Volume I, Treatise V, Chapter XXVII

Of Some Advertisements Which Will Help Us to Derive Still Greater Advantage from the Spiritual Exercise

Tat we may derive still greater profit from the spiritual exercise, and, as we have said, reap more fruit from it, we must know that, before we set ourselves to prayer, we must not only prepare, and resolve upon the points we are to meditate on, but upon the fruit also we ought to reap from thence. In the same manner, before we begin the exercise, we must beforehand foresee and determine the profit we ought toderive from it. For | this end it is necessary, before we enter into any retreat, that we take an exact review of ourselves; and ponder at leisure, and say each to himself; what is my greatest spiritual necessity? To what does my corrupt nature feel the strongest inclination? What is my most irregular passion, and the worst of those bad habits I have contracted? Wherein have I most of all endangered my soul? Which of my imperfections does most of all offend or scandalise my brethren? Behold here an excellent -method to prepare ourselves for the spiritual exercise: and when, after an exact discussion and examination, we have found out what we sought for, we must always set it before our eyes, either to procure it in perfection, if it be a virtue; or entirely to correct it, if it beé a vice. So that in these retreats, we must not propose either the raising ourselves to a sublime contemplation, cr imagine that therein our chief aim must be the enjoying a strict communication with God; for it may so happen that, even during this time, we may have more distractions, more disquiet, and more frequent and violent temptations, than we had amidst the impediments of worldly employments. We must, therefore, chiefly have regard to the fruit we are to reap, as I have before signified, and take all pins possible to gather it; and, if we do this, we shall have made a profitable and pious retreat, though, perhaps, we have not felt therein all the fervour and devotion we desired or expected. But if we do not compass this, though we should be elevated to such a pitch of devotion, as to be continually dissolved in tears, yet we shall find we shall have lost our time; because it is not this feeling of tenderness, but the care of our amendment, and progress in virtue, which should have been our chief end and aim.

It will also conduce extremely to our advancement, if we help ourselves by the method which St. Ignatius would have us always make use of in prayer; which is, that having made our prayer for an hour, we afterwards spend one quarter, or thereabouts, standing or sitting, in making our reflection upon it, and taking account how we have behaved ourselves the preceding hour. When we find we have performed it ill, we must seek out the cause, and examine, whether it proceeds from our not having prepared the points well? Whether we have not entertained ourselves in vain and extravagant thoughts? Whether we have not permitted ourselves to be overcome by sleep; or to fall into a kind of drowsiness or languor of heart? Whether we have not rested too long in speculations of the understanding, and neglected to excite fervorous affections of the will? Whether we performed it with all that purity of intention we ought; but rather sought the sweetness of consolations, than the accomplishment of the divine will? After we have thus made an exact discussion or examen, and discovered in what we have failed, we must presently ask pardon for our defects, and make a firm resolution to correct them for the future; and, on the contrary, if we find that our conscience does not reproach us with any neglect, we must give due thanks to God, and purpose hereafter to behave in prayer after the same manner. This instruction is of very great importance; because, by means of this examen, we shall come to know by experience in what we are defective, and we shall correct it; and in what we have been so happy as to succeed, that we may persevere therein; and thus we shall gain the spirit of discretion and discipline which experience will teach us. On this account St. Ignatius considers this examen to be well calculated to form and make spiritual masters, not only in the science of prayer, but also in all other sciences which regard or relate to the direction of souls. For, in the fourth part of his Constitutions he says, that when a confessor has heard any one’s confession, it will be a very great help to him, especially in the beginning, to reflect presently upon it, that he may see in what he has been defective; and that, by correcting himself the next. time, he may derive advantage from his own faults. The examen of prayer was appointed for the same end; and it is also the first thing we must do after we have ended it. The second thing, which is as important as this, is to take notice what the fruit is that we reap from our meditation; and thereupon produce new acts of the will, by resuming, in a few words, the substance of what we had said in many; whence we draw consequences and deductions, and make a kind of epilogue. Moreover, we cannot better know what opinion our holy founder had of prayer; and of how great importance he thought it was to make it well, and carefully to correct the faults we commit in it, than by seeing that he was not content with our having only the ordinary help of our examens at noon and at night, but would have us also, immediately after prayer, to make a particular examen thereof. And this examen is of so great importance, that if we foresee we shall not have time to make it after our prayer, we must take part of the time of our prayer to make it in.

We may add here another very profitable advice, which is to write down very briefly the fruit we have reaped from prayer; the good thoughts we had; the Pious resolutions we made; and the lights we received from God in it; as well concerning those virtues we proposed to ourselves the gaining of, as about the mysteries upon which we meditated. This was the practice of St. Ignatius and Father Fabri, and we have even some of those things they wrote upon this subject. St. Francis Xaverius also advised us to practise the same method; the directory of the spiritual exercises counsels it; and Father Aquaviva, our general, in his writings has very particularly recommended the same. Besides, by this means the good desires and resolutions we make are more perfected, and take deeper root, and make deeper impression on our heart; and experience also will teach us, that when at another time we come to read them over again they will be of great profit to us; for being the very sentiments we had before, and which then touched and moved us, they will move us with a far greater facility afterwards than others, and we shall find ourselves excited to produce the same acts again with greater promptitude than before. But if we go not so far as heretofore we did, we shall have at least a greater confusion to find we are not the same now we were then, and that we go back instead of advancing; and by this means we either do our endeavours to come to the same point, or we supply our defects by that holy shame and confusion we suffer for coming so much short of our former perfection. Thus, either the one way or the other, it must needs be very profitable; but above all, in time of the spiritual exercise or retreat.

’ In the last place I say, if it be at all times good, as I shall have occasion to prove in another place, to render an account of conscience and prayer to some spiritual director, it is more particularly to be rendered in time of our retreat; and some persons, because they will not subject themselves hereunto, often reap not from the spiritual exercise that fruit which otherwise they would have reaped.

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