The "Second Week" spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius
Introduction to the five day retreat
In the Spiritual Exercise four weeks are assigned to the following exercises, corresponding with their four divisions. First, reflection on and contemplation on sins; second, the life of Christ our Lord, up to and including Palm Sunday; third the sufferings of Christ our Lord; fourth, the resurrection and ascension.
St. Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises insists from the retreatant to start the retreat with generosity towards His creator and Lord, surrendering to his freedom of will, so that His Divine Majesty may make use of His person in accordance with his most holy will.
Procedure:
1. In the second week, all the exercises are in a mode of contemplation. Contemplation is a long loving look. To see what is happening without much ‘thinking’ - deeper form of prayer.
2. Here, let us try and contemplate on the mystery of the life of Christ. Let us watch the scenes as they unfold. It is as though we are watching a movie on the life of Christ.
3. There will be one talk per day. As we are contemplating the life of Jesus Christ, we take these exercises seriously and slowly.
4. St. Ignatius in his spiritual exercises stresses on repetition of the exercises, so that the retreatant may reap more fruits. We follow this mode and take time to ponder over the life of Christ.
Day One
The Incarnation
Preparatory prayer: Ask our Lord God for the grace to direct my/ your thoughts, activities and deeds to the service and praise of His Divine Majesty.
Task: The story. Here it is to see how the Three Divine Persons look down on the entire world, filled with human beings. Seeing them all going to Hell, they decree in their eternity that the Second Person shall become man to save mankind. When the fullness of time comes they send the Angel Gabriel to our Lady
Be present with the Trinity and see for yourself what is happening in the world below and then look at the room in our Lady's house at
Grace: To have the same mind that of Jesus.
Some tips: See the different persons:
* Listen to what is being said by the people here on the earth, talking to each other, swearing and blaspheming, etc.
* Next, listen to what the Divine Persons are saying: "Let us bring about the redemption of mankind..."
* Finally, the words of the Angel and our Lady.
Colloquy: Close with a colloquy, thinking out what to say to the Three Divine Persons or to the Eternal Word made flesh, or to His Mother and our Lady. According as each one is inspired, he should beg to be enabled to follow and imitate closely our Lord. (Colloquy - is a kind of talk friends have with one another, or perhaps like the way a servant speaks to the master, asking for some kindness or apologizing for some failure, or telling him about some matter of business and asking for his advice).
Say the ‘Our Father’ at the end of the exercise.
Phil 2.5 We have the same mind as Jesus
Jn 6.68-69 To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Ex 3. 7,9 I have heard their cry and come to their rescue
Jn 3.16, 17.7 God so loved the world that he sent his own son
Lk 1.26-38 The incarnation narrative
Day Two
The nativity
Preparatory prayer: Same as the first day.
Task: The story. Our Lady, in the ninth month of her pregnancy, sets out for
We shall also glance at His early life that Bible gives us: the escape to
Grace: That I may know Jesus more intimately, love Him more intensely, and follow Him more closely all the days of my life.
Tips:
* Jesus was born in poverty, rejection and deprivation. Become one with Mary, Joseph, or Jesus. Be present, watch, hear and feel.
* Look at the persons, our Lady,
* See and reflect on what they are doing. Here it is the journey they have to make, the hardships they have to put up with, before our Lord is born in utter destitution. After all His labours, after suffering from hunger and thirst, heat and cold, being treated with injustice and insulted, He is to die on the Cross—and all for me. Thinking of all this, I will derive some benefit for my soul.
* See, observe and study what they are saying. Then think of myself, to derive some benefit.
Colloquy: Same as the first day.
Say the ‘Our Father’ at the end of the exercise
Mt 1.18-2.23 Infancy narrative in Mt.
Lk 1.26-56, 2.1-52 Infancy narrative in Lk
Mt 2.1-12 The magi
Mt 2.13-15 The escape to
Lk 2.22-38 Jesus is presented in the temple.
Lk 2.41-52 The boy Jesus is in the temple.
Day Three
Hidden life of Jesus Christ
Preparatory prayer: Same as the first day.
Task: The story. In Lk2.52, it is mentioned that Jesus grew in wisdom. Other than this there is no information of Jesus’ life before baptism by John the Baptist. In the church we do celebrate a specific day called ‘Holy Family Day’, which reminds us of how Mother Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived at home. This family is presented today as an ideal family. So let us contemplate this family and see what benefits we can derive from it.
Grace: That I may know Jesus more intimately, love him more intensely, and follow him more closely all the days of my life.
Tips:
* See Jesus at home helping his parents. Listen to their talk.
* Obedience of child Jesus to His parents.
* See Jesus in the village. See Him with His friends playing, chatting, studying, etc.
* See Jesus in the village talking with the elders, men and women, poor and rich.
* Be yourself with Jesus and see the feelings of Jesus and get benefits for yourself.
Colloquy: Same as the first day.
Say the ‘Our Father’ at the end of the exercise
Lk 2. 41-52 Finding of the child Jesus in the temple.
Lk 2. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom
Day four
Jesus’ public ministry
Preparatory prayer: Same as the first day.
Task: The story. When Jesus was 30 years old, He left His house and dedicated His life for the people at large. He went from place to place proclaiming good news, healing the sick, driving the evil spirits, raising the dead, etc. it was a long journey of three years. He mingles with all, loved them all and finally He spent His precious time with the people as much as possible.
Grace: That I may know Jesus more intimately, love Him more intensely, and follow Him more closely all the days of my life.
Tips:
* Jesus’ departure to river
* Jesus’ temptations
* Jesus calling his first disciples
* The Sermon on the Mount
* Healings of Jesus
* Jesus works miracles not out of nothing. He considers the willingness and usefulness of things/ persons around Him so through their help He works miracles.
Colloquy: Same as the first day.
Say the ‘Our Father’ at the end of the exercise
Mt 3.13-17 Jesus goes to the river
Mt. 4.1-10 The temptation
Mk 3.13-19 Jesus calls the twelve
Mt 4.19 Jesus teaches us to pray
Jn 5. 2-9 The healing at the pool
Day Five
The Election
(At the end of these five days, that is to say, after seeing the life of Jesus in the second week of the spiritual exercises, and going through this election process I must be able to decide for myself what I want to be. A committed follower or soldier of Christ).
Preparatory prayer: Same as the first day.
Task: Meditation on two standards: One is that of Christ our Lord, our Commander-in-Chief; the other that of Lucifer, our human nature's deadly enemy.
First preliminary: The story. Christ invites all men, desiring them to rally to His standard, whilst Lucifer, on the other side, invites them to join his.
Second preliminary: The picture. A great plain, comprising the entire
Grace: That I may guard against the deceits of the forces of evil and follow the inspiration and values of Jesus.
Tips:
* Imagine that leader of the entire enemy, in that great plain of Babylon, sitting on a sort of throne of smoking flame, a horrible and terrifying sight.
* Watch him calling together countless devils, to dispatch them into different cities till the whole world is covered, forgetting no province or locality, no class or single individual.
* Study the speech he makes to them, telling them to have their traps and fetters in position, tempting men first with eagerness for money (his usual procedure) as the easiest means to acquiring some worthless position in the world, and eventually to overweening pride. Notice the three steps, money, position, pride: from these three steps he leads men on to all other vices.
* By contrast we must make a parallel application of the imagination to our true Commander-in-Chief, Christ our Lord.
* Study the attitude of Christ our Lord in that great plain in the
* Watch the Lord of the entire world choosing so many as apostles, disciples and so on, and sending them out through the whole world, sowing the seed of His sacred teaching in the hearts of men of every rank and condition.
* Study the sermon which Christ our Lord preaches to all who serve Him and are His friends, as He sends them out on this expedition. He exhorts them to make it their aim to help everybody, leading them first to perfect poverty in the spirit, and even to poverty in reality, if this be His Divine Majesty's pleasure and He should, of His graciousness, so choose them; then to want to be laughed at and looked down on. From these two, comes humility. Notice the three steps: poverty, as against money: being laughed at and looked down on as against being looked up to by men of the world: humility, as against pride. From these three steps men can be led on to all the virtues.
Colloquy: One colloquy with our Lady, asking her to get me from her Son and Lord the favour of being admitted under His standard, at first in perfect poverty in the spirit, and then in real poverty, should this be His Divine Majesty's pleasure and He should, of His graciousness, so choose me; next, in putting up with being laughed at and treated unjustly, so that I may be more like Him—so long as I can have these to bear without sin on anybody's part and offence to the Divine Majesty. I will then say a Hail Mary.
Second colloquy: I will ask the Son too to get me the same favour from the Father. I will then say the Anima Christi.
Third colloquy: I will ask the Father to give me the same favour and will say the Our Father.
Mt 5.1-11 The Beatitudes
Lk 6.20-26 The Beatitudes
Mk 3.13-19 Jesus calls the twelve
Mt 25. 31-40 The last judgment
