What are the Spiritual Exercises and Why are They Needed

This story will be written without ecclesiastical jargon. In a language understandable even to those who have only heard of Christianity in passing from their grandmother or from jokes on social media, and who are convinced that churchgoers are detached from life inadequates.

What are we talking about?... About the Spiritual Exercises)

The Exercises created by St. Ignatius of Loyola are unlike Eastern meditations, nor are they about releasing "blocks", nor therapy with psychoanalysis, nor spiritual growth with a guru or vipassana. They are not about "standing on nails" or "pumping energy channels", nor are they about "forgiveness" and "letting go", nor about laying out a star chart, coaching, or yet another training. The Exercises are not even similar to most prayers that any Catholic or Orthodox person would be familiar with.

So what are they? What can they be compared to?

Imagine... Imagine a soul (I hope you do not think of yourself merely as a body with a brain), which has at its disposal an impressive set of tools on earth: thoughts, emotions, imagination, intuition, various feelings, hands, feet, etc. And this soul begins to learn how to manage all these tools. It learns to cope with the body, to get acquainted with the capabilities of the mind, to experience emotions. And it becomes so engrossed in this game that it completely forgets about itself, and then about its Creator. It forgets how to talk to Him, how to hear Him and understand. It forgets so thoroughly that it even questions His very existence and perceives itself merely as a body, a mind, and all the other instruments given to it.

It lives life as if in an unending dream, marked by a series of sufferings and joys. But the quiet discomfort does not go away; the inner yearning for knowledge does not allow for peace. Thoughts like "What is all this for?..." occasionally come to mind.

So, the Spiritual Exercises are a set of practices that organise all the tools of the soul in such a way that they do not hinder, but rather help to communicate directly with God. They help to remember who the soul is and why it is here.

And yes, one of the main features of Christianity is that anyone can speak directly to God, just like with their best friend, and even closer. With all the resulting beneficial consequences for their life. This conversation is called "prayer". The problem is that this word is so overused and its meaning in society is so distorted that few perceive it as a living dialogue.

There are different types of "conversations" and various "languages" through which one can engage in dialogue with God throughout the day. So, the Spiritual Exercises—one of the top "languages" of Christianity, providing a very deep and pure contact with God, as well as with oneself. It primarily takes the form of meditation, not Eastern, no. The very word "meditation" (from the Latin meditatio, meaning "reflection", "consideration" or "mental contemplation") was originally used by monks to describe their reflections, and only later was it used in translations to describe Eastern practices. This "language" of communication is not the easiest to master, but the volume of beneficial effects that a person gains from such conversations far exceeds the efforts expended in mastering it many, many times over.

It can also provide answers to questions such as: "Why am I living?", "Why does my life resemble a series of sufferings?", "Why do I feel so lonely?", "What is the purpose of my life?", "Where is my place?..."
At the same time, it also addresses completely mundane questions like: "Why am I chronically ill?", "Why do my relationships never work out?", "How can I find the husband/wife of my dreams?", "Why have I been fired from my fifth job in a row?", "Why does my neighbour irritate me so much?", "Why do my children ignore me?", "Why does my ex not let me live?", "Why, from what, for what?..."

"So what does this mean, these crazy believers who go to church on a schedule and pretend to fast, are not so detached from life after all?" - you might ask me. And I will answer you, it is hard to find something more practical, grounded, and connected to life than true faith (note, faith, not religiosity). Churchgoers are also diverse. There are those who come for the ritual and do not fully understand what is happening, and there are those who see in the practices a support for themselves, consciously make their choice, and either use them or do not. Guess who is more numerous 🙂.

And do you know what faith is?)) No, it is not something that wanders around in the form of incomprehensible ideas in society, like "believing in fantasies without evidence". Faith is an act of will plus your mind's agreement. When you look at things, study them, and say: "My will is now such: this employer is an idiot not suitable for me." In the case of God, it might look like this: "I have found contact with God, I have studied what He is like, and I affirm: He truly loves me."

So, those who understand what this is about see that their faith permeates everything, even the most mundane and habitual aspects of life, and does not separate the "spiritual" from the "earthly". This is because there are no closed or insignificant topics with the One who created life.

And the only tiny obstacle the size of Everest that prevents us from hearing God is our ego. Or in other words, pride, which knows exactly how everyone should live and what to do. It is multifaceted and, like an iceberg, is hidden from consciousness.

During the Exercises, we learn how to cope with it, how to peel away layer by layer from this iceberg, getting rid of the delusions and attachments that secretly govern our lives, while also dealing with other soul's turmoil. We learn to recognise the Lord's answers and distinguish them from the rumblings in our stomachs our fantasies, desires, and thoughts.

I am not saying that this is easy. I am not saying that everything will work out immediately. But I am saying that it is worth trying. Because it is very difficult to overestimate this living connection with God and the new quality of life that opens up as a result of this connection.

In the next story, we will talk about what is inside the Exercises that makes them so effective.