By Mark Argent
One of the less familiar corners of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises is the obscurely-named Particular Examen. It lurks in the first part of the Exercises, where the general focus is on sin and the forgiveness of God. The word ‘particular’ is included because the person engaging with the Exercises is invited to keep track of the times when they fall into a particular sin, perhaps making some small gesture (such as discretely striking their breast) each time they catch themselves, periodically taking stock of their performance. Confidently, Ignatius suggests a somewhat unconventional diagram with the purpose of helping people keep track of how they are improving.
A protracted brush with pneumonia a few years ago had some interesting repercussions. At a practical level, it meant that a siesta took the place of my daily jog and my car seemed to know its own way to the local hospital, but what about the spiritual dimension of the experience? A bout of pneumonia is far from being the most serious illness faced by people of my age and fitness level in a hospital, but it is inevitable that such an ordeal has an effect on the prayer life.
The Bible is peppered with references to people having profound experiences of God through their dreams. The readings from around Christmas include two classic examples, namely, Joseph being assured that it was right to take Mary as his wife, and the Magi being encouraged not to go back to Herod on their return trip from Bethlehem. Down the centuries, many mystics have laid great store by the content of dreams and visions.
Slightly confusingly, the terms ‘meditation’ and ‘contemplation’ get used in a variety of ways. Some treat them as interchangeable. Some make a careful distinction, though it can still end up with one person’s meditation being another’s contemplation.
One of the fruits of the increased interest in Ignatian spirituality in recent decades has been greater use of what Ignatius calls the General Examen. In essence, this is to look back over part of the day, and ask “Where was God in the experience?”Ignatius’ actual formula doesn’t translate so well across the centuries, but a contemporary approach can be quite useful.
