Summary
Summary of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Reflection prepares the way for choice
Ignatius of Loyola turned toward God during a long recovery after a cannonball broke his leg in battle. The Exercises grew from that change of direction and offer guidance both for making a retreat and for leading others through one.
The method brings together meditation, imaginative prayer, daily self-review and counsel on temptation. These practices help a person slow down, look honestly at life and choose a direction with a clear head. Reflection is meant to shape how a person lives.
Key idea 2
Purpose gives everything else its place
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Key idea 3
Honest sorrow makes room for mercy
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Key idea 4
Following Christ brings motives into view
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Key idea 5
Shared sorrow opens into grateful love
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Key idea 6
Inner movements need careful attention
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Key idea 7
Prayer grows through practice and experience
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Key idea 8
Keep habits that guide daily choices
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Go deeper: the whole of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
About 4 h to read.Who it’s for
For anyone facing a big choice, curious about Christian prayer, or planning or guiding a retreat. Readers drawn to imaginative meditation, daily self-review, and the inner movements behind decisions will find practical guidance here.
What this book is
The Spiritual Exercises here offers an eight-day retreat followed by six triduums, written by Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque soldier who became a priest and the founder of the Jesuits. He began it in 1522 and 1523 at Manresa in Spain, after a cannonball broke his leg in battle and a long recovery turned his life toward God. This volume offers guidance both for making a retreat and for leading others through one.
What does it give you? A tested method for slowing down, looking honestly at your life, and choosing a direction with a clear head. It offers meditations, ways of praying with imagination, daily habits of self-review, and counsel on resisting temptation. Believers have used it for nearly five centuries, but its tools for decision and attention are plain enough for anyone to study. Let us begin with the starting point, the idea that everything else rests on.
In this summary
- 1Begin by knowing what you are forFree
- 2Face your failings without despair
- 3Follow Christ and learn to choose
- 4Stay with Christ through death and new life
- 5Learn to read your own inner movements
- 6A method for prayer and a lasting influence
Key point 1 of 6
Begin by knowing what you are for
The Exercises open with a short statement called the Principle and Foundation. Ignatius claims that human beings are made to praise, reverence and serve God, and that everything else on earth is made to help them do this. Health, wealth, work and status are tools, not goals. A tool is worth using only as far as it helps the purpose.
From this comes the idea Ignatius calls indifference. He does not mean coldness or not caring. He means being inwardly free, so that you do not demand health over sickness, or a long life over a short one. You want only what leads you best toward your purpose.
This freedom matters because the retreat aims at serving God with greater love. Private likes and dislikes can keep people from doing what they know is right. It is like clearing a table before you lay out your plans.
The book also sets out a few ground rules. The retreatant should come with a generous heart and spend long hours in silence. The book presents the Holy Spirit as the chief guide. A teacher explains the exercises, but the retreatant must also reflect, pray and respond. For a modern reader, the lesson is simple: before you decide how to live, ask what your life is for.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What does Ignatius mean by indifference?
Right. “He means being inwardly free, so that you do not demand health over sickness, or a long life over a short one.”Not quite. “He means being inwardly free, so that you do not demand health over sickness, or a long life over a short one.”
How does Ignatius teach the retreatant to pray with Gospel scenes?
Right. “You enter the story, see the people, hear their words and watch what they do.”Not quite. “You enter the story, see the people, hear their words and watch what they do.”
What does Ignatius advise during desolation?
Right. “In desolation, remain in meditation a little longer than the assigned hour.”Not quite. “In desolation, remain in meditation a little longer than the assigned hour.”
Go deeper: the whole of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
About 4 h to read.About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 60,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
What is the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius about?
It is a guide to a month of prayer that leads a person through reflection on sin, the life of Christ, the Passion and the Resurrection, so that they can make a wise choice about how to live.
Who wrote the Spiritual Exercises and when?
Ignatius of Loyola began writing it around 1522 and 1523 at Manresa in Spain and added nothing to the text afterward. Pope Paul III approved the text in 1548.
Is the Spiritual Exercises meant to be read like a normal book?
No. It was written for a guide who leads another person through a retreat. Reading it straight through is possible.
What is discernment of spirits in the Exercises?
Ignatius uses it to help people make sound choices.
How long is the full Spiritual Exercises retreat?
The full retreat lasts about thirty days, divided into four weeks.
