Of fish and prayer and Magis: Walking with Ignatius of Loyola

Guest blogger Regina Heater writes of fish and prayer and Magis in honor of the Feast of Saint Ignatius which was this past Sunday. Saint Ignatius is a great companion for those who are drawn to deepening their spirituality and who are discerning their life’s path.

Inigo the Fish

I am a big Ignatius fan, although I didn’t know very much about him until last winter when I read the book The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by Fr. James Martin.

I’m such a big fan, I named my fish Inigo. This is my fish: (OK, I also named him Inigo after Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. But he’s a Betta, a Fighting Fish, so Inigo fits him well, as both of his namesakes are warriors. But I digress.)

I could tell you all about Ignatius and why he’s awesome, but Fr. Jim has done that really well in a video from the Who Cares About the Saints series, so I’ll encourage you to watch the video for the basics about Ignatius.

There’s a lot of things I love about Ignatius, but I’ll share with you three things of Ignatian Spirituality that have particularly impacted me:

1. The concept of Magis.
Magis is doing more, the greater for God. At the heart of the Spiritual Exercises is this question: “What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I to do for Christ?” In other words, what have I done, what am I doing, and what more can I do? It’s never a question of comparison with others, or a quest to be superlative. It’s simply an encouragement to extend yourself for Christ.

2. Contemplative in Action/Practicality
I love the inherent balance in Ignatian Spirituality. There’s a time to pray, there’s a time to work, there’s a time to play. Ignatius encourages spiritual directors to adapt the Exercises to the needs of the retreatant.  And Ignatius understood that things take time, and failure happens. We’re not all Spiritual Superstars. Sometimes we have to take baby steps. And, Ignatius knew that not everyone was called to religious life; he wanted everyone to be able to seek, find, and experience God in their specific circumstance.

3. The Examen
I like to think of The Examen as a kind of “check yourself before you wreck yourself” practice. Francis Xavier encouraged Jesuits to prayer it twice a day – mid-day and before sleep. Ignatius has a suggested way for praying it, but with the advisement of Sister Kathie Budesky, IHM, the director of Visitation North Spirituality Center during this Ask Sister podcast, I’ve adapted it. Here’s how I pray the Examen at the end of the day.

For more detailed information and assistance in exploring the Ignatian Way, consider these resources:

• Ignatian Spirituality (from Loyola Press):
  http://ignatianspirituality.com/
• dotMagis blog:
  http://ignatianspirituality.com/dotmagis-blog/
• Picturing God: reader-submitted images of the Divine
  http://picturinggod.ignatianspirituality.com/
• 3-Minute Retreat:
  http://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer.htm
• Pray-As-You-Go from the Irish Jesuits:
  http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ (This was how I first started praying the Scriptures each day. Be sure to also click on the “Review of the Day” which is a fantastic way to sort of “toe in” to the Examen.)
• Way of Ignatius (also from the Irish Jesuits):
  http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/wayofignatius.htm
• Other6: offers a way to share with others where you found God and where you need to find God each day.
  http://www.other6.com/

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Tagged as: discernment, ignatian spirituality, ignatius of loyola, inigo, regina heater, saints and feasts, spirituality