Rowing into the Deep…

Context:

‘Rowing into the Deep’ was the motto and the guiding principle of the General Congregation 36 held in Rome (2016). The leading theme, ‘Row into the Deep’ has its origin in the message of Pope Francis to the Society of Jesus in 2014, echoing Jesus’s invitation to his disciples to ‘put out (the boat) into the deep’ (Lk 5:4). GC 36 visualized the Jesuit Order as a boat in the Church, sailing on the waves of troubled seas of our times, with the focus on the invitation of Jesus to row with faith. One is invited not to look at the raging storm but on the assuring and calming countenance of Jesus who is the Lord of the Storm.

Historical Perspectives:

Rowing into the Deep… would imply both storm and calm, indicating the complementarity of crisis and creativity. Ignatius of Loyola is an epitome of this storm and calm who rose many a time from storms with calmness to create a new world vision. The canon ball moment was a fall from the heights of Pamplona fort but he rose up for the greater glory of God in the service of people. There was storm in his mind and heart with regard to his future – After surrendering his past at the shrine of the Black Madonna at Montserrat, he rowed into the deep of his troubled inner life. He reached the calmness through his discernment of spirits evolving the Spiritual Exercises. When the storm of reformation raged in Europe through Luther in Germany, Calvin in France, and Zwingli in the Switzerland, Ignatius found the way to calm the storm through education which would help each one with critical thinking to discern and decide right from wrong. When his companions came together and deliberated on their future course of action there was again a storm of confusion, at least lack of clarity. This ongoing storm was met with the generic dynamic force of ‘care of the soul’, which took social, academic, political, human right dimensions later. Ignatius himself set a storm to explode and expand, that is, his asking his companions and followers to ‘set the world on fire’ (Ite, inflammate omnia) of knowledge and service. Suppression of the Jesuit Order in 1773 was a storm. But the Orthodox Queen Catherine in Russia, Protestant Emperor Ferdinand I in Austria, and the Muslim King Hyder Ali in Mysuru provided haven for the affected and expelled Jesuits. Now, each Jesuit is a flame who kindles other fires; and the 500 year history of the Jesuits has sailed through religious, political storms and turmoils. In all these critical moments, Ignatius sailed through the storm, keeping his focus not on the eye of the storm, but rather on the power of the Lord of the Storms.

Book in Three Parts:

Now, Fr Xavier Alphonse has collected inspiring texts of/on St Ignatius and put them together in three parts. We can look at the book in three phases: i. The Impulse; ii. The Outcome; and iii. The Relevance. Fr Xavier Alphonse has used the historical perspectives, moving over to the Spiritual Exercises as the renewal-dynamics in life, especially of a religious, and opening the door to the relevance for today and tomorrow. The central as well as recurring theme is the Ignatian discernment around which the ebb and flow of life-tide evolves.

The Impulse:

One derives inspiration from the impulses that were the dynamic spirit of St Ignatius. The Chief works of Ignatius are the following five:

  1. The Spiritual Exercises;
  2. Letters and Instructions;
  3. Spiritual Diary;
  4. Constitutions of the Society of Jesus; and
  5. Autobiography.

Based on these source material the author tries to depict the fire that consumed St Ignatius. The cannonball moment at Pamplona made Ignatius change his allegiance from a worldly king to a divine King and Master. One is taken along the footsteps of Ignatius from the moment of his conversion in Loyola Castle to his transformation in Manresa cave. Ignatius brings in the spiritual ascent of Purification, Illumination, and Contemplation – This is the Ignatian recipe from self-consciousness ascending to divine-convergence. By examining oneself, one finds out where one has to be and where one is actually is and gets convinced of course correction. This course correction is done by discerning the movements of spirits based on one’s basic tendencies of good or not so good. The illumination comes next and Jesus is presented as the model to be inspired and to be followed. One tries to find within oneself how much there is resemblance or contrast with Jesus. By observing Jesus moving along proclaiming the good news, healing the sick, and breaking bread with sinners, one begins to aspire to imitate Jesus. The observer also accompanies Jesus sailing through the storm during his passion and death. The salvation drama is highly charged with changing moods and scenes: The festive moments of the ritual Supper in the upper room, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, the humiliation suffered in the Sanhedrin, the political cum religious process to execute him, and His eventual death on the Cross are all charged with emotion evoking sympathy within oneself and at the same time making oneself drawn to follow Jesus suffering emanating the decision to fulfill what is lacking in the redemptive work of Jesus (Col 1:24) as Paul would put it. This emotional journey reaches its culmination for the exercitant in seeking and finding God at work in the creatures.

The recipe of St Ignatius is the love of God who created each one with a specific end to reach; the love of Jesus who redeemed the individual; and the love that sends one to set the world on fire. The exercises are expected to result in deeper love relationship with Jesus Christ and the Ignatian recipe contains core ingredients such as wants and desires, colloquy, repetition, and self-reflection or self-retrospection.[1]

The history, structure, ingredients, and nature of the spiritual exercises are showcased in this part of the book with an over view of Ignatian spirituality. The embodiment of Ignatian Spirituality, as per the view of Pope Francis, is presented as three phases of integration, namely, Connection, Transformation, and Action.

  1. Connection: By reflection, one discovers deeper connection with self, others, the nature, and God;
  2. Transformation: By contemplation, one experiences the transformation leading to ever greater conviction opening the vistas of greater interior freedom; and
  3. Action: Ultimate outcome of transformation is conscious action that embodies a faith that does justice.

The Outcome:

The outcome of the impulse one imbibes from the resources of St Ignatius crystalizes as the signpost or guiding principle in The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius which forms the cornerstone of Ignatian Spirituality. It unfolds as a way of understanding and living one’s relationship with God in the world, which in turn blossoms as relationship building with others and with nature. In his letter to the Jesuit delegates to the Council of Trent, St Ignatius lays stress on: i. Building social relations; ii. Helping the needy; and iii. Looking after oneself in moderation.[2]

Starting with the Principle and Foundation (SpEx 23) which gives the direction and goal of one’s meaningful existence, one is led through the movements of spirits within oneself, resulting in discernment of spirits (SpEx 313-336). Once the reflective picture of oneself is clear, then one is invited for refraction. Considering each one as a prism, the light of Jesus, drawn from his words and deeds, passes through oneself. Christ gets refracted indicating how much one compares with Jesus. This Jesus refraction, through his life, passion, death, and resurrection engulfs one and depicts oneself in the light of Jesus.

A choice to serve under the banner of Jesus with a counter culture leads one to recognize Him actually working for each one in the creation (SpEx 230). And this, in turn, invites the exercitant for response. S.J. Stanley, quoting Daniel Dorling (Injustice – Why social inequality persists), depicts the social inequality with five faces, which are prevalent in a corporate-dominant society, namely:[3]

  1. Elitism is efficient;
  2. Exclusion is necessary;
  3. Prejudice is natural;
  4. Greed is good; and
  5. Despair is inevitable.

But the follower of St Ignatius, as an impact of making the Spiritual Exercises, goes through the renewal process of reflection, refraction, and response. His response is to follow Jesus not only upto Calvary, but even beyond as Mary, His mother, accompanied the friends and disciples of Jesus beyond Calvary. One is invited not simply to be an admirer of Jesus but to be the companion of Jesus, nay, to be the other Christ where love is expressed more in deeds than in mere words. The transformed person is empowered to seek God in everything and to find God in everything. This needs a healthy relationship, as GC 36 would put it, of reconciliation with God, fellow humans, and the nature with a sensitive and responsive heart to help the people at the margin who need help to survive every day. At the same time, Ignatius would recommend that one should pay attention to one’s health in moderation so that one could work with energy and enthusiasm.

The Spiritual Exercises offers one a holistic formation: Critical thinking of reflection, responsive heart of refracting Christ, and ready hand to help the needy.

Relevance:

Ignatius is not a person who offers yesterday’s solution for today’s problem; but he enlightens us to look for tomorrow’s solution based on our today’s experience. This prophetic insight is what one gets when one attempts to interpret the Ignatian spirituality in today’s context for today’s needs. Ignatian Spirituality is a spirituality of action: to labour with Christ in building the Kingdom of God here on earth. Once a person becomes aware of God’s graces showered on oneself and listens to His call, he/she responds to the call. Here, St Ignatius invites a person to come to know Christ more intimately, love him more ardently, and follow him more closely.

One of the UAPs (Universal Apostolic Preferences) is accompanying the youth who live in a world of confusion and hopelessness – They live in a knowledge society with social inequality and religious fundamentalism. We need to make the Spiritual Exercises relevant and meaningful to them. They live in a world constantly confronting ambiguity and constant changes. Ignatian spirituality recognizes this at a very deep level and invites us to engage them in a process of ongoing conversion, especially addressing the question: Who is God for me? They need to understand their faith in the following order: clarity about first principle and foundation, then finding God in all things, followed by walking with Christ, and finally experiencing consolation and desolation in the context of social justice,[4] in order to lead a fruitful and meaningful life of service.

Summary:

In summary, we could understand the Ignatian spirituality in three ascending phases: Confusion, Clarity, Confirmation.

The outcome is that a Jesuit is a sinner, yet called to be a companion of Jesus and he attains this as a contemplative in action and imparts his spiritual treasure in forming his fellow human beings as men and women for others, especially the needy and the marginalized.[5]

The contribution of St Ignatius to the galaxy of prayer methods is contemplation: He has demonstrated how imagination, which might be the compendium or recollection of memories, historical or mystical or salvific, flows into one’s sensation of feeling, evoking compassion for the other and culminating in concrete action. Thinking with the head, one feels through the heart, and makes bold to act with his hand. This delicate but decisive balance of intellect, affectivity, and action is the secret of rowing even to the deep as one has the assurance of Jesus as he was with his disciples amidst the raging seas.

The book: Rowing into the Deep… edited by Fr Xavier Alphonse leads us through God-experience as a travel-companion.  The world view of St Ignatius as love, work, and life; and the personal enlightenment of a man of discernment enliven us. This book is about walking with Ignatius and you cannot avoid walking with Jesus and Mary. Congratulations to Fr Xavier Alphonse for this contribution and we wish him to bring out many more such creations.

[1] https://ixtheo.de/Record/1758229950

[2] S.J. Stanley, The Ignatian CEO, ATC, Bengaluru, 2018, p.184.

[3] S.J. Stanley, The Ignatian CEO, ATC, Bengaluru, 2018, p.200f.

[4] https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/offices/mission/pdf1/j2.pdf

[5] https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/what-is-ignatian-spirituality/10-elements-of-ignatian-spirituality/