Paul
C. DeCelles and M.F. Sparrow's guide to the spiritual exercises of St.
Ignatius, Burning With Love for God, provides rich insight into the ways
of God and the spiritual dimensions of love, decisions, and relationships. Ignatius' original plan was to challenge a
new believer in Christ to make a 30-day retreat to discern his calling and
state in life, and specifically whether he was called by God to join the order.
The framework and methods can be adapted to any believer at any stage of faith,
and in any circumstance of life. The primary objective can be seen as
empowering the individual, by encouraging a love-relationship with Christ, to
be freed from both the bondage of sin and inordinate attachments, so that they
can make decisions together with a single will.
Detailed
advice addresses many different aspects of the Ignatian retreat; some have been
the subject of entire books on their own. The integrated impact of all of these
dimensions is intended to produce a fundamental change in the individual's
life, even if not choosing to become a Jesuit. After thirty days, a person will
have formed the habit of turning to Jesus and discussing with Him as a friend
every situation, every decision. Sadly, in modern times, few can spend this
much time in seclusion. Hence, each individual believer desiring such a
lifestyle must adapt these time-proven principles to their own situation.
Three
types of love - implemental, semi-personal, and personal - span the range of
how people love God. Some love Him for what He does for them, such as saving,
forgiving, protecting and providing for them. Some love Him because of His
divine attributes, for example, His perfect love, His unblemished holiness, the
beauty of His glory. The meditations' goal is to inspire in us love of God
based on who we have found Him to be through personal relationship. The
meditations' essence is dedicated contemplation of one of the gospel stories
about Jesus, bringing them to life through visualization in our mind's eye of
the scene, surroundings, actions, and words of all of the participants. The
emotional impact of these visualization opens the door to an affective response
to the words and actions of Christ. A colloquy establishes the habit of
speaking to the Lord as a friend and hearing His voice. And thus, a personal
relationship with Him is built.
The
traditional religious paradigm is: God commands, we obey. This is so ingrained
into our lives and church culture that to suggest the following is usually
viewed as heresy. Just as a child grows from obeying his parents to an
adulthood of marriage and making decisions jointly with his or her spouse, so
God wants us to grow from merely obeying His commands to jointly making
decisions with Him. This is not simply 'my will is to do His will', nor 'His
will becomes my will', and certainly not 'I can persuade Him to do my will',
but that that through the relationship, we have a joint, merged, indivisible
will, because our desires are inextricably fused.
Since
this ideal is rarely achieved, the authors explain three decision paradigms. A
first-time decision is the direct, unmistakable word of God to our own heart
and mind, without prior interaction, of His will for us. We know for certain
the first time He speaks, and we make the decision. A second-time decision is
based on a series of consolations and desolations, considering how the Lord is
speaking to our spirit about the different aspects of a decision, and weighing
them until we get a clear sense. A third-time decision is based on a rational
assessment of the pros and cons of various courses of action, considered in the
light of God's word and the advice of Godly counsellors. None of these models
is superior, as God decides which path of decision-making He will lead us.
Other
books have expounded on the Ignatian approach to the discernment of spirits.
Every believer needs to test the spirits (1 John 4:1) and every believer
experiences spiritual consolation and desolations. Ignatius' agere contra
strategy is not the only tool for spiritual warfare, but it is effective. Try
it out (reviewer's example) - every time a driver tailgates or cuts you off, pray fervently for his
salvation. He likely won't start driving like an angel, but you have put a
stake in the ground that Satan does not like. A much more challenging
discernment is of false consolation that may confuse us, as the devil can
masquerade as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14) This remains one of the most
difficult discernments in the Christian life, as even Ignatius wrestled with it
in the well-known story of seeking the Lord's will on the exact nature of the
vow of poverty that Jesuits were to live.
The
bottom line is that every Christian is called to love as God loves, and we
ought to strive to.