Ignatius Loyola The Mystic

This sixteenth-century mystic, whose mission was to ignite a love of Jesus in the hearts of all, can be a companion for your own spiritual journey. Ignatius of Loyola, sixteenth-century mystic, spiritual director, and founder of the Society of Jesus, is considered to be among the greatest educators in the history of western civilization. While the Jesuits went on to establish one of the largest educational networks in the world, Ignatius's initial vision was simply "the help of souls." Even today, his writings continue to inspire Christians in their quest for a meaningful holy life. The Spiritual Exercises alone—Ignatius’s most well-known work—has guided the retreat experience of over a million Christians over nearly five centuries. This fascinating introduction to Ignatian spirituality draws from contemporary translations of original texts focusing on the practical mysticism of Ignatius of Loyola. Excerpts from The Spiritual Exercises, his autobiography, and his collected letters and instructions provide direct insights from Ignatius about the role of humility, obedience, discernment, sin and selfawareness in spiritual life. Substantive facing-page commentary illuminates Ignatius’s perspectives on many key aspects of Christian spirituality, including trusting in God, imitating Jesus and the saints, love and the common good, and much more.

Many books written about the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola are about doing, and, as a result, they can easily be perceived as checklists of things to accomplish in order to get the greatest benefit from the Exercises. By contrast, An Ignatian Pathway was written specifically to help readers enter into an experience with the Divine, an approach that amplifies the easily overlooked mystical dimension of Ignatian spirituality. In An Ignatian Pathway, Paul Coutinho, SJ, has collected more than 100 excerpts culled from all four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises, the Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola, and especially his Spiritual Journal. Each entry is followed by a short meditation written by Fr. Coutinho. As a companion to the Spiritual Exercises, An Ignatian Pathway is an ideal resource for anyone who wants to experience and deepen the mystical and transforming graces in the Exercises, as well as for any “student” of Ignatian spirituality who desires a fuller and richer experience with God.

This book is a revision and condensation of a doctoral dissertation which its author wrote under the direction of the well-known Father Karl Rahner at the University of Münster. It focuses on the importance of St. Ignatius’ small book, the Spiritual Exercises, as a source of theological investigation. Thus it stems from Rahner’s own “conviction,” as he states in his foreword, “that the real theological (and not only the spiritual) significance of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises . . . presents a non-yet accomplished task to today’s theology.” Absorbing, synthesizing, and completing past studies on the Exercises, Father Egan summarizes the finding of modern scholars such as Przwara, Fessard, Karl Rahner, Hugo Rahner, Marxer, Cusson, Gil, Bakker, and Gonzalez de Mendoza—all hitherto relatively unavailable in English—and then presents his own fresh viewpoint. His quest is for Ignatius’ mystical horizon, “the lived internal unity, . . . the roots of all of Ignatius’ experiences, knowledge, and love.” Applying the contemporary methodology in theology to the study of the Ignatian Exercises, the author offers a penetrating and comprehensive treatment of Ignatius’ “consolation without previous cause,” of the “Three Times of Election,” including intellectual and affective discernment, the trinitarian dimensions of the Exercises, and other important Ignatian themes. The book is scholarly and extensively documented and seems to be the most comprehensive and up to date theological commentary in English on the Exercises. One experienced critic has called it “one of the greatest contributions to the present commentary on the Exercises.”

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, one of the great masterpieces of the Christian canon, today continues to offer some of the most accessible and insightful guidance for going on retreat -- whether as a part of a group or by oneself. Based on the rich fruit of St. Ignatius' own meditations and practice, this guide for spiritual perfection has been treasured and faithfully used for centuries by members of the saint's Jesuit order and by millions more. Divided into four weeks of reflections and four key meditations -- on the Kingdom of God, the Two Standards (of Christ and Satan), the Three Classes of Men, and the Three Modes of Humility -- the whole retreat has at its center the emulation of Christ. Retreat masters, retreatants, and readers will benefit particualrly from Anthony Mottola's new translation, which renders the timeless masterpiece into language both accessible and faithful to St. Ignatius' original expression and spirit. The Exercises have been universally recognized as a brilliant and inspired guide to the development of a deeper Christian spirituality ever since St. Ignatius completed them in 1533. Great saints -- as well as countless religious and lay people -- have been spiritually shaped through their dedicated use. This four-week system of meditation and prayer continues to be the very backbone of Ignatian retreats, where earnest seekers come to examine their lives, contemplate the future, face decisions, and revitalize their souls. Both religious and lay people make Ignatian retreats to renew their Christian dedication and enthusiasm, but even those who cannot make such retreats have profited greatly from a careful reading of the Exercises.