I realize that I am a day late for the feast day of Ignatius Loyola, still, let me share a few perspectives of Ignatian spirituality that have been helpful to me in my recovery from the addictions of others and in my addictions from my own harmful ways of being. I hope that you will be as amazed by the parallels as I have been.
- Like Ignatius, we find ourselves powerless. We are all wounded soldiers. In recovery terms, we are all addicted to something. It could be drugs or alcohol or it could be control or attempting to fix the lives of others. There are lists and lists of things that people are addicted to: gambling, pornography, shopping, work, power, money, exercise, sex, fame, scrolling devices… The bottom line is this, we are all addicted (enslaved) to something. Our addiction changes the way that we feel. We go to this substance or action to avoid feeling our feelings. It is my firm belief that addiction is dis-order, dis-ease & disconnection to God, self and others.
- In moments of spiritual poverty (powerlessness), we have the opportunity to reevaluate our image of God. In recovery, we say that we ‘came to believe’. As a believer and a student of Ignatian spirituality, I believe that this is where we heal the image of God that we hold. Ignatian spirituality helps us ask, who taught us about God? How did they present him to us? Does the image of God that we hold remind us of a strict disciplinarian? Does it align with the loving God that we read about in scripture? Ignatian spirituality shines best here: Exercises like The Two Standard Meditation and the theme of looking for God in all things are great tools to do the work of healing the image of God that you hold. These tools help you grow in your personal experience/relationship with God.
- One of Ignatius greatest gifts to the world is the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits. Ignatius began to notice the difference between the voice of God and the voice of the enemy. It was his intention to follow God’s will. But, how did he know that he was in fact, following God’s will? This tool of Ignatian spirituality helps teach us how to do that and to grow in relationship with God. In Recovery, we we realize that we’ve gotten ourselves into trouble by trying to run our lives all on our own. Steps 3, 8 and 11 are all related to giving up self-will. Step 11 goes so far as to say that we pray only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Both the spiritual exercises and 12-step recovery, begin with an examination of conscience or a fearless moral inventory and are followed by confession or sharing these things with God, ourselves and another human being. These two practices know that we are as sick as our secrets. When we unearth those parts of ourselves typically shrouded in shame and share them with either a spiritual director or a sponsor, we are often returned to ourselves. We become closer to the person who God intended us to be.
- Ignatian spirituality helps me see that my sins are part of the human experience and they affect others. There are exercises like the Sin of the Angels. The Sin of Adam and Eve. Meditations on the Prodigal Son and a Meditation before the Cross asking ‘What Have I Done for Christ?’ In recovery, I make a list of those that I’ve hurt and I create a list of those who I will make amends to. Then I begin one by one making amends. These two programs are both at work reconnecting me to God, self and others.
- Ignatius offers us the great tool of the Examen. It is a daily spot check prayer. Step 10 says: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- The spiritual exercises are all about prayer and meditation. There are many forms of prayer. There is the colloquy. This is a conversation between friends. There is imaginative contemplation where we pray with the Gospels imagining ourselves in the scene where Jesus was taking action in the scriptures. There is meditation. Step 11 is clear that our prayer must remain centered around God’s will for our lives and our ability to pray for it.
- Ignatian Spirituality says that we should be men and women for others. The last step of the 12-steps says that as a result of our spiritual awakening, we should practice these principles in all of our affairs.
Ignatian spirituality and and the 12-steps remain life-giving for me and my entire family. I mean that. It is not just bravado. They changed the trajectory of lives. I cannot encourage you enough to take advantage of the tools that are available to us within the church. If you know of someone in need of this connection of the 12-steps to Ignatian spirituality, please share this post.