The idea for the Spiritual Exercises began at Manresa in
1522, eventually developed in a more complete method that
was published with papal approval in Rome in 1548. At its
core, the Spiritual Exercises is an application of Gospel
precepts to the individual soul, written in such a way as
to arouse conviction of sin, of justice and judgment. The
value of systematic retirement from active society and
religious meditation which the book sets forth had always
been known but the order and method of meditation
prescribed by Ignatius were new. Though many of the maxims
he repeats had been laid down before by the Fathers, they
were singularly well organized, explained and applied.
To do the Exercises as initially set out, requires a month
in a retreat typically with one (or more) weeks of
preparation. The Exercises consist of 4 separate stages,
each corresponding to one week. The first week considers
the nature of sin and its consequences: the second, to our
Lord's earthly life; the third to His Passion and the
fourth, to His Resurrection. The objective is to induce the
retreatant to such a state of inner calm that they can make
a clearer choice regarding a particular crisis or for the
general course of their life, "unbiased" by any excessive
like or dislike. This discernment is guided solely by
consideration of what will best forward the purpose for
which one was created: the glory of God and perfection of
one's own soul. In fact, the motto of the Society of Jesus,
"Ad Majorem Dei Gloram" (To the greater glory of God) was
the end for which Ignatius and the Society was created.
In modern times the Spiritual Exercises have been adapted
to be done without the need for a 4 or 5 week retreat. The
Ignatian Centre of Montreal is one of the only centres that
specializes in the "Exercises in Daily Life" method
(annotation 19). This spreads out the exercises over a
period of 8 or 9 months, combined with weekly meetings with
a spiritual director. We believe that this is the preferred
way, as the linking of everyday events to each of the 4
"weeks" provides an added dimension that is not available
in the traditional Exercises. All of our directors have
been trained to deal with the unique opportunities that the
Exercises in Daily Life can bring to its participants.
