most

FIRST DAY

tate upon

FIRST CONTEl\lPLATION- TIIE INCARNATION

101. IT

CONTAINS

PREPARATORY

PRAYER.

THREE

(1)

"method

necessarily, uppo.ses
tellect

c.nd

(45-54 ) ;
more

from

wi11,

but

it

as

contemplation."

of

This

the concourse of the

the

"method of

the

also,

memO"ry, in

three

powers"

requires a lesse r effort of reascming; it is

adapted to the study of concrete facts as scen es

R. de Ma umigny's "Partique
de l'oraison mentale,'' vol. 1, p. V, ch. 2-4, pp. 258-297; A
the

Se e

Gospels.

Brou's "S. Ignace,

maitre

d'oraison,"

p.

ch . 3, pp.

111,

159-179.*

PRELUDE

HISTORY OF 'IHE

IS TO

CALL

TO

MATTER WHICH 1

MIND

HAVE TO

THE

CON

'fEMPLA'IE; WHICH IS HERE HOW TilE THREE DIVINE

PERSONS BEHELD ALL THE SURFACE AND CIRCUIT OF

TERRESR
T IAL

GLOBE,

COVERED

WITH

MEN.

AND HOW SEEING ALL MEN DESCENDING INTO HELL,

THEY DETERMINED, IN THEILl ETERNITY, THAT THE

SECOND P'ERSON SHOULD BECOJ\1E MAN 'TO SAVE THE

HUMAN
ffiME

RACE,

HAD

AND

THUS,

COME, THEY

Wl-IEN THE

SENT TilE

FULNESS

ANGEL

QF

GABRIEL

TO OUR LADY. (1)

are

of the

his words :

(1)

'We

might very well wonder why St. Ignatius,

who just here ref ers to the series of Mysteries set at

end of th e Exercises ( 261 et seq.) proposes and

in this

life

contemplation

and

that

of the

the

d eve lop s,

Nativity,

thre e

points in which he recommends that we consider:- first,

ihe persons, secondly, their words, thirdly, their actions.

The Directory ( ch. 19, paragraphs 5 and 6) replies to this

question and give a method by mea ns of which the
-137-

lacking in

J esus

of our L ord

'"v/hat

recommended

is

to us in meditating on the Incarnation and

their actions,

must

the N ativity,
to the
It is true,

extend

conformably

then, that we must consider these thr ee

their words, their

things,- people,

acti ons,. i'n each of the three poin ts, but in

their n atural order; it is not necessary to stop so as to see

first of

all

the

sid er all their

person s,

actions.

then hear all their wOI:ds, then con

This mode,

especi ally in wme

m edi

tations, culd cause confusion.

Si:. I?natius, then inrends
on ly to gwe a general me t hod, apphcable to each po int

of t he meditation, w ish i n g that o ur attention be brought

to

bear

fi'rst of all on the perso ns in the point we are

m editating, then on their words, if these

precede

actions,

'With the first

go on to the se co nd , in
"Moreover," adds the Direc-
in this par t there be m ention

point thus terminated, we shall

following the same method."

( ch. 19,

n. 7), "although here

of only three points, there is nothing at all to forbid our

adding supplementary on es and medita ting, for example,

the thoughts. and interior affections of these people, their
virtues, and principally,

t o consider the manner

the mysteries, as also their cause, effects, time

circumstances, so

that our

and end of
other

and

medit a tion be more fruitful and

the fruits more abundant."

Hence, what is said b

author of the Exercises in

not

or on the actions, if thes e precede words.

102. TilE FIRST

THE

be

order fol l owed in the series of the Mysteries.

Once again Sf.. Ignatius exposes a new mode of

prayer:- his

l>e

namely, to contemplate the person.s, listen to their words,

con sider

The Usual Pteparatory Prayer

the mysteries

Here

Christ.

PRELUDES, AND THREE POINTS, AND A COLLO QUY.

( 1)

provide d

of men,

ignorant

good wiJI, can, with as much fa cility as truittulness, medi

the poi'nt following

on,

the
con

cerning the consideration of persons, their words and

ao-.

tions, should be regarded less of the order than the ma tter

of meditation.

104. THE THIRD IS TO ASK FOR WHAT I WAN'l': WIIJ. HERE ..

BE T O ASK FOR AN lNifERIOR KNOWLEDGE OF OUR
LORD,

WHO

FOR

ME

IS

MADE MAN,

THE MORE LOVE Hll\1 AND FOLLOW

- 1.3.8-

THA.T

ffiM.

( t)

MAY .

' ,.

( 1)

Let uSJ try to understand well this twofold grace

pr rather this triple grace- that

we are taught to ask

for i"n this prelude, since we should ask it in all the con

templations of this Week. Nor, this very precious grace

is to know intimately, love more ardently, and as a neceS>

sary consequence, imitate more faithfully our Lord Jesus

Christ. Intimate knowledge of the Savio

' ur of men, His

love and the imitstiorn of His virtues, such is the aim of

this whole 'Week; such i s the fruit that we should really

strive to reap in medi'tating all these mysteries.
Let

us

AFFECTIVE

note

love

also

that

us

ciple footnote "TO PRAISE, REVERENCE AND SERVE GOD."

106. THE FIRST POINT IS TO SEE THE PERSONS ON
EITHER SIDE: FffiST, THOSE ON THE FACE OF THE
EARTH SO VARIED (1) IN DRESS AND CARRIAGE;
SOME WIDTE AND OTHERS BLACK; SOME IN PF.ACE,
AND Orr.BERS IN WAR; SOME WEEPING, OTHERS
LAUGHING; SOME L HEALTH, OTHERS SICK; SOME
BEING BORN, OTHERS DoYING, etc. SECONDLY, TO
SEE AND CONSIDER THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS, AS
ON THEIR ROYAL THRONE O R SEAT OF THEIR DlVJNE
MAJESTY, HOW THEY VIEW THE WHOLE FACE AND
CfRCUIIP OF THE WORLD, AND ALL NATIONS TN SUCH
BLINDNESS, ( 2) AND SEE THEM D'YING AND DESCEND
ING INTO HELL THIRDLY, TO SEE OUR LADY, (3)
AND THE ANGE L (4) SALUTING HER, AND TH EN TO
REFLEOI' (5) IN ORDER TO DERIVE PROFIT FROM
TIDS SIGHT.

So varied: literally, in so great diver&ity.

Let

be on our guard against considering thi's enumeration

as useless, or at most as fit for aiding our imagination.

The author of the Exercises, in putting before our eyes

this variety of mankind of every kind, some white, others

black, etc., ... but all of a like nature, all created for

the same end, all having the same Saviour, the Son of
-139-

life,

the

bitter

fruits

of culpable affections,

the lamentable effects of sin in the whole of the human

I,

race, in fine, all the woes and miseries of the unfortunate

children of a rebellious father: -a spectacle quite appro

priate to make us feel profoundly how great has been the

mercy of our kind Redeemer and how very necessary it

was for us!

In those points

wherein he

offers to

our

the beneficence of the Redemption, such, alas, as are a

the perfect example (230 ). Refer back (23) First Prin

us

senseless joys and tears, set before our eyes the vicissitudes

of human

li mited
is translated into acts;

. faithful imitation of God of which the Saviour gives

Similarly, the consideration of peace and war,

contemplation tho se persons, their words and actions, St.

beyond
to words and

sentiments,- EFFECTIVE Jove which

(I)

exception.

places

St. Ignatius

which could be

God made Man, wishes to animate us with a universal

Ignatius depicts for us humanity as it would be without

great number of souls through the degradation of their

mind

("espirit"-soul)

aod heart,

so

that the sight of

the enormity of evil, making us thereby better know and

more rightly

appreciate

this

beneficence,

we

may

feel

ourselves more efficaciously led to that love of our Re.

If the

deemer.
lengthily,

saintly

depicted

this

writer

scene

had

of

not

man's

himself, rather
depravity

and

;:

the countless evils of the human race, few, and very few
people

indeed, would have

conceived this thought from

the abridged points placed at the end of the book on these

Exercises.

However, all that comes here arises naturally

from the first point of the contemplation of the Incarnation.

We are, indeed, told to contemplate the Anel sent from

God to Mary to announce to her the mystery of the In

carnation.

Hence, the thought of the redemption of the

world, of the world plWlged in ignorance and subjected

to the most degrading passions, that world whose pe-rsons
I contemplate,

whos e

words J: hear, whose actions I see.

"The world," I tell myself, "meaning mankind."

We
are all children of the same father,-of a father that was

'
'

once great, but who was dethroned through his own pre- ,
varication, of a father who begets only degenerate children.

-140-

de plorable degradation indeed!

What would not our

lot have been had we not been given a Redeemer!

, This consideration of the depravation and evils of

mankind is of s uch great ut ility that even though it takes
us the whole hour of this exercise, we should not regret

"It is true that the Redemption had been promised

the time and trouble given it.

even from the beginning of the world: but men are soon

forgetful
from

of

their

Creator.

They

forget

high, -the waters of the

on

chastisements

deluge ,

the

fire

of

A family is c ho sen to be the depository of the

Sodom.

promises and the origin of a people whom God will call

But in the course of time, how often have

His people.

not this chosen people been an unlaithiul people?

What

about our own?

"Some
in peace.

Then it is fury and cruelty.

in war.

id leness, luxury,

is

it

Then

carnality:

Socne
those

possessions.
Some weeping- a nd this is a large majori ty ;
unmeritorious for

most,

and

whose

attachment

to

but
sin

allows t hem to find n o remedy for their sorrow.

Others

laughing- giving

to

themselves

up to

vain

joys,

t he

shameful joys of infamous pleasures, of licentious cinemas,

feastin gs,

drunkenness.

indeed, "for

Insensates,

whom mourning taketh hold of the end of their cul pable

joy."

Extrema gaudii luctus occupat

"Some beirrg

-in

born- in

misery

(Prov. XIV, 13).

and tears; others dying

sorr ow, in agony, in despair; between birth and death

are those who live d isregarding their fi rst principle, and

forgetting

their

them

God, then, sees all men in general,

in particular, living in s uch great blind

Yes, each and all

ness and casting themselves into hell.

are heading straight for hell, for in this region we c o ns ider

men exclusive from . the benefic ence of the Redemption,
meaning to s ay, such as they would be, or should have

Saviour."

(3) Ow Lady. Who, more than any creature, could

be pleasing to the Most High, poor and unknown as she
was in the world, espoused to a poor workman and l ivi ng,

disorders that usually accompany abunda n ce of woddly

dances,

All Nations.

been, had not divine goodness sent them a

''Even here and now, after the birth, life, and death
of the Saviour, what is the behaviour of ma nkind ?

(2)

and each of

last

end, wholly

their Insatiable desires.

occupied

in satisfying

These, indeed, are the members

of human i ty populating the earth.

In their

blindness and
And I my

fury they rush headlong to that great abyss.

self, li vi ng amid them, am I to be blind with the blind,

senseless wit h the senseless, without the mercy of my
Redeemer?"

-141-

despised by the rest of the Jews, in a little town of Galilee,

from which nothing good could ever come :

potest aliquicl houi esse?

(John

1,

46).

A Na:zarctb
But to

us,

how very worthy

of veneration a ppears She whom an

.Angel addreses, She who is honour ed, and honoured in
such a wa y, by the Most High!
Will any services and
ho nours that r:nortals re nder this Virgin ever be compar

able

to the hon our God Himse lf deigns to be:tow o n

It is true that she was troubled at heari n g herself

her?

being praised, she who later on will not be troubled when

her Son speaks apparently hard words to her.
Angel reassures her and says:
bast found grace with God."
enim

gratiam apucl Demn

But the

"Fear not, Mary, for thou

Ne

timeas, iUaria, invenisti

1:30). Bles sed art

(Luke

t hou, Mary, indeed!

( 4)

The A nael.

One

of

the

principal

le ader s

of

the heavenly ho st "'does not deem it benea th him or un

worthy of him to bring a messag e to a virgin of Israel,
even t hough the result of this embassy be the exaltation,
not of angelic nature, but of human natur e.

(5) Ti1en to reflect in order

this sight. This reflection, whi ch
-142-

to

derive profit from

will always be accom-

. I

panied or foJlo.wed by some practical conclusion, must be

done on

all points of the meditation, and even at all the

principal divisions of

each of the points.

The

fruit

of

thes:e refle ction s can vary ad infinitum; it differs. accord

ing to the actual state of the person doing the contempla
tion, meaning to say, accor d i'ng as to whether he expe
riences consolation or desolation, joy or sadness, devotion
or aridity, any affection or need whatsoever.

For,

he

ther the soul begins to be purified of vices, or strive t o

practfse

virtue,

God, it

o r whether i t

aspiies

after

close union

always strive to gather that fruit

befitting its needs in each mystery.
Indeed, detestation

with

should

of sin, knowle dg e of our own malice, compunction, con

trition, etc., humility, patience, obed ience, meekness, con

tempt of the world and of ourselves, etc., in fine, love for

God,

the

yielding of ourselves to

things, delectation of the

soul,

th e

divine will in all

of God and

in

God, admira

tion in the contemplation of His goodness, His wisdom,

all His attributes,

etc., are

so many

fruits that we can

draw from meditating on each mystery;

e a ch of

us

must

cling to what best befits him and to which he feels himself

more inclined by the motion of grace.

Thus will prayer

and contemplation be as a manna "having in it all that is

del icious,

and the sweetness of every t a ste. "

tamentum in

ha be utem,

ae

(Wisdom XVI: 20).

Omne de1ec
aa po ria suavirarem
more fruit from that re

et omnis

So as to get

flection which St. Ignatius recommends us always to make

in each of the contemplations,

it will be goo\i for us, afte1:

if we were present at the

having attentively considered-as

performance of

and their

that mystery- the persons, their words

to ask oursel ves the following questions:

What have you to say to all this? Who are you? What.
have yott got to ray abou t yourself?
And to answer there

acticns,

to as before

God, without any

sincerity and even with

severity,

flattery, truthfuly,
as

if it

with

w ere a question,

not of myself, but of another to whom I desire to be help

ful

according to

God.

And

again, no matter what be

-143--

the particular fruit we draw, we must never forget the

'' '

special end of the meditation or contemplation, meaning

the grace we

ask

in the Third Prelude

( 104).

107. THE SECOND POll\"T IS TO HEAR WHAT PEOPLE

ARE SAYING ON THE FACE OF TilE EAR:I'H; HOW
THEY CONVERSE T OGETHER, HOW THEY SWEAR AND
BLASPHEME, (l) etc: LIKEWISE WHAT THE TH REE
DIVINE PERSONS ARE SAYING, viz.: "LEI' US WORK
OUT THE REDEMPTION OF THE RUMAN RAC E," etc.,
AND 'THEN, WHAT THE ANGEL AND OUR LADY ARE
SAYING; AND AFTERWARDS TO REFLECT THEREUPON,
TN ORDER :0 DERIVE PROFIT FROI\1 THEIR WORDS.
( 1) The Prophet-King cries out: "Fidelity has passed

away from among the children of men .

Everyone lies
to his neighbor, they speak with deceitful lip:; and an
insincere

heart

. . .

They

have

said,

through our tongues; our lips are for

us;

are

<>We
who

strong,

Lord over

is

us?' "
num.

Quoniam diminutae sunt veritates a filiis homi

Vana locuti sun.t unusquisque ad pro,dmum

suum,

labia dolosa,. in

clixerunt:

Lin guam

cor de el corcle

nostram

uostla a nobis aunt; qnis noster

loculi

sunt.

magnificabinms;

Dominus est?

Qui

'I
J

labia

(Ps. XI).

108. THE THlRD POINT IS THEN TO CONSIDER WHAT

THE PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF II'HE EARTH ARE DOING:
HOW THEY WOUND, KILL, ( 1) CO TO HELL, etc.-;
LIKEWISE WHAT THE DIVINE PERSONS ARE DOING,
NAJ\fELY, WORKING OU1T' THE MOST HOLY INCARNA.
TION, etc.; AND IN LIKE MANNER WHAT TTIE ANGEL
AND QUR LADY A R E DOING, NAMELY, THE ANGEL
FULFILLING THE FUNITIONS OF LEGATE, AND OUR
LADY HUMBLING HERSELF (2) AND GIVING fiBANKS
'fO THE DIVINE MAJESTY; AND TIIEN REFLECT THERE.
UPON, IN ORDER TO DERIVE PROFI'T' FROM EACH
ONE OF THESE TlliNGS.
( 1) 'Whe n they dominate in a heart, self-Jove and
pride are two source<> of licentiou.mess and cruelty. Such
as, indeed, the usual characteristic vices

of a degraded '
man.
He is instigated thereto by the efforts of the enemy
of human nature, who, being guided solely by his hatred

-144-

for the soul and body of man, has dedicated these two
vices i'n that cult rendered to idols:
"They have loved
corruption an d are become a bo min able in their ways ."
Corrupti snnl et ahominahiles facti snnt in stndiis suis
(Ps. XIII, 1 )
(2)

Our Lady

..,think so

of

as

to find the most affectionate and tender terms

ex pressio n"

are nowise in St. Ignatius' text.

not in what manner or in wha-t

terms

Words are not h in g; the sentiment, the

humbling

herself.

The

words of

Our Lady:
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord," seem
to ex p ress not so much the joy of such a great digoity as
her resignation in accepting such an agonizing burden.
Indeed, the digni'ty of being the Mother of God was never
for Mary here on earth a privilege, an exemption from the
woes of life, but rather, a source of sorrow ( ''peines" ) and
toil. 'We can never doubt that the Mother of the Man of
Sorrows had before ber the perspective of all those sor
rows her Son was to ex per ience one day, and in her
cceptaoce, she unites them with the sublimity of the
dignity announced to her.
Most rightly indeed can we
join with the Church in addressing Her in the words of
St Augustine: "Oh happy Mary, who could ever suffi
ci ently sing thy praises and render thee worthy thanks,
who through thy marvellous consent, hast saved the
world which would have rema i n ed lost withcut thee,"

0 heata Maria, qnis tibi digne valeat jura gratiarmn

ac laudunt praeconia rependere, quae singulari tuo
assensu mundo succnrristi perdito?
(Pseudo-August,
Serm. CXCIV, n. 5, PL. vol. 39, col. 2106)
109. AT TilE ED A COLLOQUY IS TO BE MADE, (I)
THINKING WHAT I OUGHT TO SAY TO THE THREE DJ.
VINE PERSONS OR TO THE ETERNAL WORD INCAR
NATE, OR TO HIS MOTHER AND OUR LADY, MAKING
PEI'UION ACCORDJNG TO WHAT EACH FEELS IN HIM
SELF, IN ORDER TO FOlLOW AND IMI
TATE BETTER
OUR LORD, THUS NEWLY BECOME INCARNATE, (2)
AND 'THEN SAY A PATER NOSTER.

(2) Newly become incarnate.

we shall express it.

heart is

everything,

At the very hour and

moment; for we have to contemplate this mystery and all

the others as if they were taking place before our eyes.
Hence, Jet us not meditate as if upon
remote object;

past action, a

but let everythi'ng be actual and present

for us.
THE SECOND

CONTEMPLATION:

THE

NATIVITY

lll. THE FIRST PRELUDE IS THE HISTORY. IT WILL

.BE HERE TO THINK HOW OUR LADY ALREADY WI'IH
CHitD FOR ABOUT NINE MONTHS, AS IT 1.1-IAY PIOUSLY
flE THOUGHT, (1) SEATED ON AN ASS, LEFT NAZARETH,
TOGETHER '\"\11TH ST. JOSEPH AND A SERVANT GIRL,
LEADING AN OX, IN OB DER TO GO TO BETHLEBL'\l
TO t>AY J
HE TRIBUTE WHICH CAESAR Jl\fPOSED ON
.
THESE COUN TRIES.

( 1)

These words are set in the margin and written by

the hand of St. Ignatiu:. himself in the Autograph.

We

can s ee clearly enough th at they are rele vant to the cir

c ums tances

that he wished to express here, and which we

do not read of in the holy Gospels.

Perhaps

carrying

some

belongins.

Leading an ox.
This

manner

Orient

where the

neces

sary.

We

animals
birth

of

vogue in certain parts of the

ox is used as a beast of burden when
c an
more easily conceive then how

of

travelimg is still in

ceme

the

Christ

with their breath,

Creator,

as

all this contemplation.

'We shall remark here that these
words of the Vulga te and of Abbe Clement:
"I shall

and the

ass

Me."

these

to be in the stable at Bethlehem at the

(I) In its si'mplic ity, this Colloquy must tally with

(repondre- lead to, resp ond to) that which prevails in

-145-

Doubtless

ly he wishes that we thinlc over what we should say, but

as

Child,

if

and

which

warmed

they had known Him

Isaias says:- "The

his master's

crib,

ox

knoweth

to

Him

be their

his

owner,

but Israel hath not known

Cguovit hos possessorem smm1 el asinus prae-146-

sepe

domini sui; Israel

autem me

non cognovit. (Is.

1:3).
113. THE .THIRD PRELUDE WlLL BE THE SA!, AND IN
THE SAl\ffi FORM, AS IT WAS I N THE PRECEDING CON.
TEMPLATION. (l)

(1)

This prelude

r emains

of the Secor.d Week.

identical during the whOle

Actually, although

it is important.

th.1t, in order to avoid vagueness and its habituat conse

quence- somnolence - we determir.e and ask ardently, at

the beginning of each meditation the .special grace wished

for, ID QUOD VOLO

(48),

it is not 'NECESSARY, when medita

tion bears on closely similar subjects, such

as

t he example-s

of the Divine Master.. to vary the formula each time; it

may-be USEFUL, however, to specify that we wish to obtain

such and such a virtue that is more perceptible in that

mystery under consideration.

114. THE FIRST POINT IS TO SEE THE PEkSONS; THAT JS

TO SAY, TO SEE OUR LADY, AND ST. JOSEPH, AND
THE SERVING MAID, ALSO THE INFANT JESUS, AFrER
HIS BIRTH, (I) ACCOUNTING MYSELF A POOR AND
UNWORTHY SERVANT, (2) LOOKING AT AND CON
TEI.I-H'LATING THEI\1 AND TENDING THEM IN THEIR
NECESSITIES AS THOUGH I WERE PRESENT THERE,
WITH ALL POSSIBLE HOMAGE AND REVERENCE; AND
AFiiER THAT TO REFLECT ON MYSELF IN ORDER TO
DERIVE SOME PROFIT.

( 1)

For, in the beginning of the contemplation, He

is not yet born.

(2) Textually,

making myself a poor and unworthy

servcmt, meaning, forcing myself to have the sentime nts

of such.

Th us does St. Ignati'us recommend in the Fun

dame ntal Meditation that

to be indifferent

we make

and show ourselves

(23 ).

( 1)

In the first point we are recommended to see the

persons, in the third, to notice and consider their actions.

Why, in this second point, where it is a question of words,
are we not told, as in the mystery of the Incarnation, to

listen to them?
thus:

This d ifficu lty can seemingly be solved

The evangelists quote

no

single word said in this

mystery; hence, it is only in clinging on to observ ing the

persons, to noticing and contemplating their actions that'

we can somewhat guess what they could have said.

Now,

in the mystery of the crib, we can very profitably consider

not only what is said by the perwns, but also what

said.

is

not

They do not complain of the tax imposed by Caesar,

nor of the refusal of accommodation by

Bethlehem, etc.

the people

of

They are mostly silent on their journey,

and they are so also in the stable.

116. THE THIRD POINT IS TO SEE AND CONSIDER WHAT
,THEY ARE DOING: THAT IS TO SAY, THE JOURNEY
AND THE LABOR THAT THEY UNDERGO IN ORDER
THAT OUR LORD MAY BE BORN (1) IN EXTREME
POVERTY, AND IN ORDER THAT AFTER SUCH TOU.S,
AFI'EU. HUNGER, THIRST, HEAT, COLD, INSULTS, AND AF
FRONTS, liE MAY DIE ON THE. CROSS, AND ALL THIS
FOR ME; AND mEN BY REFLECTING TO DERIVE SOME
SPIRITUAL PROFIT,

(1)

In the designs of Divine Providen ce, the journey

from Nazareth to Bethleh e m, the fatigues and sufferings of

Mary and Joseph, are to tend to have the Christ-Child's

birth in poverty, so that our Lord be born in extreme

po verty:
they are to open for Him th i s rugged career of

privatio n and suffering whose termination will take place

upon Calvary.
Men undertake travels in the interes ts
of their own pleasures, to avoid trouble and sorrow; Mary
a nd

Joseph leave their home in Na zareth so

that the

Ssviour of mankind may appear in the world deprived of

every ass istance and surrounded by all those hardsh ips
that accompany

indigence.

The Vulgate version

seems

to invite us right here to a too speculative seeking into the

liS. THE SECOND IS TO SEE AND NOTICE AND CON

TEMPLATE (1) WHAT TilEY ARE SAYING; AND BY
REFLECI'ING ON ONESELF TO DERIVE SOM.E PROFIT.

causes. as to why the M aster of all things should wish to

be born in extreme poverty; but the seeking of these causes

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-148-

seems to us to be unreasonable and contrary to the thought

of St Ignatius, who gives us only one cause: all this for me.
Hence it is to this cause that I must cling in the contem
plation, so that I may draw, as spiritual fruit, a more

ardent love for Christ Jesus. and a greater desire to imitate.

-Him: for such is the special aim of these contemplations,

and not a studied research in cau se s, which lie within the

province of theology and speculation.

117. FINISH WL'IH A COLLOQ1JY, AS IN THE PRECEDING

CONTEMPLATION, (1) AND Wll'H A PATER NOSTER.

in the preceding contemplatio ( 109). A

us from losing sight of the
. particular end of these contemplations, so that we be un
ceasingly on the move towards this special end to obtain
that fruit aked for in the Third Prelude, namely, an
interior knowledge, a greater love and a more faithful
imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 104 ) .

( 1) As

necessary warning to p revent

FIFTH CONl'EMPLATION:
APPLICATION OF 'IHE FIVE SENSES

121. THE FIFTH CONTE111PLATION WILL BE TO APPLY

THE FIVE/ SENSES TO THE FIRST AND SECOND CONTEM
PLATION.

(1)

AFrER rt'HE PREPARATORY PRAYER, AND THE

THREE PRELUDES, IT WILL BE PROFITBLE (2) TO
BRING THE FIVE SENSES OF THE IMAGl.lllA TION TO
THE FIRST AND SECOND CONTEMPlATION IN THE
FOLLOWING MANJ\'ER:

exercise is called the application of the

senses, because the soul therein employs the help of the
interior senses so as to imbue itself with a mystery it ha.s
already meditated upon by means of its faculties.
The
eyes see, the ears hear, the mell inha-les, the taste savours,
the hands and lips touch.
When the different senses of
the seul come in c ontact with the physical, our bejng leaps
with joy, or prostrates itself; penetrated with respect and
fear in the presence of a God so good and so holy_; COR

( 1) his

-149-

MEUM ET CARO MEA EXULTAVERUNT l'N D EU M VIVUM (Ps.

LXXXIII:3 ).
According to the Directory, ch. XX n. 4,
'
the exercise of sense-application will be especially useful
in two circu1TI\Stances, and wiii produce great good.
At
times, when the soul is unable to give itse!f up to more

profound

speculations,

it

will

graduaiiy

dispose

itself,

through the seeing of sensible objects, to !fo into more

elevated corn:iderations; at tim es, on the contrary, already

replenished srnd fervent from

devotion

it

has drawn in

the 1mowledf1e of the more sublime mysteries, the sou! will

descend to the contemplation of thes-e materia! objects and

will encounter therein a savoury nourishment, a sweet

consolation, a delicious fruit, issuing from the abundance

of love that replete;; it and as a result thereof the least

things- a gesture, a sign, are of great value and an un- '
tarnishable &Otrrce of consolation and love.
Re this method of contemplation see: R. de Maumi

niy's PRATIQUE DE L'ORAISO'N MENTALE, 1, ch. 5, pp. 298-

807;- A. BROu'S S. IGNACE, MAITRE o'ORAISON, ch. IV,

pp. 161-210; j. Moanchal's DIDTIONAIRE DE SPIRtTUALITE,

vo]. 1, coli. 810-828; "ETUDES SUR LA PSYCHOL. DES MYSTI

QUES," vol. 2, art. X, pp. 365-382.

(2) It will be profitable. No one will ever doubt

having obtained great spiritual profit had it been given
him to assist at the bi;th of the Saviour and at the ac
complishment of His other mysteries.
Let us think, there
for e , that the application of the senses will produce in us ,
some of these happy effects if we bring thereto a vivid

faith, an attentive and diligent spirit.

122. 'I''HE

FIRST POINT IS TO SEE THE PERSONS WITH

THE EYES OF THE IMAGINATION, (I) MEDITATING
AND CONTEMPLATING IN PARTICULAR THEIR Cffi.
CUMSTANCES, AND DERIVING SOME FRillT FROM THE

.SIGHT.

( 1)

Seeing denotes less application, consequently

facility and composure

("d ouceu r")

-150-

than just

more
Ioo.kin. In

looking, we have sometimes to make efforts and tiresome

we need none such in seeing.
This re
mark is all the more necessary in that the applicati on of
the senses, according to St. Ignatius' intention, should
.
entail less contention.
It is for this reason that be al
efforts at that:

ways gives it last place- before supper and after all the
other exercises, at a moment when we can

and

should

think that the retreatant's mind is beginning to feel the

f!3-tigue of the day.

Hence, we are to aim above all at

making this application

calmly and without any conten

tion of mind.
124. THE THIRD IS TO SMELL AND TAsri'E (1) THE l!'i
FINJTE SWEETNESS Ai"'D DELIGDT OF THE DIVlNITY,
OF THE SOUL, AND OF ITS VIR(IlJES, AND AI.L ELSE
) ACCORJ}ING 11'0 'fBE CHARACTER OF THE PERSO N
COI\'TEMPLAfiED,
REFLECTING
ON
ONESELF,
AND
DERIVING SOME FRUIT' FROM. THIS.

( 1 ) These two senses, here united, refer solely to the

sentiment , the latter but more closely and i m mediately
than the forme r.
This sentime n t is either that of delecta
tion and spiritual Jove or, in the oppos ite sense, that of
horror, aversion , revulsion, hatred; for we can apply these
two interio r senses not only to sacred objects, but also to
contrary ones- i'n this

meditation, for example, to

the

world, men of the world, their crimes, the chastisements

they deserve; the sentiment we experience therefrom will
necessarily be that produced on our corporal senses by
what is most foul and bitter .
125. THE FOURTH IS TO FEEL WITH THE TOUCH; (I) ,AS,
FOR EXAMPLE, TO KISS AND El\fJBRACE THE SPOTS
WHERE SUCH PERSONS TREAD AND SIT, AI.WAYS EN
DEAVOURING TO DRAW FRUIT FROM THIS.

( 1 ) The author of the Exercises indicates as object of

cl othing, and less still

the sense of touch solely places, not

persons.

If, then, through a movement of tender devo

tion, a soul of great purity were to

give some

persons

more affectionate manifestations of love, let it remember

-151-

that according to the wise counsel given in the Directory

( ch. XXI, n. 1), this must be done only with a sentiment
Then must the
of respect, reserve and fear combined.
words of the Psalmist be recalled to mind:

"They shall

Coram illo
procident .. et terra01 lingcnt (PS. LXXI:9).

bow down before Him and lick the dust."