Eyes to See, Ears to Hear: An Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality

by David Lonsdale

Book Overview

David Lonsdale lifts the message of St. Ignatius of Loyola out of the sixteenth century and interprets it for the modern reader. He shows that Ignatius's teaching helps those engaged in a spiritual search to recognize and respond to God's loving initiatives in daily life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570753369
• ISBN13: 9781570753367
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Orbis Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

discernment--key to the spiritual life

David Lonsdale is a longtime veteran of Ignatian spirituality, having been involved for 40 years in the teaching and formation of adults in this consummate tradition. With the wisdom of years, Lonsdale captures in this introduction the essence of Ignatian spirituality, especially according to the more accurate understanding obtained in the light of 1960's scholarship. According to this renewed understanding, discernment of spirits occupies a central place in Ignatian spirituality--indeed, argues Lonsdale, in Christian spirituality itself. "It is not always recognized that discernment lies at the heart of Christian spirituality," he says (p. 89).In order to define "discernment," there is no better authority to cite than Lonsdale himself. He writes:...Discernment of spirits in everyday life involves us in a process of sifting our daily experiences by noting and reflecting regularly on our affective responses to God and to life and its events. It means noting, for example, situations and events in which we experience joy or sorrow, peace or turmoil, attractions or revulsions, an opening out to others or a narrowing in on ourselves, a sense of God's presence or absence, creativity or destructiveness. The purpose of observing and reflecting on these patterns of responses is that they deepen our sense of ourselves and they can show us where, for each of us, our Christian path lies, where the Spirit of God is leading (p. 95).Discernment thus becomes the touchstone of sanctification and locates the basis for moral action in the intimate communication between the Holy Spirit and the soul. Hence, the allusion to Jesus' words in the book title, "Eyes to See, Ears to Hear."The motif of discernment allows us to understand in terms of a unifying theme the various aspects of Ignatian spirituality discussed in the book. For example, when Lonsdale examines Ignatius' life in the opening chapter, "Images of Ignatius," we are made to understand that Ignatius travelled an atypical path in his spiritual life. Ignatius pursued his quest for holiness outside the structures of the traditional religious orders. Consequently, it was almost inevitable that he should develop a spirituality of discernment in order to map with some assurance his path to God.In successive chapters, Lonsdale expounds Ignatian spirituality in a pattern of enlarging meaning. He begins by delineating the image of Jesus and of the Trinity in Ignatius' soul. He describes the characteristic features of Ignatian prayer--dispelling traditional misunderstandings--and then clarifies the genuine meaning of the Spiritual Exercises as well as the distinctive practice of Ignatian spiritual direction. He examines Ignatian spirituality embodied in the Jesuits and contextualized in the institutional Church. He underscores the special congruence between Ignatian spirituality and the condition of lay Christians, which is marked by autonomy. Finally, he delves into current issues in Ignatian spirituality, such as r