Hi!
One phrase that I keep seeing wherever it is that I read about it is “seeing/finding God in all things”.
Yes, that sounds Ignatian!
The first thing that comes to mind when I see that is pantheism or panentheism, but seeing as Jesuits are Catholics
, they obviously mean that phrase in a different way. Can anyone explain in a general way what they mean by seeing God in all things, and how does it differ from pantheism and panentheism?
Ignatian spirituality is above all focused on God. Jesuits have been called “contemplatives in action”, and one can’t be a contemplative without gazing at Christ.
Of course, everything is centered on the Mass, on Jesus, because God freely chose to make his presence in the world come through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. And Jesus is “with us always” offering us grace, even if not always in the same visible way as in the sacraments. So every moment can be an opportunity to grow closer to God.
Nothing in the above paragraph is unique to Ignatian spirituality. So how does this relate to “finding God in all things”?
Well first, I just want to point out that Jesuits helped found the Apostleship of Prayer and spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. So we can see that the daily offering is something treasured by Jesuits. Just using this to clarify beyond doubt that the spirituality is Catholic and not pantheist.
St. Ignatius’ approach of finding God in all things can be phrased another way: God is in my life at every moment; how am I responding to him?
Take for example a very Ignatian way of reading the Bible. Imagine yourself in a scene in the Gospels; we see how Jesus interacts with others, his manner of speaking, the little things he does, etc. Then have a colloquy with him. Notice that we gaze at Christ, then respond to him in prayer (this while not taking our gaze off Jesus)?
Now let’s look at the Examen. We thank God for his presence in our lives, then ask for his grace to know how we have sinned. Then we review our thoughts, words, and actions in the day. So here in step 3 we are reviewing how we have responded to God’s presence in our lives. Then we ask God for forgiveness, and finally ask for grace to do better in the future. End with an Our Father.
Take a look at this Pope Francis interview:
w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013/september/documents/papa-francesco_20130921_intervista-spadaro.html
If you don’t read it, trust me that the Pope’s spirituality is Ignatian.
Notice what he says near the end about prayer: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What should I do for Christ?’
See how that fits with the Examen? How that fits with responding to God’s call? See how discernment fits in with this?
Lastly, is Ignatian Spirituality “user friendly” for a layperson such as myself? Thanks in advance!
It is incredibly “user friendly”.
The great thing about it is one can be in any situation in life and Ignatian spirituality will be accessible. It provides much more flexibility than many other spiritualities, in large part because St. Ignatius wanted his Jesuits to be open to going wherever they were needed for “the greater glory of God”. Hence the reasoning for them not having the same obligations for prayer, like Lauds or Vespers, that other orders had. Not in order to detract from the significance of the Church and her prayers, as we can see with St. Ignatius who was himself devoted to the Liturgy of the Hours, but rather that the Church may be served by the Jesuits in whatever activity they discern God is calling them to do at any given time. Having the necessary indifference or detachment to do what God is asking.
And sometimes maybe God is calling one to take on certain obligations. It calls for discernment, what God wants. Finding God in all things.
