In a couple months I have agreed to do a teaching series that I am excited about, but not ready to do. I have agreed to compare some different Christian spiritualities. The challenge is to talk about some things about which I don’t know too much. The delight is the work I will do in order to be prepared. For me it is a learning time. I hope I am a model of the life-long learner we talk about with our college students. I am not sure it means much to them at their age, but it means something to me.
In the first instance I want to do some comparisons between my own Quaker spirituality and Ignatian spirituality. Ignatian spirituality is that tradition linked to Ignatius of Loyola, the sixteenth century Spanish Catholic priest and creative genius. Ignatius founded the religious order known as the Society of Jesus---better known as the Jesuits. The Jesuits are remarkably well-educated who have been teachers and mission workers all over the world. Interestingly, the Jesuits are obedient only to their own superiors and the Pope.
When I was doing my own graduate studies in Christian history, I did not know much about the Jesuits. In some ways I was more attracted to the better-known Benedictine monastic tradition. And I was also very attracted to the urban friars (brothers) who followed the model of St. Francis---hence the Franciscans. But the Jesuits were more a mystery to me.
All this began to change when I took a couple classes at a Jesuit theological school adjacent to my own graduate institution. I came to know and respect my Jesuit teachers and to learn more about their calling and ministry. They have taught me a great deal about spirituality and have helped me broaden and deepen my own Quaker spirituality.
One of the delights in my times of travel has been to spend some time at Heythrop College in London. Once one of the premier theological centers in England, it is slated to close. But when it flourished, I met David Lonsdale, a Jesuit scholar, who has provided a look at Ignatian spirituality, which I have always appreciated. One of his books I continue to consult is Eyes to See, Ears to Hear: An Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality. I would like to share one aspect of his Ignatian perspective that I find very helpful.
A key issue for most Christian and, perhaps, people of other faith traditions is God’s will. No doubt, a most Christians would assume God has a will for us. It is normal to hear people talk about “doing God’s will.” This simple and laudable hope to follow God’s will, nevertheless, is not always as straightforward as it might seem. So let’s invite Lonsdale help us to come to some clarity.
In a section of his book on discernment, Lonsdale rightly says that what is at stake is figuring out God’s will in order that we might do God’s will. He offers two options with respect to God’s will. “Sometimes people talk about the will of God or the plan of God as if it were a large, immensely complex, ever-changing, living blueprint of what God ‘wants’ to happen in the world.” This certainly resonated with me. I am pretty sure this is the version of “God’s will” with which I grew up. It makes sense to label it a “blueprint.” We were supposed to know it so that, like an architect, we could build our life around the plan. I know I tried to do it this way, but I was never sure I really knew anything. And I was blown away by others who seemed very sure.
So when I read this next sentence from Lonsdale, I was relieved. He says, “There are many reasons why this ‘management blueprint’ model is unsatisfactory, but the principal one I would like to mention here is the fact that it constricts our freedom so much.” That really made sense. And I like the fact Lonsdale calls this model “unsatisfactory.” That is not the same thing as being wrong. So what is his more satisfactory model of understanding God’s will?
He writes, “A more satisfactory understanding of the will of God…gives greater value to our precious gift of freedom.” He continues, “God’s will for us is that we should learn to respond in freedom to God’s love for us, and to give shape to our individual and common lives in freedom by the choices we make.” (92) This helps me see there are times I need to move ahead in freedom and trust I have done my best. But it means I can’t be sure.
One final sentence from Lonsdale summarizes it for me. He assures us, “God’s will is that we should exercise our freedom responsibly and well by choosing what honestly seems the best course of action in a given set of circumstances…There is a sense in which we create, in terms of concrete action in given circumstances, the will of God in this exercise of freedom.” This view of “God’s will” continues to be challenging, but it is a satisfactory way for me to move forward in my responsible freedom.
I appreciate the gift of Ignatian spirituality.
In the first instance I want to do some comparisons between my own Quaker spirituality and Ignatian spirituality. Ignatian spirituality is that tradition linked to Ignatius of Loyola, the sixteenth century Spanish Catholic priest and creative genius. Ignatius founded the religious order known as the Society of Jesus---better known as the Jesuits. The Jesuits are remarkably well-educated who have been teachers and mission workers all over the world. Interestingly, the Jesuits are obedient only to their own superiors and the Pope.
When I was doing my own graduate studies in Christian history, I did not know much about the Jesuits. In some ways I was more attracted to the better-known Benedictine monastic tradition. And I was also very attracted to the urban friars (brothers) who followed the model of St. Francis---hence the Franciscans. But the Jesuits were more a mystery to me.
All this began to change when I took a couple classes at a Jesuit theological school adjacent to my own graduate institution. I came to know and respect my Jesuit teachers and to learn more about their calling and ministry. They have taught me a great deal about spirituality and have helped me broaden and deepen my own Quaker spirituality.
One of the delights in my times of travel has been to spend some time at Heythrop College in London. Once one of the premier theological centers in England, it is slated to close. But when it flourished, I met David Lonsdale, a Jesuit scholar, who has provided a look at Ignatian spirituality, which I have always appreciated. One of his books I continue to consult is Eyes to See, Ears to Hear: An Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality. I would like to share one aspect of his Ignatian perspective that I find very helpful.
A key issue for most Christian and, perhaps, people of other faith traditions is God’s will. No doubt, a most Christians would assume God has a will for us. It is normal to hear people talk about “doing God’s will.” This simple and laudable hope to follow God’s will, nevertheless, is not always as straightforward as it might seem. So let’s invite Lonsdale help us to come to some clarity.
In a section of his book on discernment, Lonsdale rightly says that what is at stake is figuring out God’s will in order that we might do God’s will. He offers two options with respect to God’s will. “Sometimes people talk about the will of God or the plan of God as if it were a large, immensely complex, ever-changing, living blueprint of what God ‘wants’ to happen in the world.” This certainly resonated with me. I am pretty sure this is the version of “God’s will” with which I grew up. It makes sense to label it a “blueprint.” We were supposed to know it so that, like an architect, we could build our life around the plan. I know I tried to do it this way, but I was never sure I really knew anything. And I was blown away by others who seemed very sure.
So when I read this next sentence from Lonsdale, I was relieved. He says, “There are many reasons why this ‘management blueprint’ model is unsatisfactory, but the principal one I would like to mention here is the fact that it constricts our freedom so much.” That really made sense. And I like the fact Lonsdale calls this model “unsatisfactory.” That is not the same thing as being wrong. So what is his more satisfactory model of understanding God’s will?
He writes, “A more satisfactory understanding of the will of God…gives greater value to our precious gift of freedom.” He continues, “God’s will for us is that we should learn to respond in freedom to God’s love for us, and to give shape to our individual and common lives in freedom by the choices we make.” (92) This helps me see there are times I need to move ahead in freedom and trust I have done my best. But it means I can’t be sure.
One final sentence from Lonsdale summarizes it for me. He assures us, “God’s will is that we should exercise our freedom responsibly and well by choosing what honestly seems the best course of action in a given set of circumstances…There is a sense in which we create, in terms of concrete action in given circumstances, the will of God in this exercise of freedom.” This view of “God’s will” continues to be challenging, but it is a satisfactory way for me to move forward in my responsible freedom.
I appreciate the gift of Ignatian spirituality.
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