Spiritual Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises is a process developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola for growing one's relationship with God and connecting faith to daily life. Traditionally practiced as a 30-day retreat, the exercises have been adapted in various ways to more easily integrate with a lay person's schedule.
We offer the Exercises in the daily life format in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more...
We offer the Exercises in the daily life format in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more...
Key Insights
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Ignatian Spirituality
The Exercises incorporate many aspects, practices, and prayers that make up Ignatian spirituality. Four Weeks
The Exercises are structured into a progression of four "weeks" or focus areas. They move from focus on God's love (and our sin), the call to discipleship, Christ's Passion, and the Resurrection experience. |
Discernment
The Exercises include tools for decision-making, including seeking indifference to the outcome, discernment of spirits, good times for decision-making, and seeking confirmation. |
Prayer
We are invited to pray in various ways through the exercises, including a meditation (around thoughts and concepts) and contemplation (around feelings and imagination). |
Quotations
By the term "Spiritual Exercises" is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of of vocal and mental prayer, and of other spiritual activities that will be mentioned later. For just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and running are bodily exercises, so we call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul. St. Ignatius of Loyola
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The purpose of the Spiritual Exercises has been described in many ways. St. Ignatius says they are intended to help on discover one's true self and to put such order into one's life that all decisions will be made free of any unhealthy attachments. Some interpret this to mean that the Exercises are a process of reformation. Others say it is a school of prayer. Still others say that the Exercises are a process of decision-making. All of these are, in some ways, true. Lawrence L. Gooley, SJ
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First week. The first week of the Exercises is a time of reflection on our lives in light of God’s boundless love for us. We see that our response to God’s love has been hindered by patterns of sin. We face these sins knowing that God wants to free us of everything that gets in the way of our loving response to him. The first week ends with a meditation on Christ’s call to follow him. |
Books
Retreat in the Real World: Finding Intimacy with God Wherever You Are
Andy Alexander SJ, Maureen McCann Waldron, Larry Gillick SJ, Don Doll SJ What if you could experience a personal retreat in the truest sense of the word personal: on your own time, in your own way, in a location of your choosing? With Retreat in the Real World by Andy Alexander, SJ, and Maureen McCann Waldron, a personal Ignatian retreat is literally no farther away than your fingertips. This 34-week retreat can be started at any point in the calendar year, can be done anywhere, and can be experienced on your own or in conjunction with others. Each of the weeks includes background information, a simple reflection, prayer helps, and Scripture readings, along with beautiful photography by Don Doll, SJ. This highly popular personal retreat was originally offered online through Creighton University's Online Ministries. (Amazon) 
Finding God in All Things: A Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
William A. Barry, SJ Dispelling the myth that spiritual retreats are only for those who can get away for an extended time, seasoned spiritual director William A. Barry, S.J., shares his unique understanding of the Spiritual Exercises and demonstrates how they can benefit the ordinary person's relationship with God. Finding God in All Things gives new life to the spirituality of St. Ignatius and illuminates the transforming power of the Exercises. With over 50,000 copies sold of the first edition, this timely new edition offers today's readers a clear presentation of the themes and contemporary practice of this classic spiritual retreat. (Amazon) |
The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed: Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women
Katherine Marie Dyckman, Mary Garvin, Elizabeth Liebert The Spiritual Exercises often seem irrelevant or even destructive to many women's spirituality. This groundbreaking work reclaims the heart of the Exercises by examining them through the lens of women's experience--both women of the past to understand their presence during the formative years of the Exercises, but primarily women of the present. In doing so the authors have rediscovered the riches of this classic for both genders.The book first reviews the major traditional interpretations of the Exercises and gives a historical view of the women in Ignatius' life and their role in the Exercises. The text itself is examined--how it is entered, its worldview, and its recommended forms of prayer. The four weeks of the Exercises are broken into the problems and possibilities of each; suggestions for each are also given for spiritual and retreat directors. The Exercises are finally examined for those aspects that support moving outward on one's mission. The book ends with a morality play called AnyWoman that gives a dramatic spin to the whole process. The first of its kind, this is deeply meaningful reading for both men and women, particularly those making the Exercises, those giving them, and anyone who has attempted the Exercises but resisted the images, metaphors, or interpretations. Retreat and spiritual directors, other educators, retreatants and directees will also want a copy. (Amazon) 
To Walk With Christ: Praying With the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
Laurence L. Gooley, SJ (Amazon) |
The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life
Kevin O'Brien, SJ There is no better guide than St. Ignatius Loyola if one desires to discover how faith and everyday life can thrive together. In The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O’Brien, SJ, follows St. Ignatius’s lead and offers today’s time-strapped individual a unique way of “making” the Spiritual Exercises in daily life. The first part of O’Brien’s book provides helpful background information, including a brief history of St. Ignatius, an explanation of the Spiritual Exercises and their purpose, and a description of different ways to make the Exercises. The book’s core offers 32 weeks of prayer and meditations to draw participants into a deeper encounter with God. But what truly sets this book apart from other 19th annotations is how O’Brien has woven throughout the chapters his own personal accounts of living out the Exercises in everyday life. Through his deeply moving stories, readers discover how the Exercises intersect with the real world. The Ignatian Adventure is an ideal resource for spiritual directors, but its user-friendly, down-to-earth style also makes it perfect for any individual seeking a deeper life of prayer. (Amazon) 
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life
James Martin, SJ St. Ignatius to the Rescue! St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, was known for his practical spirituality. Now, Father James Martin translates Ignatius's insights for a modern audience, revealing how we can find God in our everyday lives in often surprising ways. Includes a new reading group guide and bonus material. (Amazon) |
Resources
We highly recommend the excellent Spiritual Exercises page on IgnatianSpirituality.com, which has many articles, videos, and audio files in support of the spiritual exercises:
Organizations & Websites
The Spiritual Exercises Blog
Daily retreat meditations in the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola. |
An Online Retreat
Creighton University What if you could experience a personal retreat in the truest sense of the word personal: on your own time, in your own way, in a location of your choosing? This 34-week retreat can be started at any point in the calendar year, can be done anywhere, and can be experienced on your own or in conjunction with others. |
Parish Ideas
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Offer the Exercises in Daily Life
Many parishes have offered the exercises in various "daily life" formats. One is 30 weekly meetings, each corresponding to a day in 30-day format (per Ignatius' 19th annotation), preferably corresponding to the lectionary cycle. Other formats call for meeting less frequently. We offer the Exercises in the daily life format in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more... |