Synopsis "An Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality for Lay Persons"
After being nearly killed in battle about five hundred years ago, the young soldier Ignacio de Loyola had a mystic experience which changed his life. He began helping others find God in their lives. To develop his method, Ignacio started keeping a small notebook. Over the years, these notes grew into his spiritual classic, Spiritual Exercises, which became the cornerstone of today's Ignatian Spiritual tradition. This present booklet introduces this spiritual tradition to today's lay person. It contains three main sections: a) some basic concepts; b) three simple exercises to incorporate into daily life, some exercises encountered on an Ignatian retreat, and the practice of having a personal spiritual companion; c) how to incorporate this spiritual vitality into one's couple or family and into prayer groups. This is mainly a workbook; short, inexpensive, wide margins, space at the back for personal notes. It is designed to be used up, underlined, highlighted, marked with personal notes and comments, put to practical effect, not to adorn a library shelf. If, indeed, the booklet is used this way, it will soon be outgrown. For those wishing to go deeper, it concludes with additional references, including some useful websites. The booklet is a helpful tool for three distinct uses: a) to introduce Ignatian spirituality to a layperson interested in developing a spiritual dimension in his or her life; b) to establish a common understanding of what is Ignatian spirituality within a lay prayer group (such as a CLC-CVX group); and c) to organize the systematic training in basic Ignatian spirituality skills for a specific group (such as a Retreat in Daily Life, or Annotation 19, group). This booklet is also available in French and Spanish.
