The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Written by the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is a powerful book. Derived mostly from St. Ignatius' conversion experiences in 1521-3, Spiritual Exercises has provided guidance and encouragement to its readers for several hundred years. The aim of Spiritual Exercises is to assist people in finding God's will for their life, and to give them the motivation and courage to follow that will. It is a program of sorts, containing a collection of thoughts, rules, encouragements, readings, meditations, prayers, warnings, and notes. It is organized into four "weeks," or periods of time, with each week focusing upon a different theme--the first, human sin; the second, Christ's life on earth; the third, Christ's death on the cross; the fourth, Christ's risen life. Although more profitably worked through with another person or spiritual director, Spiritual Exercises can be extremely beneficial for private personal study. -Tim Perrine, CCEL Staff Writer