So first, I think this deserves a little bit of introduction. This is a classic from St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. He’s an amazing saint in his own right, and this book has been used for countless retreats. I haven’t had the opportunity to take one myself, and from what I understand, priests who are holy and understand the Exercises well are hard to come by. The Exercises are designed for a month long retreat. I don’t particularly recommend a shortened version of it, but since few of us can take a month off from work or other responsibilities a week long retreat would still be excellent. Cramming it into a weekend… I don’t see being particularly good.
But this is about the book club, so let’s lay out the plan. Since this is a longer book than last month, I’ll be breaking this up into weeks. I will warn you that the first week is long (~80 pages), but that is still only about 11 pages a day. the fourth week actually ends on page 184, with the rest of the book being filled with additional meditations and appendices. I would recommend reading the intro, as it explains how to use the book better than I could, but I won’t be covering it.
I should also warn you that Week 1 is… well, not always cheerful. But discussion of sin is necessary, and the beginning of the spiritual life is to move away from it.
You may also want to book mark page 34 as you’ll be going back to this preparatory prayer quite regularly. Page 47 has a note on the colloquies frequently mentioned throughout the book.
Week 1
What is the end (or purpose) of man?
How do creatures serve the Lord (p. 28-30)?
Based on our end, what should our attitude be towards created things and people (30-32)?
What are the rules for achieving this attitude (p. 33-34)?
What were the fruits of Adam’s sin(p. 41-42)?
What is the effect of one mortal sin (p. 43, 53-58)?
Why is sin so offensive to God (p. 48-53)?
What is Hell like (p. 62-69)?
What does a good or bad death depend on? (p. 74)
What will your judgment be like? (p. 79-82)
Who will accuse you and what for? (p 79-80)
When is the time for mercy? (p. 81)
Is venial sin serious? (p. 83)
How did the prodigal son and how do we become slaves? (p. 89)
Why is the Prodigal Son’s a true conversion? (p. 91)
What does God give us if we repent? (p. 92-93)
Applications:
What things in my life are a over emphasized? In other words, what things do I do for their own sake and not for the sake of God? Are there hobbies or habits that I enjoy that don’t lead me to God? Do I get lost in pointless conversations or articles or movies?
What are the consequences of our sins, not only in the next life, but in this one? Do our sins make us short tempered with our loved ones? Do they hurt our relationships? Do they make us worse employees, hurting even our chances for success in this world? Do they make us happy beyond the brief moments we indulge in them?
Week 2
Does Christ call us to take on any suffering that He has not already endured? (p 98, 100)
What is Christ’s purpose on Earth? (p 103-104)
Why did Jesus choose to work for a living? (p 117)
What does holiness of life depend on? (p 118)
What are the principle obligations of man to God? (p 121)
How does the devil seduce souls and what are the consequences of falling into sin? (p 128)
How does Christ lead souls to perfection? (p 130)
To which class do you belong? (p 132-135)
What are the Three Degrees of Humility? (p. 136)
Why is the third degree the most certain, shortest, and most meritorious way of salvation? (p 138)
Applications:
How can we imitate Christ, the all powerful God, who humbled Himself to become a baby, born amongst animals in a stable, and entrusted to two of His own creatures? (p 109-110)
How can we imitate Christ’s obedience? (p 115-116)
How can we imitate manner of Christ’s labor? (p 117)
Do we imitate the Holy Family in our conversations, “regulated by meekness, humility, modesty, and so on”? (p. 121)
“Look in upon yourself. Do you pray? Do you fulfill the precepts of your religion? Do you labor for the glory of God? Learn from the example of Jesus Christ to fulfill your duties toward God in a Christian manner.” (p 122-123)
How will you work to mortify the passions that are holding you back from further perfection? (p 133-134)
Week 3
Whose sins are the cause of the sufferings of Christ? (p. 139)
Christ could have opened Heaven for us without ever leaving it. Why did He come to Earth then? (p. 142)
What are the insults Christ endures in the Eucharist? (p. 145)
What does Jesus recommend? (p. 150)
What are we to learn from Christ’s example? (p. 156-157)
What does Christ sacrifice in Jerusalem? (p. 157)
What are we to learn Christ’s perfect obedience to the will of God? (p. 160)
How are we to treat the esteem and opinion of men? (p. 161)
What are the seven words of Jesus on the Cross? (p. 163-164)
Applications:
How will you imitate Christ in the Eucharist? (p. 144)
How will you improve how you receive Christ in the Eucharist?
How will you make reparation for the outrages Christ suffers? (p. 147)
How can we model in our life the sufferings of Christ? (p. 155)
How will you motivate yourself to practice penance? (p. 161)
How will you guard against indifference to Christ? (p. 164)
Week 4
Well, you did it. Last week. There are more reflections past Week 4, and I would encourage you to pray with those as well, but those should really be done with an experienced (and holy) spiritual director (which I am not). So this guide will be ending after this week.
To what degree shall we participate in the victory and happiness of the Son of God? (p. 167)
What are you to do “when sacrifices alarm you”? (p, 170)
How can we recognize the presence of Jesus Christ? (p. 171-172)
Why is putting “too much of our thoughts on exterior things” bad? (p. 172)
Why does Christ give us consolations? (p. 172)
What is Heaven like? Is it merely a perfected Earth? What will those who are saved do in Heaven? What will these Holy Souls talk to each other about? (p. 175-179)
Why are worldly goods always accompanied by fear and distaste? (p. 179)
Why aren’t eternal goods accompanied by fear and distaste? (p. 179)
What does true love consist in? What is its effect? What can’t it exist without? (p. 180)
Applications:
How will you “offer up [yourself] by penance”? (p. 169)
How will you seek Jesus “long by prayer and desire”? (p. 171)
How will you “only appear in the world through necessity, through charity, through courtesy”? (p. 174)
What ought you to do for Heaven? What will you do? (p. 179)
How will you detach yourself from creatures? (p. 183)
How will you detach from yourself? (p. 183)
“Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am, all that I have, Thou hast given me, and I give it back again to Thee, to be disposed of according to Thy good pleasure. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace: with these I am rich enough.”
If you ever have the opportunity, I would strongly encourage you take this as a month (or at least a week) long retreat with an experienced (and again, holy. Can’t emphasize that enough. They can’t lead you down a path that they aren’t already walking). I’ve seen this done as a weekend, and you just can’t condense it down like that. It needs to be… gnawed on, to slowly go over it and reread and re-pray over the same meditation several times in a day. Holiness can’t be rushed.
Catholic-Home 