A Spirituality of the Heart - Fleming

What is the definition of the Spiritual Exercises?

“strengthening and supporting us in the effort to respond ever more faithfully to the love of God.”

What is Ignatius not saying? What is he trying to say?

Not to deepen understanding, or will — he’s trying to get a response from our hearts

What does the “heart” refer to

It isn’t our emotions, it is the inner orientation, the core of our being (it includes our emotions)

What truly changed in Ignatius over his journey?

His heart, not his intellect, will or religious pracice

Is understanding the goal of the spiritual exercises?

No, the point is a response from our hearts

What response did St Ignatius have to God’s vision before him in the form of 3 organ keys playing

To cry, not to understand

What’s the point of the response in the Spiritual exercises

“Creation is a flow of God’s gifts, with a human response being the link that allows the flow to return to God. The human response is a free choice to allow God’s creation to speak.”

What is the point of our spiritual journeys?

Our spiritual journey is an attempt to answer the question, “What is life all about?” Here is Ignatius’s answer: a vision of God for our hearts, not our minds. It is a depiction of the Creator as a superabundant giver. He gives gifts that call forth a response on our part, a free choice to return ourselves to him in grateful thanks and love. It is a vision that only a heart can respond to.