Eight Books for Giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola: A Comparison

 What books are available to use in giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius? Here lists 8 books you may look to consider using either for the 30 day or the 18th or 19th.

 

What do the Spiritual Exercises contain?

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is manual with exercises to be carried out by an exercitant with counsel from a spiritual director. The structure of the guidebook of the spiritual exercises opens with 20 introductory explanations and a statement of purpose of the exercises is to help one discard disordered attachments and through this means to order one’s life towards God without coming to a decision from such attachments that are pleasing more to the self than to God.

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The Spiritual Exercises consist of meditations on the mysteries (50) in scripture on the life of Christ and 4 main exercises the Call of Christ the King, The Two Standards (Christ and Satan), and the Three Classes of Persons which fosters an adherence of the heart to total commitment to God. While the exercise Three Ways of Humility is called a consideration.

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How are the Exercises Divided?

The Exercises are Divided into 4 Dynamic Phases called “Weeks”

·    The first week consists of exercises that are characteristic of the purgative way, the purification of the soul frees so as one advances toward God.

·    The second-week present exercises proper to the movement of the illuminative was -with the acquiring of virtues in the imitation of Christ where we are called to participate with Him in spreading His kingdom.

·    The third and fourth weeks have the contemplative characteristics of the unitive or perfective way with activities to establish a habitual and intimate union with God through Christ. We associate closely with Christ in his suffering in the third week and its joy in the fourth week. 

·    The Exercise concludes with a Contemplation to increase one’s love of God.

 

 

 

Of the texts listed here each has a slightly different focus.

 

These 3 books for the Director are the structured numbered manuals.

In 1928 the exercises were divided into 370 numbered sections for research and are found in all the texts used today for cross referencing. They have become standard and universally used.

1. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Based upon the Studies in the Language of the Autograph (No commentary). Translated and Edited by Louis J.Puhl, SJ 1951

This manual is a text translated by Father Puhl has no commentary for the Director or the retreatant. It is the one that has been reproduced by Bishop Barron in his Ignatian Collection series. It is used by directors as a reference in giving the 30 Day Retreat, there are no handouts or commentary within the book. It is not designed for a retreatant to use.

 

2. Draw Me Into Your Friendship: The Spiritual Exercises: A Literal Translation & Contemporary Reading (For Directors to share the Contemporary for Retreatants) by David L. Fleming, SJ

Fleming’s text uses the same content as Puhl and Ganass (the numbered manual) while having on the left page the Literal Version and on the right page the Contemporary Reading.  There are no end notes for studying. Helpful for the director for added explanations or for meditation.

 

3. The Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius of Loyola - A Translation and Commentary by George Ganss, SJ 1991 (Commentary for the Directors)

 

The text by Ganass is the manual with an explanatory introductory with the middle section ( the manual)  and the 3rd section has extensive end notes which are excellent study material for the Director in giving the 30 Day or the 19th or 18th.

 

These texts listed above would be for those who have finished the exercises when they are ready to study to offering the Exercises.

 

 

Three books written for the Director and Retreatant

These two books by one by O’Brien and Tetlow have taken from the 1928 numbered English translation have been written for giving the 19th and 18th annotation versions for Retreats in Everyday Life.

 

1. The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life by Kevin O-Brien, SJ ( For the Retreatant to use best under a Director)

 

O’Brien’s text is written for the retreatant to use, it is a contemporary version using all of the content of the Full Exercises with minor exceptions. Instead of 30 days, it’s 30 + weeks. It is designed to be used in conjunction with one’s spiritual director. It also provides a section for the disposition days which are given to determine of one is ready to enter into the Exercises. It flows with commentary for the retreatant that is easily understood.

 

O’Brien’s book is used today for it takes into account the fullness of the Exercise’s including the mysteries and exercises*, notes on methods of prayer, discernment, and prayer periods . 

Only in a few places he either added or did not add in several scriptural versus from Puhl’s. He notes throughout the book (using SE#) for one to locate in other books when studying.

2. Choosing Christ in the World: Directing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. According to Annotations Eighteen and Nineteen. A Handbook by Joseph A. Teltow, SJ (For the Director to use and distribute handouts to the Retreatants)

Tetlow’s Choosing Christ is for the director on what to do each of days with notes and commentary with handouts to give to the retreatant. Since it takes into account the full exercises (19th) and the abbreviated retreat (18th) the director has discretion to use based upon the retreatant knowledge base and experiences.

3. Finding Christ in the World: A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday Life by Joseph Tetlow, SJ and Carol Atwell Ackels ( For the Retreatants in a group workshop) 

Tetlow’s Finding Christ in the World is the 18th Workbook for the Retreatant to use.

 

 

 

The following two are a 30 Day Retreat

 

1. A Do it at Home Retreat: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

         By Andre Ravier, SJ

This book is designed to be done within 30 day it’s an intensive at home retreat based. I believe it was written for those who have graduate level formation and experience in prayer (priests, religious and lay ministers) and have a life style that allows for a few hours consistently over a month period.  

 

The format used by the author is following the original autograph’ structure (i.e. first points, second points, with numbered explanations) of the 30 days; and woven in each day are the author’s expanded notes. The first 56 pages have explanations on the prayer formats, then followed by 30 days.  One needs to study given material for each day – its steps, directions on how and what to pray with, specifically what to apply one’s senses to etc. then go into prayer.

 (It is not an Everyday Retreat).

 

 

2. Retreat with the Lord: A Popular Guide to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. By John A. Hardon, SJ

This is a ‘guided’ retreat of the Exercises. Taking 30 days /4 weeks as format the author has pastoral insights with scriptures and quotes from saints (90 of them) on different ‘meditations’ taken from the original autograph. It is a resource for retreatants to use and recommends one to be in touch with a spiritual director. Its contemporary with catechesis.