standard of living of our houses should not be higher than

that of a family of slender means whose providers must work
hard for its support” (Decree 12, n. 7).
 Consequences foreseen by Fr. Arrupe
Just in the last 30 years, over 40
Jesuits have been murdered for
their pursuit of justice for the poor.
El Salvador provides notable
examples. In 1977 Rutilio Grande,
S.J. was killed on his way to say
Mass, a murder that seems to have
been the catalyst for the conversion
of Archbishop Oscar Romero, his
friend, to champion the cause of the
poor of that country.

We have moved from option for the poor to option to be poor.

In a recent talk given by Fr. Arana in the province assembly he
said that the gospels do not offer a choice to the disciple (If
there is no choice offered, there is no question of opting
either). A disciple by definition is to be poor.
 C[547] What pertains to the vow of chastity requires no
interpretation, since it is evident how perfectly it should be
preserved, by endeavoring to imitate therein the purity of the angels
in cleanness of body and mind. Therefore, with this presupposed,
we shall now treat of holy obedience”

Sacred Profane
Love Love

In his memoirs he recounts a vision of Mary holding the child Jesus that gave
him “a very extraordinary consolation. He was left so sickened at his whole past
life, and especially at matters of the flesh, that it seemed to him that there had
been removed from his soul all the likenesses that he had previously painted in
it. Thus, from that hour until August 1553, when this is being written, he never
again had even the slightest complicity in matters of the flesh” Autob [10]
Ignatius had close ties with women . He
lived in their houses . He corresponded
with them.

Whatever one makes of the words of the

Constitutions, it is clear that for Ignatius
the practice of the vow of chastity did not
mean the cessation of sexual attraction nor
require a physical distancing from women

Jesuits had the cultural prejudices of their

time with regard to women, but ministered
to women in the same way as they
ministered to men.

Association with the women brought a

good deal of trouble to the early Jesuits but
they did not give up ministering to them.
Cloister was rather alien concept to the
early Jesuits.

If they were to live the vow of chastity

integrally, they had to do so from an
inner core and conviction without
many external helps.

E.g., Xavier’s petition based on his

experience

The vow of chastity can be lived only

if we have the inner conviction that it
is a value. No amount of reasoning
can justify it especially in the culture
in which we live. (Luis de Diego)
There is no such thing as a spiritual conversation that
remains only on the “spiritual plane.”

In Spiritual direction all type of

topics come up. As a result, at
times, transference or
countertransferance can take
place.

Jesuits are asked to live creatively in the tension of being

faithful to their publicly-professed celibate chastity while
engaging in ministries that easily evoke emotional and
erotic impulses.
How can we manage to live our lives with integrity?

1. Falling in love chaste Christ. Jesuits make the long retreat twice.

2. Continuous spiritual direction: openness and sincerity

Profile of a novice Someone whom the novices can

master/mistress love and trust

From the part of subjects:

Jesuits in everything should
proceed in a spirit of charity,
keeping nothing exterior or
interior hidden from the
superiors …
Often we are far from the above ideal There were many precautionary
measure in place for fear of
In the 19th and 20th century, all emotional involvement.
intimacy was prohibited
Post Vat. II
In this changed cultural climate it is
no exaggeration to say that many
Jesuits had to go through the throes
of a delayed adolescence in order to
arrive at a mature living out of the The “third way”
vow of chastity.
In the turmoil of those heady years
many decided that they could not live
happily and productively as celibates
and left the Society and married.
Others stayed, but often not without
inner struggle as they discovered how
difficult it is to live the Jesuit vocation
integrally.
 Complementary Norms 144

By the vow of chastity, we devote ourselves to the Lord and to

his service in such a unique love that it excludes marriage and
any other exclusive human relationship, as well as the genital
expression and gratification of sexuality. Thus the vow entails
the obligation of complete continence in celibacy for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. Following the evangelical counsel of
chastity, we aspire to deepen our familiarity with God, our
configuration to Christ, our companionship with our brother
Jesuits, our service to our neighbors whoever they may be; and
at the same time we aspire to grow in our personal maturity and
capacity to love.

Regaining the importance of Sexual orientation and same sex

openness in the manifestation of
conscience also involves speaking
about ones emotional relationships
relationships are no more a taboo. The
proportion of homosexual men in
seminaries and religious
congregations seems to be higher than
in the population at large.
Probably, Ignatius was the first person
in the history of Christian spirituality
to perceive the Trinity as God at work-
In that way, the Trinitarian attraction
as the God who continues to work,
in Ignatius’ devotion tends to embrace
always filling up the universe and
the whole of humankind. His devotion
actively awakening the divine life in
seeks only God, not, however, only for
all things for the salvation of
himself, but rather for all his brothers
humanity. If the inspired monk
and sisters. (P.H. Kolvenhack, The
contemplates, the inspired Ignatius
Road from La Storta, 23 -24)
works — adhering with all his heart
to the designs of the Trinity, offering
himself to act in synergy with the
Trinity so that his work is for the
Trinity’s glory.
The transcendent God is also
immanent