In the final set piece of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius invites exercitants to recognise God present in all things—‘the heavens, elements, plants, fruits, cattle, and all the rest’ (Exx 236)—as well as in the human beings who surround them, and the gifts they acknowledge that God has given them. Indeed, Ignatian spirituality is often summed up in the phrase ‘finding God in all things’. This points to the truth that our experience of God is usually mediated, that it is in experiencing aspects of the world around us that we come to recognise the presence of God at work. To say this invites the question ‘How?’ How can I come to see God there in the richness and multiplicity of my everyday experience? Sometimes it may seem easy and natural. Many will glimpse God in gazing at a star-lit sky, as Ignatius himself did, or in holding their new-born child for the first time. It may well not be so easy, though, to perceive God in a crowded commuter train early on a Monday morning, or when I receive the diagnosis of a serious illness. Many of the articles in this number of The Way describe ways in which the authors have found themselves able to discover God in unexpected places, or at least in places beyond the conventionally sacred settings of church, prayer and worship.
Robert R. Marsh, ‘Discernment of Spirits: A Cosmological View’, 9–24
How are we to understand the nature of those ‘spirits’ which are the object of the process of the ‘discernment of spirits’? Most commonly, perhaps, these are equated with psychological movements occuring within a person. Here it is argued that such a limited understanding leads to an impoverishment of the discernment process. A richer alternative approach is suggested.
Richard Boileau, ‘Sub-personalities and Authenticity: A Model of Intervention in Spiritual Direction’, 26–36
Although the aims of psychotherapy and spiritual direction are clearly different, the two disciplines have the capacity to learn from each other. Richard Boileau, a permanent deacon from Canada, describes a method of psychosynthesis that can aid a person’s spiritual progress by working with their sub-personalities.
Sue Yore, ‘In the Footsteps of Julian of Norwich’, 37–56
Although they are separated by six centuries, the works of the English mystic Dame Julian of Norwich and of the American writer Annie Dillard complement each other. Both draw on the experience of the human capacity to maintain an optimistic outlook in the face of inescapable suffering. What might such optimism have to say about the nature of creativity?
Jean-Marc Furnon, ‘‘The Mass that Takes Its Time’’, 57–66
The ‘Mass that takes its time’ has proved attractive to a large number young adults in Paris and beyond who were finding little to sustain them in more regular church services. A description of this form of celebration is accompanied by an analysis of the impact that it has on those who take part in it.
Bonnie Thurston, ‘On Biblical Preaching’, 67–80
Preaching, in all Christian denominations today, faces the challenge of taking account of the findings of academic biblical criticism, while still helping people to hear the God who speaks through the texts which we have inherited. By considering a number of biblical passages, Thurston shows ways in which this might be done.
Gerard J. Hughes, ‘Brought Down to Earth: An Annunciation for Our Time’, 82–92
The former Master of Campion Hall in Oxford used one of the paintings in the Hall as the basis for a University sermon. He reflects on the ordinariness of a key event in the Christian story, and how this can itself provide a basis for faith.
James Menkhaus, ‘Four Themes of the Spiritual Exercises through Shakespeare’, 93–104
Ignatius divided his Spiritual Exercises into four ‘Weeks’, each of which corresponds to a particular dynamic common in the spiritual life. Menkhaus shows how the analysis of personality for which Shakespeare’s plays are noted can be used to illuminate aspects of these four dynamic processes.
Anthony Mifsud, ‘The Imperative Need to Forgive’, 105–116
Forgiving a serious wrong that has been done to you surely presents one of the greatest challenges of human life. Nevertheless it may well be necessary for anyone who desires to make spiritual progress. Misfud offers practical advice on how someone who desires to forgive another might best proceed.