Hermann Rodriguez Osorio

SPIRITUAL ACCOMPANIMENT
DURING THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
ACCORDING TO ST. IGNATIUS OF
LOYOLA

I n t r o d u ct io n

A st o r y. Th e r e once was a shepherd who had many sheep in his fold.

E v e r y night, after walking with his flock through the hills and mountain s ,
the shepherd guided his sheep along the path to the corr al w h e r e they
were safely protected from the dangers of night. The corral, w h ich had 73
been constructed many years earlier, had a small openin g – j u s t the size
through which each sheep could pass. O n e evening, unbeknownst to the
shepherd, one of th e s h e ep decided to flee the enclosure by setting off
along the same path in the d ar k ening night. The sheep enjoyed the
evening landscape and the calm b r e e ze that blew through the fields
surrounded by silence and solitude. But this happiness was short-lived.
Little by little the sheep began to realize that he was unable to return
unaided to the fold. He knew that he was lost and began to search for a
way back amidst the ever growing dark n e s s . D istressed and anxious, the
sheep bleated loudly, only to result in the calling attention to the w o lv es
that w e r e h u n t ing in search of an easy prey. The wolves’ howling grew
nearer and panic began to overtake the hopelessly lost sheep. Jus t w h en
tragedy seemed imminent the she pherd appeared, gathered the sheep and

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carried him back to the fold. Even though everyone urged t h e s h epherd
1
to fix the opening in the fence, he did nothing .
So me P r e limin ar y Re f le ct io n s

Although there are many messages in this simple story, it is worth

emphasizing the same relationship that exists between thos e w h o make
the Spiritual Exercises and the person who directs th e m – an experience
that must be defined b y f r e e d o m. If the fold is the place where the
Spiritual Exercises are realized and the shepher d is the spiritual director,
there must be no relationsh ip o f dependency between the retreatant and
the director. Spirit u al d irectors do not own the path that the retreatant
follows, rather one must be free to choose fro m amo n g t h e many possible
alternatives available at any given moment. Of course, a good dire ctor
must warn anybody making t he Spiritual Exercises of possible dangers
and pitfalls, cautioning the retreatant to avoid the hungry wolves that
lin g er about during the dark nights of desolation along the spiritual pat h .
But one must never force an o ther to follow a path that he or she does not
f reely choose, although perhaps even when wrong. What is important is
that retreatan t s d is co v e r their own errors through personal spiritual
experiences and that they freely make their own decisions.
F r e q u e ntly the “person who gives to another a method and order for
meditation or contemplation” (SpEx 2) may want to gu id e others in the
Exercises according t o h is o r her own experience, thereby running the risk
of not allowing others to recognize their own unique experie n ce o f God.
Saint Ignatius even warned against this as he reminds:

No mistake is more harmful than when teachers of spiritual things

want only to guide others according to the ir co unsel alone and by
thinking that that which is good for themselves is good for all
2
others .

Our goal here is thus to enlighten th o s e who act as spiritual directors for
others and to highlight – so as to avoid – some of t h e po s sible errors that
can occur in the process of spiritual direction during an exper ie nce of the
Spiritual Exercises. We will review the recommendations left by Saint
Ignatius in the text of the Exercis e s an d in other sources that can
contribute to this process.

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Th e A n n o t at io n s o f t h e Spir it u al E x e r cis e s

An ordered life. The Annotations at the be g inning of the Spiritual

Exercises reveal important insights of Saint Ignatius garnered from his own
spiritual expe r ie n ce . They are not lofty, intellectual recommendations
issued forth from the Saint’s desk, rather they stem from Ign at iu s ’ r e al and
lived experience of his own journey and search for the will of God in his
o w n lif e. Fr. Luis Gonçalvez, one of the Jesuits most close to Sain t
Ignatius during his later years, writes in his Me m o r i al about the ways in
which the founder intensely lived precisely that w h ich h e h imself
proposed in his writings about the Exercises:
One thing I knowingly remember is how often I observed that
Father [Ignatius], in his whole way of proceeding o b e y e d exactly
all the rules of the exercises, for it seems as if they were first
planted within his soul, and that the rules came from his own
3
interior actions.

They are, essentially, the rules and norms that the same Ignatius followed
in his daily lif e and that had been formed during his experience of
directing others in the Spiritual Exercises. Furthermore, Gonçalve z d e
Câmara relates how these principles of Master Ignatiu s began to formulate
as a way of guiding others who were also beginning to dir e ct t h e Spiritual
Exercises:
Father [Ignatius] said that h e w an ted to create a Directory of how
the Exercises were to be given, and that Polanco should ask him
about any dou b t s he had at any time, because in matters regarding
4
the Exercises he wouldn’t need much time in order to respond .

The function of the Annotations in the whole of the Exercises. Th e s ame

title Saint Ignatius gives to these pract ical guidelines highlights their
function within the body of the Exercises: “Introducto r y e xplanations (or

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Annotations) to gain some understanding o f the Spiritual Exercises which

5
follow, and to the one who is to receive them” (SpEx 1 ) . Sain t Ignatius
is conscious that they do not say it all, rather that t h e y ar e instructions
meant to be adapted to the particular circumstance s g iv e n t o this
experience.

He highlights the most important recommendations as much for the

d irector as for the one making the Exercises. It should also be remem-
bered, nevertheless, as Fr. Peter-Hans Kolv e nbach reminded us in a
conference last year, that there ar e four actors, or partners, in the
Exercises: “God, Ignatius, the one who g ives and the one who makes the
6
Exercises.” Re f e r r in g t o t h e r e lationship between these last two,
Kolvenbach stresses:

So it is that in the A n n o t at io ns, Ignatius’ great preoccupation is to

maintain a communicat io n between the one who gives and the
one who receives Exe r cis e s that shifts between reserve and warmth.
The reserve – for instance, in a sufficient detachme n t w hile one
gives the mysteries o f t he life of Christ in a brief and summary way,
precisely so as not to hinder th e Spir it, who gives greater spiritual
savor an d pr o fit (SpEx 2).The reserve, again – in the impartiality
w it h w hich one probes and learns every detail of the Exercis e s
when the one who is r eceiving them is not moved by the Spirit
(SpEx 6). The reserve – engendered by the fact of not having any
information ab o u t what is still to come (SpEx 11). The reserve –
unavoidable when the on e giving Exercises, who is elsewhere
recognize d for allowing full liberty, intervenes authoritatively to
fight against temptations that risk hindering the Spirit (SpE x 13), or
to temper enth u s ias m and fervor not of the Spirit (SpEx 14), or
above all to adapt the Spiritual Exercises to suit the real abilities of
each one who makes them (SpE x 18). This reserve is indispensable
in keeping the r e lat ionship between the one who gives and the
one who receives the Exercises open to the activity of t h e o t h er
7
two actors – God and Ignatius.

But t h is “reserve” should not translate into a type of therapeutic distance,

a relationship void of internal movements and feelings, as in psychother-

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apy. Rather, a spiritual g u id e of the Exercises should create a comfortable

working environment with sufficient “warmth” that may facilitate a closer
encounter with God:

On the other hand, the reserve must not obstruct warmth. The
warmth of showing oneself gentle and g o o d , giving strength and
courag e for what is to come. The warmth of revealing for the
exercitant the play of evil s pirits as they move to hinder the good
Spirit that leads one to dispose oneself and to prepare for the
consolation to come (SpEx 7 ). Warmth, too, in wholly accepting
the exercitant in all of h is capacities, in all of his vital energies, to
direct him to God the actor, in the rhythm of the experience of
Ignatius, als o an actor (SpEx 18). Warmth in an accompaniment
that discloses the impasses and the mistaken ro u t e s , for not every
route leads t o God (SpEx
10). Warmth in the shared
listening to t he work of to facilitate an immediate
Spirit, which can include experience
the help to “react with all
of God, an experience adapted to
his force s ” t o anything
that s e e ms n o t to be the rhythm of the one who is
“solely f o r t he service, making
honour, and glory of the
the Exercises and an authentic
d iv in e Majes t y ” (SpE x
16). Such help may per- experience in which one receives
haps r e q u ir e obedience the graces desired
on the part of the one
who receiv e s the Exer-
cises: This is an obedience nothin g like the arbitrary power of one
per s o n o ver another, but rather like a service to someone who, in
utter freedom and confidence , completely opens his heart because
8
he wants to have counsel given in full awareness (SpEx 17).

Directors of the Exercises must embrace this balance b etween “reserve”

and “warmth”, for in doing so they more e f f e ct iv e ly help others in their
face to face encou nters with God. So, in spelling out these first two
characteristics in the relationship between the one who gives and the one

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who makes the Exercises w e can then view the Annotations of the
Sp i r i t ua l E x e r ci se s as a triple-objective: to facilitate an immediate
experience of God, an experience adapted to the rhythm of the one who
is making the Exercises and an authentic experience in w h ich one
receives the graces desired.

To facilitates an immediate experien ce with God. Ignatius of Loyola

e x perienced his first steps in the spiritual life far from any ex t e r n al
references. As Ignatius convalesced in his family home he read the Life of
Christ and The Lives of the Saints without anyone to ch alle n g e h is
conclusions, perhaps forced alone to go deeper along his own interior
journey, full o f s u r pr is e s an d u n k n own landscapes. This particular
situation during his year of convalesce nce, as he himself later described,
and in his retreat at Manresa that lasted almost another year, made
possible an experience overflowing in a process dependent upon an
external guide. This is what is referred to in the Exercises as “an interior
knowledge of my s ins” (SpEx 63); “of our Lord who became human for
me, that I may lov e h im mo re intensely and follow him more closely”
(SpEx 104); or “of all the good I have rece iv e d , in order that, stirred to
profound gratitude, I may become able to love and ser v e the Divine
Majesty in all things” (SpEx 233).
This was the type of experience that led Ignatius to express the deep
conviction that guided him on his journey. It wasn’t only God that
directly guided him and treated h im “in t h e same way that a teacher treats
9
a school child” (Autobiography 27 ), but rathe r he was able to express his
own radical convictions, as, for example: “…if there weren’t Scriptu r e t o
teach us t h e s e mat t ers of the faith, he would be resolved to die for them
solely on the basis of what he has seen” (Autobiography 29).
This kind of experience or interior knowledge, as Saint Ignatius calls
it, can only be achieved by the one who personally and dir e ctly gives of
him or herself in relation with God. As s o , I g n at ius insists, both actively
and passively, it is necessary that:
The person who gives to anot h er, the method and procedure for
me d it ating or contemplating should accurately narrate the history
contained in the con t e mplat ion or meditation, going over the
points with only a brief or summary explan at ion. For in this way

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the person who is contemplating, by taking t h is history as the

authentic foundation, and by reflectin g o n it and reasoning about
it for oneself, can this discover something that will bring better
understanding or a more per s o n alized concept of the history –
eithe r t hrough one’s own reasoning or insofar as the understanding
is e n lig h tened by God’s grace. This brings more spiritual relish and
spiritual fruit than if the one giving the Exercises had lengthily
explained and amplified the meaning of the h istory. For what fills
and sat is f ie s the soul consists, not in knowing much, but in our
u n d e r s t an d in g t h e realities profoundly and in savoring them
interiorly (SpEx 2).

However, I am reminded of one of the stories in Song of the Bird by

Anthony De Mello that says, “on a certain occasion one of the di sci p les
complained to his Master: –you always tell us sto r i e s, b ut you never reveal
their meanings–. The Master replied – w o uld you like someone to chew a
piece of fruit before giving it to you? Nobody can discover what something
10
means to you in your place. Not even the teacher.” The same is true in
the E x e r cis es, and a director must be aware of not over explaining or
r e f lecting too much on the texts and passages that accompany th e
Exercises. By not letting another taste the f r u it b y h imself and by offering
o f a mango that has already been eaten is not very agreeable to the palat e
of the other.
In his comments on th e w ay in which Ignatius spoke, not only in the
Exercises but also in his daily life, Luis Gonçalv e z de Câmara highlights
a special trait asked of those who give the Exercises:

The way of speak in g of Father [Ignatius] is straight forward, with

few words, and without ex plain ing every meaning, but rather he
simply narrates; and in this way he lets othe r s reflect and come to
th e re own conclusions; and he is admirably convincing without
leaning one way or another, and only by narrating. He skillfully
mentions the essential points to deliver h is message, leaving out
those points which are not nece s sary to the particular context. And
in his way of speaking he has received so many gifts fr o m G o d that
11
it would be too much to write about here .

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This is what Ignatius wanted to make clear in the second Annotation, that
the one who is having the experience may discover for h im o r h e rself the
t ruths and conscience that comes as invitation in an experience of God.
Giving the Exercises, then, is not, as contrary to common understanding,
indoctrination, persu asion or debate of understanding and reason, rather
it is creating adequate space so that th e o n e mak ing the Exercises may,
with the help of method and order, arrive at an internal knowledge to be
able “to overcome one’s self and to order one’s life without reach ing a
decision through some disord e r ed affection” (SpEx 21) – which is the
ultimate goal of the Spiritual Exercises.
Moreover, what Ignatius is really searching for in this appro ach of
u t mo s t r espect is for the person making the Exercises to achieve an d
establish a direct relationship with God.

The one giving t h e E xercises should not urge the one receiving
them toward poverty or any other pr o mis e more than toward their
opposites, or to one state or manner of living more than to
anothe r . Outside the Exercises it is lawful and meritorious for us to
counsel th ose who are probably suitable for it to choose conti-
nence, virginity, religious life, an d all f o r ms o f e v an g elical
perfection. But d u r in g these Spiritual Exercises when a person is
seeking God’s will, it is more appropriate and far better that the
C r e at o r and Lord himself should communicate himself to t h e
devout soul, embracing it in love and praise, and disposing it for
the way which will enable the soul to serve him b e t t e r in the
future. Accordingly, the one giving the Exercises ought not t o lean
or incline in either direction but rather, while stand in g b y like the
po in t e r of a scale in equilibrium, to allow the Creator to deal
immediately with the creature and t he creature with its Creator and
Lord (SpEx 15).

A director of the Exercises must be deeply convinced at t h e ce n t e r o f his

or her core that it is possible to have a real and immediate experience of
God, and that this will become a f o u n d at ional experience for the one in
relationship with God. Similarly, by using Saint Ignatius’ own words Karl
Rahner addresses today’s Jesuits:
Whe n I co n f irm having had an immediate experience of God I do

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not feel the necessity of supporting this assertion in a theological

dissertation about the essence o f s u ch an experience, just as I do
not intend to speak about all the accompanying factors involved
–which evidentially also contain their own peculiar individ ual and
histo r ic cir cumstances; I do not speak, either, of the visions and
symbols or o f an y h e ar d message, nor of the gift of tears or things
related. All that I can say is that I experienced God, the unfathom-
able, the silent, and nevertheless n e ar , as a multidimensional gift
to me. God, with initiat iv e and by grace, approaches, and this
12
cannot be confused with anything else.

The belief in that people making the Spiritual Exercises can have a
g e n u in e e x pe r ience of God is indeed fundamental to those same
E x e rcises. And it is upon such a foundational experience that we begin
to build up our faith and a life of following Christ.
Annotation 17 compliments an attitu d e o f the respect and reserve that
K olvenbach stresses, for Ignatius recommends that a director of t h e
Exercises proceed “without wishing to as k about or know the exercitant’s
personal thoughts or sins” (SpEx 1 7 ). In the Directorio Autógrafo Ignatius
h ims elf recommends that “it is better, whenever possib le , f o r t h e
13
exercitant to confess, and not by the prodding of the director.”
Nevertheless, this Annotat io n co ntributes an element that is related to
the second characteristic of these instructions, which is the process of
ad apt in g to the one who is making the Exercises. Essentially, the one
who is giving the Exercis e s “s h ould be faithfully informed about the
various agitations and thoughts which the different s pirits stir up in the
retreatant. For then , in accordance with the person’s greater or lesser
progress, the director will be able to commu nicate spiritual exercises
adapted to the needs of the person who is agitated in this way” (SpEx
17).
We have, then, the skills that allow us to facilitate an imme d iate
experience with God by the exercitant. This lead s us now to the next
characteristic of spiritual d ir ection just as Saint Ignatius himself proposed.

Allowing for an adapted experience to the rhythm of the individual. Th e

first few years after Ignatius ’ co n version were marked by an intense
in t e rior search for the path the Lord was paving for this gentleman f r o m

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Loyola. God guided him s lo w ly an d pat iently, we could conclude,

toward his Principle and Foundation. But God did n o t f o r ce Ignatius, just
as the Lord h as never forced anybody throughout history. God seduces,
as Jeremiah recognizes in his prophecy (Jer 20:7). God invites, calls,
encourages and appears in the lives of in d iv id uals, and then God asks
these people to participate in the work of salv at io n . In doing so, God
t akes into account each individual’s particular circumstance s , t h u s is
uniquely made manifest in different situat io n s and realities of daily life.
God approaches and walks with us (Luke 24:1 3 - 3 5 ), and shows us the
way st ep by step without pushing, forcing, or any type of violence to us.
Ignatius felt the same way in his r e lat ionship with God at the
b e g i n n i n g
of his spiritual journey. He recorded this in the Spiritual Exercises, as
Annotatio n 4 r e co mmends that the one giving the Exercises must realize
that not everybody progresses at the same pace:
Four We e ks are taken for the following Exercises, corresponding to
the four parts into which t h ey are divided. That is, the First Week
is devoted to the co n s id e r ation and contemplation of sins; the
Second, to the life of C h r is t o ur Lord up to and including Palm
Su n day; the Third, to the Passion of Christ our Lord; an d t h e
Fourth, to the Resurrection an d A s cension. To this Week are
appended the Three Me t h ods of Praying. However, this does not
mean that each Week mus t n ecessarily consist of seven or eight
days. For durin g t h e F irst Week some persons happen to be slower
in fin d in g w h at they are seeking, that is, contrition, sorrow, and
tears for their sins. Similarly, some persons work more diligently
than others, and are more pu s hed back and forth and tested by
different spirits. In some cases, therefore, the Week n e eds to be
shortened, and in others lengthened. This hold s as w ell for all the
following Weeks, while the retreatant is seeking what corresponds
to th eir subject matter. But the Exercises ought to be completed in
thirty days, more or less (SpEx 4).

The ability to adapt the progress to the rhythm of an individual als o

r equires a spiritual director to be attentive to mood and energy. This
allows a director to hold back or to ch alle n g e a retreatant accordingly to

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the spiritual moment being experienced.

If the giver of the Exercises sees that the one mak ing them is
experiencing desolation and temptation, he or she s h o u ld not treat
the retreatant severely o r harshly, but gently and kindly. The
director should encourage and s t r e ngthen the exercitant for the
future, unmask the deceptive tactics of the enemy o f our human
nature, and help the retreatant to prepare an d dispose himself or
herself for the consolation which will come (SpEx 7).

Furthermore, Annotation 14 adds:

If the one giving the Exercises sees that t h e exercitant is proceeding
with consolation and great fervor, he
or she should warn t h e person not to
make some pr o mise or vow which is we must not force
unconsidered or hasty. The more un-
stable the d irector sees the exercitant
the tender shoot
to be, the more earnest should be the to grow
forewarning and caution. For although at the rhythm of impatience
it is altogether right for someone to
advise another to enter r eligious life,
which e n t ails the taking of vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity; and
although a good work done under a vow is more meritorious than one
done without it, still one ought to bestow much t h o u g ht on the strength
and suitabilit y o f e ach person, and on the helps or hindrances one is
likely to meet with in carrying ou t w h at one wishes to promise (SpEx
14).

Along these same lines, Annotat io n s 18, 19 and 20 present similar

approaches to the Spiritual Exercises in accordan ce t o “the disposition
of the persons who desire to make them, that is, to t h e ir age, education
and ability” (SpEx 18); or taking into account if some one “is involved in
public affairs or pressing occupations” (SpEx 19); or if another “is mo r e
disengaged, and desires to make all the progress possible” (SpEx 20).
Within this group of Annotations that recommend adapting the
experience of the Exercises to the pace and r hythm of the retreatant, we
should also include n u mb e r 8 – which speaks of informing those making
of the Exercises about the rules of t h e d is ce r n ment of spirits found at the

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end of the text of the Exercises (SpEx313-336), again in accordance to

each individual’s needs.
According to the need perceived in the exe r cit an t with respect to
the desolat io n s and deceptive tactics of the enemy, and also the
co n s o lat io n s, the giver of the Exercises may explain to the
retreatant the rules of t h e F irst and Second Weeks for recognizing
the different kinds of spirits, (in SpE x 3 1 3-327 and SpEx 328-336)
(SpEx 8).

The giver o f t h e E x e r cises, then, should be careful not to approach this

task as one wou ld a k it ch en recipe. Rather, a director should be
sufficiently prepared in kno w in g h o w t o adapt unique experiences
according to individual rhythms so as to be able to achieve the goal in
each situation. This, of course, does not happen over-n ight, but requires
– like all good wines – a t ime of maturation and a solid grasp of the
whole dynamic involved. The spir it u al director of the Exercises should
not be too te ch n ical in his or her approach, rather proceed as if the task
were an art form, viewing –with fr e e d o m and flexibility– the life of each
person as a sacred story.
In reference to this same rhythmic and pace d g rowth process of each
individual in relationship with God, Benjamín González Buelta writes:

We must not force

the tender shoot
to grow
at the rhythm of impatience.

Nor can we grab at

the heart with our hands
to make it beat faster,
just as fantasy cannot jump
over the abysm and the borders
toward a better tomorrow
by forgetting to distances
and the paths under foot.

We cannot stir
the rhythm of time,

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wanting to mature history

by imposing our will
and harvesting the kingdom
before the appointed hour.

Caress the rough edges,

encourage the long day,
look tenderly
upon insecure steps,
free the imprisoned moment,
and let the kingdom
reach its height
by the hand of God
14
that holds the mystery!

Facilitating an authentic experience. As w e examine those first few years

of Ignatius’ pilgrimage and conversion, we see how h e moved, little by
little, from a spirituality gro unded in his own impulses towards a greater
docility and obedience to the way in which Good was speaking to him
–through his human meditations along an in it ially d if f icult journey.
Ignatius himse lf recounts that in his time at Montserrat that “he made a
general confession in writing, and t h e co nfession lasted three days. He
also arranged with the confessor that he should g iv e o r d ers to have the
mule collected, and that his sword and dagger should hang in t h e ch urch
at the altar of Our Lady. And this was the first perso n t o w h o m h e
revealed what he h ad resolved, because up till then he had not revealed
it to any confessor” (Autobiography 17).
Even though the pr o ce s s was slow and gradual, Ignatius had to learn
t o let go of guiding himself in his spiritual journey. For example , in
wanting to cure himself of the scruples that haunted him, b e cau s e of his
vane and dis solute past life, he performed excessive penances and later
had to obey his confessor:

He pe r sisted the whole week without putting a single thing into

his mouth, while n o t ceasing from his normal religious practices
(also going to the d ivine offices), nor from making his prayer on
his knees (and at midnight too), etc. But when the following

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Sunday came with the need for confession, since h e w as accus-

tomed to telling his confessor what he was doing in great detail,
he told him also about how he had not eaten anything durin g that
week. The confessor directed him to break that fast, and, though
h e still had some strength, he obeyed the confessor. A n d h e
discovered he was free of s cr uples that day and the next (Autobi-
ography 25).

Some time after, when he wanted to remain living in Palest ine visiting the
h o ly sites and helping souls, he was confronted by the Francis can
guardians there who spoke to him about the problems they had with
pilgrims who stayed there begging:
To this his reply was that he was very firm in his intention, and
t h at in his judgment on no account should he refrain from putting
it into practice; politely he made it cle ar t h at , although the
Provincial did not think it a g o o d idea, he would not abandon his
intention on account o f any fear unless it was a matter of obliging
him under pain of sin (Autobiography 46).

Only later on, when they threatened him with ex co mmunication if he

diso b e y e d , did he comply and obey – not without great trial – the
definitive order he was given to leave the Holy Land.
There are many other accounts that show how Ignatiu s e ventually
became convinced of the importance of surrendering hims e lf t o be
guided along his spiritual path. There w as n ot really a need for others to
tell him the meaning of his experiences o f G o d, but to point out the
external conditions th at mad e the experiences possible. Similarly other
Annotations in the Exercises, such as the six t h , which recommends that
the giver of the Exercises question a retreatant in great detail ab o u t h is or
her experience with praying the meditations.
The director should question the re t r e at ant much about the
Exercises: whether he or s h e is making them at the appointed time,
how they are being made , an d whether the Additional Directives
are being diligently observed. The director should ask about e ach
of these items in particular. Consolation and desolation are treated
in (SpEx 316-324), the Additional Directives in (SpEx 73-90, 6).

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The director is responsible for prepar in g a retreatant according to these

conditions in order to allow for the best possible experience. Annotation
12 expresses precisely this point:

The one giving the Exercises should insist strongly with the person
making them that he or s h e s h o u ld remain for a full hour in each
of the five exercises or contemplations which w ill be made each
day; and further, that the recipient should make sure alw ays to
have the satisfaction of knowing that a full hour w as spent on the
exercises –indeed, mo r e r ather than less. For the enemy usually
exerts special efforts to get a person to shorte n t h e hour of
contemplation, meditation or prayer (SpEx 12).

These conditions allow for an authentic experience of God and must be

insisted upon by th e d ir ector, who must not be afraid to question the
way of me t h o d t hat one is making the Exercises. Ignatius himself arrives
at the same conclusion regarding this matter as he says: “If ther e is anyone
who doe s n o t obey and wishes to proceed by his or her own judgment,
15
it would be best to not continue making the Exercises.”

P r e s u ppo s it io n (SpE x 2 2 )

After the annotatio n s and title of the Spiritual Exercises Saint Ignatius
includes a short text meant to guide and help bot h t h e d irector and the
retreatan t in the whole of the experience of the Exercises. He calls this the
Presupposition, which says:
Th at both the giver and the maker of the Spiritual Exercises may b e
of greater help and be n e f it t o each other, it should be presupposed
that every good Christian ou g h t t o b e more eager to put a good
inter pr e t at io n o n a neighbor’s statement that to condemn it.
Further, if one can n o t interpret it favorably, one should ask how
the other means it. If that meaning is wron g , one should correct
the person with love; and if this is not enough, one should search
out every appropriate mean thro u g h w hich, by understanding the
statement in a good way, it may be saved (SpEx 22).

We are not g o in g t o get into all of the implications of this text nor discuss

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all of the reasons Saint Ignatius had for placing this as t h e gateway
passage into the Spiritual Exercises. But we must insis t u po n what these
words say abo u t the relationship between director and retreatant. The
insights and words o f the other person deserve our respect and we must
create a climate of trust and believe in the retreatant just as t h e r e t r e atant
will the director.
This point of departure is not always evident. We often distrust the
w o r d s o f an other by judging their comments with reluctance an d
s u s picion. While at times there is a tricky balance between what we hear
and h o w we interpret, there must be a foundation of mutual trust
between the two.

F in al r e co mme n d at io n s o f P o lan co

We conclude by referring to s o me of the recommendations of Juan de

Polanco in his Official Directory On givin g t h e Spiritual Exercises, which
highlight the role of the director in relation to the retreatant:
It is spiritual g ood sense to seek out a judge in his own affairs
other than himself, as was said in chapter I. But th is s pir itual
guidance by another is e s pe cially n ecessary when a person
inexperienced in t h e spiritual life embarks on the path of the Spirit.
The d o ct ors even counsel not setting foot on this path rather than
doing so without a master. Hence, the ex e r cit ant should disclose
to the director how he is making the exercises and should give his
account of them. In this way, if he has failed to understand
anything fully, he can be instructe d . His insights and illuminations
can b e subjected to scrutiny. His desolations and consolations can
be d is ce rned. And he can be helped with advice on any penances
he does or temptations that beset him (Polanco 34).

And in the next section Polanco adds:

The director likewise should be careful to visit the exercitant at the

proper times, to ask an account of the exercises made s in ce h is last

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visit along with his manner of meditating and using the Additions,
and to monitor the illuminations o f t h e exercitant’s understanding
and the movement of his affection s. Thus, if the exercitant is going
forward nicely, the director can give his confirmation. If not, he
can inquire how carefully he is making the exercises and Addi-
tions. If the exer cit ant’s understanding is so weak or spiritually
inexperienced t h at h e cannot find matter for meditation, the
director can get him started by giving him a few ideas to work on.
On the other hand, if the exercitant overstresses t h e in tellect and
fails t o exercise his affections, the director can instruct him to
advance with equal strides in both, and if he veers too much to
one side can set him straight . I f t h e exercitant has any doubts or
questions, the director can an s w e r t h e m. Especially with the
in telligent and learned he can anticipate questions by explainin g
the reason for s o me of the things he says, especially when
proposing things that may seem novel to the exercit ant. If the
exercitant is lukewarm in making the e xercises and Additions, the
director can spur him on. If he is t r y ing too hard the director can
restrain him. If he is in d e s o lat ion the director can console him. If
he is flooded with consolations the director can s if t t hem. If he is
agitated by temptations or diverse spirits, the director should mak e
the inquiries needed for the discernment of spirits, applying the
rules for the First Week with some perso ns and those for the
Second with others, according t o Annotations 9 and 10 (Polanco
35).

The particular relationship that exists between directo r an d retreatant is,

most importantly, at the service of an immediate enco u n ter with God –
“of seeking and finding God’s will in the ordering of ou r lif e f o r the
salvation of our soul” (SpEx 1). Just as in our own personal relationship
with God, so should the relationship be between director and retreatant.
In both having compassion and providing challen g e f o r the retreatant
there must be complete and total freed o m – as Benjamín González Buelta
similarly describes a personal relationship with God:

You are the God of perfect proximity,

of the necessary sacrament

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that allows us to grow

without too much cold and night
so that our remains clay raw
and without so much fire
from sun and noontime
16
that would burn us.
H ERM A N N RODRÍGUEZ OSORIO , S.J. Licentiate in Philosophy and Master of Psychology
from the Pontificial University Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. Professional training in
individual and group psychotherapy at the Ins t it u t o d e Integración y Dinámica
Personal in Madrid, Spain. Doctor in theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas
in Madrid, Spain. At present, is the director of the Centro Ignaciano de Reflexión y
Ejercicios (CIRE) in Bogotá, Colombia, coordinator of the Latin American confederation
of Spirituality Centers (CLACIES) and professor of theology at the Pontifical University
Javeriana.

translated by D. Scott Hendrickson, S.J.

NOTES
1. Anthony De Mello, El Canto del Pájaro, Sal Terrae 23, 1996, 198.

2. Thesaurus Spiritualis Societatis Iesu, Santander, 1950, 316.

3. Luis Gonçalvez de Câmara, Memorial, No. 226.

4. Luis Gonçalvez de Câmara, Memorial, No. 313.

5. Citations of Exercises from The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, translated by

George Ganss, S.J., St. Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1992.

6. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Exercises and Partners, 18 February 2002, No. 1.

7. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Exercises and Partners, 18 February 2002, No. 8.

8. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Exercises and Partners, 18 February 2002, No. 9.

9. Passages from the Autobio g raphy are from Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Personal
Writings, translated by Joseph A. Munitiz and Philip Endean, London: Penguin, 1996.

10. Anthony D Mello, El Canto del Pájaro, Sal Terrae, Santander, 1996, 14.

11. Luis Gonçalvez de Câmara, Memorial, No. 227.

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12. Karl Rahner, Saint Ignatius speaks to a Modern Jesuit, Sal Terrae, Santander, 1979,
10-11.

13. Directorio Autógrafo No. 4. This is a detailed manuscript of notes and points by
Ignatius for instructing those whom he was forming as directors of the Exercises.

14. Benjamín González Buelta, En el aliento de Dios, Salmos de Gratitud, Sal Terrae,
Santander, 1995, 80.

15. From the Directives of Saint Ignatius, No. 12. This is a collection of advice and
suggestions by Saint Ignatius, but was recorded and edited by Polanco and Nadal.

16. Benjamín González Buelta, SJ, La Transparencia del Barro, Salmos en el camino
del pobre, Sal Terrae, Santander, 1989, 115.

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