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Studies in Spirituality 18, 229-244. doi: 10.2143/SIS.18.0.2033291 doi: © 2008 by Studies in Spirituality. All rights reserved.

SUNNY KOKKARAVALAYIL SJ

THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF ST AND THE JESUIT CONSTITUTIONS1

SUMMARY — The Principle and Foundation (PF) of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius (n. 23) puts in a nutshell the theme of the whole Spiritual Exercises, which includes the final end of human beings and the right attitude to reach that. According to PF, we, human beings are created to praise, reverence and serve God by means of which our souls are saved. The other things are created to help us to reach our goal. We are to use the other creatures in so far as they help us to achieve our end. Such a use requires of us an attitude of indifference toward all created things and the choice of that which is more conducive to attain our goal. This theme is not limited to the Spiritual Exercises, but pervades other writings of its author. In this article we enquire how far this theme is present in the Jesuit Constitutions, and whether PF can provide a key to a better understanding of the Constitutions. We find that the Jesuit Constitutions, besides referring numerous times to the terms typical of PF, are charged with the spirit of PF. The content of PF, which can appear to be an abstract spiritual principle, is weaved into the Constitutions to be lived in the day-to-day life of a Jesuit. This fact demonstrates that for St. Ignatius the final goal of the Jesuits is not distinct from that of all human beings, and that he wanted all Jesuits to adhere to the theme of PF in their life. Salvation of soul is the beatific vision or union with God, which union is possible already here on earth, at least partially, when we praise, reverence and serve God.

The Jesuit Constitutions are a public manifestation of the graces which St Ignatius of Loyola received personally from God.2 The same is all the more true of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. ‘The entire itinerary of the [Spiritual] Exer- cises is interwoven with the theme of man’s final end, and of indifference to

1 Abbreviations used in this study are the following: Constitutions = Jesuit Constitutions; Exercises = Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola; fn = footnote; GE = General Examen; PF = Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises. 2 This was the response of when he heard that the had approved the Formula of the Institute (the fundamental rule of the ), which he called ‘our 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 230

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whatever does not contribute to that end’,3 a theme which St Ignatius expresses concisely in PF (Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, n. 23). Throughout the meditations and contemplations of the Exercises the theme of PF is vividly present. One may wonder whether this theme of PF is limited to the Exercises; or it is extended to the other writings also of the same author (St Ignatius) such as his numerous letters, spiritual journal, autobiography and the Jesuit Constitutions. Furthermore, how much does St Ignatius insist on the appli- cation of this theme in the practical life of the Jesuits? A general study of the Jesuit Constitutions, with these questions in mind, reveals that the theme of PF is fundamental not only to the Exercises, but to the Jesuit Constitutions as well.4 The Constitutions are not a pure code of law, rather they primarily provide guidelines for our discernment. They enshrine more spiritual principles to lead us into mission than mere legal norms. Along the path of divine service the Constitutions give us light and direction.5 The Exer- cises, particularly PF, provide the key by means of which we can understand the Constitutions. The Constitutions are written ‘to aid us to proceed better (…) along the path of divine service’ [134],6 and PF points to divine service as the end in our life and a norm for our activities. In the present study we attempt to reflect briefly on the theme of PF and to trace its unfolding in the Jesuit Constitutions. The subject matter of this study does not include the Formula of the Institute, the General Examen and the Complementary Norms of the Constitutions enacted or approved in the General Congregation XXXIV (5 January – 22 March 1995). More than two hundred and fifty times do we find in the Constitutions the typical phrases of PF such as ‘divine service’, ‘service of God our Lord’, ‘praise of God’, ‘reverence of God’, ‘that which is more conducive to the end’, ‘indifference’, ‘salvation of souls’, etc. The indirect references to the theme of PF in the Constitutions are even more. We will see in this study how this theme pervades the Constitutions, and how it forms the foundation on which the Constitutions are built.

Rule and way of life’: see Antonio M. de Aldama, Iniciación al Estudio de las Constituciones, : CIS, 1979, the reference is to the English translation by Aloysius J. Owen, The Con- stitutions of the Society of Jesus: An introductory commentary on the Constitutions, St Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1989, 3 fn. 10. 3 Hervé Coathalem, Ignatian insights, Taiwan 1971, 61. 4 Service of God, indifference, etc. are recurring themes in the writings of St Ignatius: eg., the letter to Teresa Rejadell on 18 June 1536, and that to the Jesuits in Portugal (on obedience) on 26 March 1553. 5 See André de Jaer, Together for mission: A spiritual reading of the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus (trans. Francis C. Brennan), St Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2001, 16. 6 The numbers in square brackets refer to the numbers of the Constitutions. For the text of the Constitutions we depend on John W. Padberg (Ed.), The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and their Complementary Norms, St. Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1996. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 231

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

The text of PF runs as follows. Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this to save their souls. The other things on the face of the earth are created for the human beings, to help them in the pursuit of the end for which they are created. From this it follows that we ought to use these things to the extent that they help us toward our end, and free ourselves from them to the extent that they hinder us from it. To attain this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things, in regard to everything which is left to our free will and is not forbidden. Conse- quently, on our own part we ought not to seek health rather than sickness, wealth rather than poverty, honour rather than dishonour, a long life rather than a short one, and so on in all other matters. Rather, we ought to desire and choose only that which is more conducive to the end for which we are created.7 All the conclusions which unfold in the course of the Exercises are contained in PF, and it is upon this that the Exercises are based. That is why the content of this text is called the principle and foundation of the Exercises.8 The two-fold theme present in PF is man’s end on the earth (praise, reverence and service of God) and the attitude of indifference which the end demands regarding the created things (to use them in so far as they help man toward that end and to avoid them if they hinder man). These created things will include one’s forma- tion, human relationships, institutions, community life, skills, one’s own will, needs, ideas, decisions, inclinations, intentions, intelligence, physical appearance, places, and anything that is other than God and one’s own self.9 The PF is a condensed expression of St Ignatius’ vision of human beings and of the world. It bears witness to a deep mystical experience of his perception of the ultimate sense of human beings and other created things: human beings are to praise, revere and serve God, and they can make use of other created things to this end. All the earthly created things, including human beings, take their origin from God, and they reach fulfilment when they are totally embraced by the divine. ‘Glorifying, praising God means recognising God’s saving love, power and presence. (…) The real glory of God is our life. It is not what we speak, not

7 George E. Ganss (Ed. & trans.), The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, St. Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1992, 32. 8 Ibid., 149. 9 , Spiritual Exercises (trans. Kenneth Baker), London: Sheed & Ward, 1973 (reprint), 19. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 232

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even what we do, but what we are’.10 Thus praising God is to live in and respond to the presence and love of God, to make God’s life and love unfold in our own lives. The reverence of God is the sense of awe toward, and the attitude of total dependence on God. It is the result of our understanding that God is infinite mystery and wonder. Serving God means to integrate our life into the creative and redemptive work of God, to participate in his work with all our strength, and not to live for ourselves and for our own self interests. It is to collaborate with him as stewards, not as masters.11 The created things are means which we can use to praise, revere and serve God. They are not to hinder our relationship with God. Thus we can use them as far as they help us to reach our end, and we should free ourselves from them to the extent that they hinder us. This is Ignatian indifference. Praise, reverence and service are not totally distinct activ- ities or dispositions, but are interrelated and concomitant. The theme of PF pervades the Constitutions, often literally repeating the phrases from PF, which is an indication that St Ignatius insists that the Jesuits’ life be guided by the theme of PF. In fact, the Constitutions are designed for those who have imbibed the spirit of and trained in the school of the Exercises. While PF points to the final goal of human beings and the way to reach that goal, the Jesuit Constitutions highlight the aim of the Society of Jesus in general and of each Jesuit in particular, and prescribe means to progress toward it. Surprisingly enough the final human goal and that of the Society, and the means prescribed are substantially the same. What PF identifies as the final goal of all human beings becomes in the Constitutions the specific goal of the Jesuits. While the Constitutions constantly remind us of the goal of the Society, PF reminds us of the goal of human beings in general. Besides, both the Constitu- tions and PF deal with the way in which the means (other created things) are to be used to reach the end for which we are created.

THE END FOR WHICH HUMAN BEINGS ARE CREATED

The goal of human beings and that of the Society is salvation of souls12 by means of praise, reverence and service of God. This point is stressed respectively in PF and the Constitutions. The latter states, ‘The end steadfastly pursued by the

10 Josef Neuner, Walking with Him, Anand: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1989 (3rd ed.), 49. 11 For the meaning of praise, reverence and service of God I am indebted to Josef Neuner, Walking with Him, 48-51. 12 Here the word ‘soul’ is to be understood as ‘person’. Thus salvation of soul refers to the person’s integral liberation or union with God: see Karl Rahner (Ed.), Encyclopedia of theology: The concise Sacramentum Mundi, London: Burns & Oates, 1981 (3rd impr.), 1615-1618. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 233

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Society is to aid its own members and their neighbours in attaining the ultimate end for which they were created’ [307]. The Constitutions prescribe in detail how the means should be used to attain the goal. Throughout the Constitutions the way of life and of choice of apostolate are evaluated in the light of the stated end. They remind us constantly of the end which the Society in general and the indi- vidual Jesuits in particular ought to seek, and of the attitude of indifference to created things in order to attain this end. Before moving farther, we have to settle an apparent contradiction found in the Constitutions regarding the end of the Society. The opening sentence of PF states, ‘Human beings are created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this to save their souls’. Professing the goal of the Soci- ety as working for the salvation of souls, and in keeping with the goal of all human beings as set forth in PF, the GE (General Examen) states, ‘The end of this Society is to devote itself with God’s grace not only to the salvation and per- fection of the members’ own souls, but also with that same grace to labour stren- uously in giving aid toward the salvation and perfection of the souls of their neighbours’ [3, also 204, 307, etc.]. According to the same GE, ‘…it is purely for his [God’s] service that they [Jesuits] ought to do all things’ [4]. Elsewhere, speaking about the division of the Constitutions into ten parts, St Ignatius states, ‘This is the order which we shall follow in the Constitutions and the Declara- tions, looking to the end which we all seek, the glory and praise of God our Creator and Lord’ [137]. In n. 3 St Ignatius says that the end of the Society is to work for the salvation and perfection of the souls of the Jesuits and their neighbours. Whereas in n. 4 he says that the Jesuits have to work purely for the service of God, which is the end, and in n. 137 he says that the end is the glory and praise of God. Here there is an apparent contradiction among the cited ends, that is to say, he mentions various ends for the existence of the Society on various occasions. Is this a contradiction? If it is, how can this be reconciled? Actually, for St Ignatius salvation of the soul is nothing other than beatific vision or union with God.13 Accordingly, the end of the Society could be under- stood as working for the deep union of the Jesuits and non-Jesuits with God, ‘to help souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end’ [813]; or to work for the ‘service of God our Lord by helping souls’ [204], or still to save and per- fect one’s own soul ‘by helping his neighbour’s souls as well’ [52]. Thus helping souls, we render service to God. According to PF, the ultimate end, which is supernatural, is the salvation of souls. The end of human beings here on earth is to praise, revere and serve God, and these (praise, reverence and service of God) in their turn become means for the ultimate supernatural end (union with

13 See Ganss, The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, 148-150 (notes 17 and 19). 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 234

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God). Thus the objective of our life and activities here on earth is the praise, reverence and service of God, which will lead us to our union with God. How- ever, St Ignatius does not reserve our union with God to the life after death. That union is already possible in this world also by praising, revering and serving God. That way the praise, reverence and service of God imply an already exist- ing union with God. When we help souls we are working for God’s praise, reverence and service; this work of ours, simultaneously, is the result of our union with him, which will be total after our death. The Constitutions prescribe innumerable means to praise, revere and serve God and thereby to be in union with God. The content of PF, expressed in a nutshell, is elaborated in the Constitutions, to be lived, to be put into practice in the day-to-day life of each Jesuit. Both, PF and the Constitutions, enhance our communion with God and prescribe means to remove the barriers between God and other human beings. Moreover, it may be borne in mind that St Ignatius does not hesitate to use different words to designate the same entity or activity. For him to praise God means to glorify God.14 The words glory, praise, love, service, honour, etc. (given to God) are often interchangeable in the writings of St Ignatius. An example will illustrate this point. In the context of giving guidelines to choose people for mis- sion, he instructs, ‘To make the best choice in sending persons to one place or another while having the greater service15 of God and the more universal good before one’s eyes as the guiding norm’ [622]. In the very next number he says, ‘For making a better choice of the undertakings on which the superior sends his men, the same rule should be kept in view, namely, that of considering the greater divine honour16 and the greater universal good’ [623]. Obviously in these two sentences, which have the same context and content, he interchanges the words ‘service’ and ‘honour’. In the same way, St Ignatius sets forth the end of the Society in different ways and words in different contexts.

SERVICE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOUR

Ignatius’ apostolic ideal was centred on the service and glory of God, not of the Society. According to Ignatius the role of mankind in the work of creation and redemption is to serve God. ‘To serve is to collaborate with God in order to accomplish his glorious work. (…) To refuse this service [of God], to take it lightly, or to separate any part of one’s life from it (…) is to be ungrateful…’.17

14 See Gilles Cusson, Biblical theology and the Spiritual Exercises (trans. Mary Angela Roduit & George E. Ganss), Anand: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1988, 53. 15 Emphasis added. 16 Emphasis added. 17 Cusson, Biblical theology and the Spiritual Exercises, 67 and 68. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 235

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The Constitutions testify to the dynamism of the apostolic activity of the Society envisaged by Ignatius, which is ultimately directed to the service of God. For example, candidates for brotherhood are admitted in the Society so that the other members can be involved in the greater service of God, and the Jesuit brothers must be eager to help the Society for the glory of God [148]. St Ignatius wanted the Jesuits to be involved in different ministries, always focusing on the service of God, the end of all ministries. For Ignatius service of neighbour was service of God. This is very evident in the Constitutions. It is by helping others that the Jesuits attain salvation [52]. He holds that helping souls is serving God [204]. An end eminently character- istic of the Institute of the Society is the high regard for others, and that in itself is serving God [603]. The superior general has authority to send any Jesuit to anywhere in the world to help people [749]. Moreover, for him the more that people are served the greater is the service rendered to God. He says, ‘The more universal the good is, the more is it divine. Hence preference ought to be given to persons and places which, once benefited themselves, are a cause of extend- ing the good to many others who are under their influence or take guidance from them’ [622]. The one who is committed to serving God cannot refrain from serving God’s people. The criteria for choosing ministry prescribed by Ignatius are greater need (of the people), greater good (of the community) and greater glory (of God). Without meeting the first two, the third will not be fulfilled. No grace is given to a person for his or her personal appropriation, but for the benefit of the community. One who makes the Exercises seriously cannot but be involved in the human concerns of his time and place. The praise, reverence and service of God mentioned in PF are not mere lip-service; rather they have to be realised in the type of life and apostolate designed in the Constitutions. St Ignatius believed in a God whose praise, reverence and service consisted in living a life consecrated to God and God’s people by engaging in human service, constantly listening to God and respond- ing to his call. He asks the Jesuits to have high regard for their neighbour (all human beings) in their ministries. This regard is ‘an end eminently characteris- tic of our Institute’ [603]. A Jesuit is obliged under obedience to go to any part of the world to engage in the mission of the Society to help people, whether sent by the pope [603, 606, etc.] or by the superior general [749]. God is served and pleased when we engage in our duty with a pure heart. St Ignatius says, ‘Their [scholastics’] devoting themselves to learning, which they acquire with a pure intention of serving God (…) will be not less but rather more pleasing to God our Lord during this time of study’ [340]. The PF and the Constitutions direct us to be totally men of God and his people. Praise, reverence and service of God alone, and the use of created things as far as they help us to reach our goal, allude to the necessity of our total consecration to God, without being entangled in the use of created things. Such 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 236

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a consecration to God is ‘the rejection of those idols which the world is always tempted to adore’.18

CONTEMPLATION IN ACTION – UNION WITH GOD IN SERVICE

It is possible to praise, revere and serve God not only in our prayer, but in our activities, choices, attitudes, relationships, actualisation of our potential, in serving our neighbours, etc. God is present and active in us, in others, and in the created things. Thus it is possible for us to love him and serve him and be united with him in our day-to-day life and activities, including our right rela- tionship with others. The Constitutions explain how we can be united with God in our daily life and various activities through love and service of others. In everything the Jesuits’ intention should be purely to serve God [288]. Purity of intention in divine service is a means which unites us with God [813]. Pure heart and right intention make us contemplatives in action. Whatever we do is for the service of God if it is done with pure intention. The scholastics’ ‘devot- ing themselves to learning, which they acquire with a pure intention of serving God and which in a certain way requires the whole person, will be not less but rather more pleasing to God our Lord during this time of study’ [340]. Here pure study with the intention of serving God through that learning amounts to prayer, which is communion with God.

SELF-EMPTYING – NECESSARY TO PURSUE OUR END

Our life has meaning only if it is well-disposed to service, which demands total denial of the self. The PF, besides stating the end of man and exhorting us to choose the more conducive means, extends an invitation to human beings to sur- render themselves to God totally. To praise, revere and serve God, and him alone, and to cultivate the disposition of detachment from all created things in order to use them only in so far as they help us to be united with God are manifesta- tions of total surrender to God. ‘For Ignatius God is a continual act of love offered to the creature and calling for the hearts of women and men’.19 Service for him is a response on the human part to this love. Thus it is not slavish, but a loving service characterised by total self-giving.

18 General Congregation of the Society of Jesus XXXII, decree 4, number 16. 19 Cusson, Biblical theology and the Spiritual Exercises, 53. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 237

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Praise and reverence of God is to empty oneself in order to be filled with the Divine.20 St Ignatius is very clear that the praise, reverence and service are to be rendered to God, and not to oneself. Therefore the praise, reverence and service of God are concomitant with self-abnegation of the individual. Ignatius realises the value of self-abnegation for the type of life and service that we are called to live and render [288]. To this end he insists on practising the virtue of humil- ity. ‘Temptations ought to be guarded against by their opposites, for example, if someone is seen to be inclined to pride, by exercising him in lowly matters deemed helpful for humbling him’ [265]. Privileges granted by the Roman Apos- tolic See to the Society as a whole should be communicated to the individual Jesuits or communities as far as those privileges help to attain the end sought, namely divine service [753]. St Ignatius did not want any privilege from any- one to be used for the glorification of individuals or the Society in general. They are purely a means for divine service. When privileges are used for this end, they do not go against the spirit of virtues like self-abnegation and humility.

ATTITUDE OF INDIFFERENCE TO CREATED THINGS – NECESSARY TO PURSUE OUR END

Ignatian indifference is a total spiritual detachment from all created things and a deliberate option for all things for the divine service. It ‘is a kind of removal or distance away from things that makes true vision possible and is required for a proper decision’.21 It is an aid to choose that which is ‘more conducive to the end’. Praise, reverence and service of God are the only criteria which should determine the use of created things. The indifference is concerned only with the means, not with the end. Once the means which is more conducive for the divine service is chosen, no indifference is possible towards that chosen means. Ignatian indifference is a preference for the divine order of creation. It is our opting for God in all things, without giving into the likes or dislikes of the senses which spring from our nature.22 This process demands a strong attachment towards God and his work. Positively stated Ignatian indifference is the internal freedom to choose and use those created things, which help us, and to the meas- ure that they help us, to reach the end for which we are created. It is to put right order into one’s life and right attitude to the created things, this being a pre-req- uisite for knowing the will of God and following it radically. We should not use

20 See Paul Coutinho, ‘Ignatius’ enchantment of the sky: Awakening the divine within’, in: Ignis 35 (2006) no. 3, 1-5: reference at 2. 21 Rahner, Spiritual Exercises, 23. 22 See Cusson, Biblical theology and the Spiritual Exercises, 78. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 238

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the created things to gratify our own pleasure. They are not created for that. The PF expresses in a way the interrelatedness among God, me and the other created things: the created things are means which help me to reach my goal – union with God. Thus we should handle them with respect and regard them as God’s gift for us to praise, revere and serve God.

INORDINATE AFFECTION TO CREATED THINGS – HINDRANCE TO ATTAIN THE END

Disordered affection is that attachment towards created things which can cause us to sin (although not necessarily); it can lead us away from God and his will, and from the end for which we are created. It is harmful attachment and tendency of the will, and contradicts the healthy indifference. Disordered affec- tion will blur our vision of God’s will and of the end for which we are created. It prevents us from choosing that which is more conducive to our end. One of the main thrusts of the Ignatian spirituality is to help people to get rid of their disordered affection. St Ignatius wanted the Jesuits to be trained to remove ‘from themselves as far as possible love of all creatures in order to place it in the Creator of them, loving him in all creatures and all creatures in him, in conform- ity with his holy and divine will’ [288]. Loving a creature in or for itself is disordered affection. Rather, a created thing has to be loved in God, and God has to be loved in that created thing. St Ignatius is very fond of the expression ‘…think in Our Lord’ [690], ‘…judge to be more expedient in the Lord’ [739] or other such expressions which convey the same meaning. ‘If it is the general who is convoking the [general] congregation to transact other business [than to elect the general], he will be the one to select and designate the place which he thinks in our Lord to be most suitable’ [690]. Here the expression ‘in our Lord’ requires that the general’s selection of the place be preceded by prayer and proper discernment, and the selection be made without any vested interest. It means that the place so selected will be the one which is most pleasing to the Lord, because it is chosen without any disordered affection, with indifference and total purity of intention. One of the qualities which St Ignatius prescribes for the general of the Society is that he should be free from all inordinate affection, so that his judgements will be free from such affections and in accordance with the will of God [726].

TANTUM QUANTUM – INTERIOR FREEDOM TO PURSUE THE END

There is no norm which prescribes uniformity regarding the use of created things. The only criterion is that they can be used as far as (tantum quantum) 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 239

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they help us to reach the goal. ‘Tantum quantum calls for diverse application according to different conditions of service’.23 The Constitutions leave ample room for our discretion regarding the use of created things, always keeping the end in view. The principle of tantum quantum necessarily presupposes interior freedom, that is, the state of the will when it is free from being inordinately attached to created things (indifference). It is the total readiness and capacity to be flexible to choose that which is more helpful to attain the end. This freedom is necessary to seek the will of God and fulfil it, to bend our will to that of God. The Constitutions testify that St Ignatius wants every Jesuit to develop total interior freedom. He prohibits keeping instruments for vain purposes in the house, but permits to keep those instruments which are helpful for the divine service [266]. It is interesting to note that he does not prescribe which instru- ments to be kept, but leaves it to the discretion of the people concerned to keep those instruments which are helpful for divine service. The criterion is divine service. Thus those people can decide, after proper discernment, to keep those instruments which are helpful for the end, and as far as they are helpful. Simi- larly, the number of people sent for a mission, and the manner in which they are sent, will be determined, bearing in mind ‘the edification of neighbour and the service of God our Lord’ [624, 625]. Here also we can find the principle of tantum quantum applied, as many people as are necessary and in the manner which is more suitable, for the service of the Lord. St Ignatius insists that the Word of God be explained in churches, ‘squares, or places of the region, when the one in charge judges it expedient for God’s greater glory’ [647]. The expres- sion ‘expedient’ means as far as it serves God’s greater glory. Those who are involved in a particular mission may ‘occupy themselves in corporal works of mercy to the extent that the more important spiritual activities permit and their own energies allow’ [650]. All these have to be carried out as far as they promote greater divine service and the more universal good.

MORE CONDUCIVE MEANS TOWARD THE END

Both PF and the Constitutions teach us to ‘desire and choose only that which is more conducive to the end for which we are created’. St Ignatius does not always prescribe a particular norm of action, except the guideline that the action should lead to the end, and the means chosen should be (more) conducive to that end. This approach leaves ample room for personal initiatives and adjust- ments to the circumstances, keeping in view the end. The only criterion for making choices for mission (regarding place, purpose, person, manner, duration

23 Coathalem, Ignatian insights, 69. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 240

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of stay, etc.) is the greater service of God and the more universal good [618]. Accordingly, the superior has to make the best choice of people, place, etc. [622]. Here the ‘best choice’ regarding people means the choice of those who are found more conducive to the work through which God’s greater service and the more uni- versal good are sought. Further, St Ignatius insists that the Jesuits sent on mission should work for the glory of the Lord, thus making them indifferent to their own will regarding the place of work, duration of the stay in a particular place, etc. Someone who is sent to a large territory such as the Indies or other provinces, and for whom no particular region is assigned, may remain for longer or shorter peri- ods in one place or another, going off to whatever places he deems – after having weighed the various factors, found himself indifferent as to his will, and made his prayer – to be more expedient for the glory of God our Lord [633]. The people sent in this way should choose that possibility which is more con- ducive to the glory of the Lord. Similarly, the Jesuits may use any approved means for their mission which are more conducive to the greater service of God [634]. Another example is that the novices can leave their whole property or part of it to one pious work or another, choosing that which is more conducive to the divine service [254]. The general may shorten or lengthen the term of office of the provincials depending on what is more conducive to the greater glory of God [757]. The Society can decide on the personal food, clothing and expenditure of the general considering what is more appropriate for the general, for the Society and for the greater service of God [768]. The only criterion for the choice of the general’s food, clothing and expenses is that these should be good for the general, for the Society, and above all for the service of God. The Word of God should be explained at the times and in the manner, which are judged more conducive to the greater glory of God [645]. St Ignatius does not go into more details in such matters. It is proper discernment of the will of God which reveals to us the use of which created things is helpful to reach our end, and how far they can be used. Thus St Ignatius leaves ample room for discern- ment in our life, keeping in view always the criterion, namely to choose that which is more conducive to the end.

IGNATIAN IN THE PURSUIT OF OUR END

Ignatius had a fascination for the comparative degree, not so much for the superlative, and hardly ever for the positive. His writings are charged with the spirit of magis (the Latin word for more), which expresses itself in terms like ‘greater glory of God’, ‘greater service of God’, ‘more pleasing to God’, ‘greater universal good’, ‘more expedient’, ‘more conducive means toward the end’, etc. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 241

THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES 241

This is evident in PF, ‘We ought to desire and choose only that which is more24 conducive to the end for which we are created’. It may be difficult to go through the Constitutions without taking note of Ignatius’ relentless quest for magis. He is not satisfied with mere service or glory of God and of people, rather he aspires to greater service or greater glory of God and more or greater good of the people. As to the criteria for choosing the missions he says, First of all, where members of the Society have the possibility of engaging in works aimed at spiritual benefits and also in works aimed at corporal benefits where mercy and charity are exercised; or of helping persons in matters of greater per- fection and also of lesser perfection, and, in fine, in things which are in themselves more good and also less good; then, if both things cannot be done simultaneously (everything being equal), the first ought always to be preferred to the second [623]. Whether it is in relation to God’s service or the service of people, St Ignatius wants Jesuits to be involved at deeper levels, and to excel in all that they do.

OBSERVANCE OF LAW AS A HELP TOWARD HUMAN END

The room for adaptation and exemptions provided in the Constitutions empha- sises St Ignatius’ motivation, that the observance of the law should lead to the glory and service of God. From this it follows that if a prescribed norm is not helpful for the divine service for a person in a given situation, another more helpful norm must be adopted, or the given norm may be adapted to that end. He grants the faculty to the competent authority to dispense a subject from the observance of a precept, or to adapt it in a particular situation for a particular person, if such a dispensation or adaptation helps the better service of God. ‘Just as it pertains to the general to see to it that the Constitutions of the Society are everywhere observed, so too he will have power to grant dispensations in par- ticular cases (…) He may use this power [in keeping with] the intention of those who enacted the Constitutions, for the glory of God our Lord’ [746]. Elsewhere he states clearly that the dispensation from a prescribed norm should be ‘for the end of the divine service which is sought’ [592]. Thus the better divine service should be the criterion for the observance or non-observance of a particular norm. This shows the flexibility of Ignatius with regard to the observance of human-made laws, and his inflexibility when it comes to the ultimate end of the law. A law which is a means (created thing) should be observed in so far as it leads us to the end for which we are created. Inordinate affection to law (legal- ism) does not lead us to the proper goal. Thus in this attitude of Ignatius we

24 Emphasis added. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 242

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find an express application of PF: use the means as far as they help us to attain the goal. ‘All religious legislation aims at actualizing and preserving the original ideal through a juridical systematization (…) However, what illuminates, what animates and vivifies the law is the ideal that it aims to actualize and preserve’.25 Often the prescriptions in the Constitutions are motivated by/directed to the praise, reverence and service of God, which can be called the spirit of the Con- stitutions and their prescriptions. This spirit has to underlie the observance of such prescriptions. Thus whether through observance of the law or dispensation from it and the following non-observance of it, the spirit of the law or its orig- inal intention should be observed or maintained, depending on what contributes to the greater service of God.

RESOURCES – HELP TOWARD THE END

Wealth, acquired human skills, personal relationships, intellectual capacity, good reputation, etc. are means for attaining the goal. Jesuits do not acquire them for personal gain or their own glory. Skills, especially well-grounded and solid learn- ing, are natural means, which must be ‘acquired and exercised for the divine service alone’ [814]. For a Jesuit, these are not ends in themselves. The qualities of the superior general are to be used as means for the service of God, not for personal glory [733]. Accepting and keeping houses, colleges, universities, etc. on the part of the Society should be motivated by divine service, not for accu- mulating wealth or fame for the Society [762]. Natural means are acquired and exercised for the divine service alone, and not for putting our confidence in them, but that we may cooperate with the divine grace [814]. The benevolence of the authorities must be retained, because their favour and disfavour can respec- tively help or hinder our service of God. ‘This [retaining their favour] is done, not because contradiction and ill-treatment are feared, but so that God our Lord may be more served and glorified in all things through the benevolence of all these persons’ [824]. Ignatius wants to make good use of the personal relation- ships for the divine service. The relationship with the powerful people is not an end in itself for Ignatius, but a means for praising, revering and serving God. In other words, the kind of divine service which St Ignatius envisages requires deep learning and other useful skills. A Jesuit may accept bishopric if that is more conducive to the divine service [818], which should be the criterion for its acceptance or non-acceptance on his part. For St Ignatius, service of God will determine whether we should accept

25 De Aldama, The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, 13. 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 243

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or reject any office. The Society, keeping in view the greater service and glory of God, should not permit the general to accept a dignity which requires him to relinquish his office of general [771].

CHARACTER FORMATION – HELP TOWARD THE END

St Ignatius stresses the need of correction of persons, made in the proper way to improve their character that they may be equipped to involve completely in the mission as totally committed persons for the service of God. The general should give corrections to erring members of the Society, using his prudent charity, for the glory of God [754]. St Ignatius prescribes that there should be an admonitor to the general, and that he should carry out his function of correcting the general for the greater service and glory of God [770]. The dismissal of the general, if there are sufficient reasons for that, is considered to be for greater divine glory [774]. Regarding the unfit members of the Society he says, ‘In some cases even the professed, no matter what their rank and dignity in the Society, could be dismissed, if it is judged that to retain them would be harmful to the Society and a disservice to God our Lord’ [205]. The word ‘disservice’ is noteworthy. He considers that some people’s remaining in the Society, the professed end of which is to work for the service of God, is not only not a service to God; rather it is a disservice to God. Thus they should not be allowed to remain in the Society.

CONCLUSION – PRAISE, REVERENCE AND SERVICE OF GOD CONSIST IN THE ACTUALISATION OF THE Interior Law of Love

The end for which human beings are created (to praise, revere and serve God and thereby to save one’s soul) is attained in the actualisation of the interior law of charity which the Holy Spirit has written in the human hearts [134]. This interior law of love is directed not only towards human beings, but also, and even more, is open to God. The praise, reverence and service of God emerge not from a slavish submission, but they well up from deep love of God. The love which underlies praise, reverence and service of God and help of neighbour is a gift of God, ‘written by the Holy Spirit’ in the human heart. Total praise, reverence and service of God are confirmed when there is the total actualisation of the inte- rior law. The interior law should lead us to praise, revere and serve human beings also. St Ignatius perceived the correlation between the praise, reverence and serv- ice of God and of human beings. The other created things are a means to attain the end. We must use them if and as far as they help us reach our end, and avoid them if they hinder our way 1536-08_SIS18(2008)_12_Kokkaravalayil 30-10-2008 13:39 Pagina 244

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to the end. St Ignatius prescribes the ways which, he thinks, are more conducive to reaching our end. These prescriptions are means to enhance the observance or actualisation of the interior law of charity. Just as the created things are to be used as far as they enhance the attainment of the goal, the prescriptions in the Constitutions are to be observed as far as they help to realise the interior law. Obviously, the Constitutions are drawn up to enhance the realisation of this interior law, not contrary to it. The love which finds its expression in praise, reverence and service of God, and help of neighbour is the inspirational source and the guiding principle of both PF and the Jesuit Constitutions. Having gone through the Jesuit Constitutions, we may state that the sole intention of the Constitutions is to lead us to praise, revere and serve God and to help our neighbour. In this way we can reach our ultimate and supernatural end, that is, the salvation of our souls or complete union with God. The Con- stitutions help us to discern how we should use the created things, keeping always in view our end, namely, using them to the extent that they help us toward our end, and freeing ourselves from them to the extent that they hinder us. Thus the Constitutions teach us to be indifferent to created things in order to know the holy will of God and follow it, and to use the more conducive means to reach our end. As we have seen, this is the theme of PF, and this theme runs through the Constitutions, giving them life and spirit. Therefore, we can confirm that PF is the foundation on which the edifice of the Jesuit Constitu- tions is built. In other words, the theme of PF does not remain as a spiritual prin- ciple for contemplation alone during the Ignatian retreat; rather it runs through and expresses itself vividly in the Jesuit constitutions, and forms their core, which each Jesuit has to live in his day-to-day life. We may conclude in the same words of George E. Ganss, an expert in Ignatian spirituality, ‘These same principles which are so tersely expressed in the [Principle and] Foundation were also the mainspring or driving force which guided and inspired all the activities of Ignatius’ life. He was constantly apply- ing them in his other wirings. They were under God the chief source of his extraordinary vitality and influence’.26 St Ignatius wants all Jesuits to adhere fast to the theme of PF in their daily life.

26 Ganss, The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, 208.