The Spiritual Exercises is a set of Christian meditations and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola while living in a cave. It involves a four week retreat with daily activities led by a spiritual director to help the exercitent reflect on their prayers and understand how they apply to their own life. The purpose of the Exercises is to help the person conquer themselves through mortifying everything within that is not what God wants, in order to praise, reverence, and serve God above all else.

1. The Spiritual Exercises Part II

2. Basic Information Set of Christian meditations, mental exercises, and prayers. A four week (weeks varied in length) retreat written by Ignatius while he lived in the cave outside Manresa. Written from 1522-1524 Broken up into three sections. Purpose Presupposition Principle and Foundation

3. Basic Information (cont.) Ignatius administered the Spiritual Exercises 15 years before he officially became ordained. Ignatius believed the most important way to experience the Exercise was to the examen, or a spiritual self-review. Were meant for everyone and not just religious people. When lay people take the retreat they are under guidance from a spiritual director who is usually a Jesuit, BUT the director does not have to be a Jesuit.

4. Daily Activities While Taking The Retreat Prays what the spiritual director instructs them to do. Reviews the prayers. Reports back to the spiritual director after completing the assigned prayers. Spiritual director then helps the exercitent comprehend what the prayers may mean to them. Goal- reflect upon experiences and understand how they apply to the exercitent’s own life.

5. Modern Day More lay people and non-Catholics are taking the Spiritual Exercises and becoming spiritual directors. Popular among lay people in the Catholic Churches worldwide. Is an important part of the Jesuit Novice training. The Exercises are an integral part of Christian life communities.

6. Purpose The purpose of the Spiritual Exercises is to conquer yourself. You conquer yourself through mortification. Mortify- Latin for “death” So to mortify yourself means to kill everything within yourself that is not what God wants from me.

7. Presupposition To give the other person the benefit of the doubt.

8. Principle and Foundation Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. Nothing else matters in composition to this fact. What God wants from me = what my purpose in life is.

9. Week 1 “I am a loved sinner.” Chapel image: Prodigal son – Luke 15:11-32

10. Week 2 The life and ministry of Jesus. Chapel image: The great catch of fish- Luke 5:1-11

11. Week 3 The passion and death of Jesus Chapel image: Crucifix

12. Week 4 The resurrection of Jesus and its effects Chapel image: Mustard seed- Mark 4:30-34