In the service of cura personalis, the writings of Ignatius and early Jesuits contain yet another gem, and one that bears numerous connections to other Jesuit values. It is the art of “spiritual conversation.”
Shortly after his spiritual conversion at Castle Loyola, Ignatius began to recognize that engaging people in relatively informal, spontaneous, one-on-one conversations about God, faith, and “best practices” in the spiritual life was a powerful means to edify both them and him. Such conversations, by their nature, circled around the particular concerns and desires of Ignatius’s interlocutors and, as a result, they could be much more effective than a sermon, lecture, or book. What is more, since they could be practiced by anyone, anywhere, Ignatius could make a conscious ministry of it without the need to be ordained a priest or to possess a theology degree (both of which were still fifteen years away).
Ignatius first learned the value of spiritual conversations while recuperating from his leg wounds in Castle Loyola. He had already decided to give his life to God and was anxious to begin, but was still trapped in bed. With no other means available to begin “helping souls,” he simply began to speak to relatives and friends who walked into his room of the things of God. Perhaps to his surprise, he discovered how effective it was. Looking back years later, Ignatius put it simply, “He did their souls good.”
A few months later, in Manresa, Ignatius made a point of seeking people reputed for holiness to ask their advice about prayer and spiritual practices. He noticed that they began to seek him out as well, not because (as Ignatius himself conceded) he knew much about spiritual things but because they could see that he had a strong desire for God. And engaging anyone with such a desire will likely be a fruitful experience, no matter how unknowledgeable that person might be.
Spiritual conversations became a deliberate strategy for Ignatius. His interlocutors might have perceived them as chance encounters, but Ignatius was always listening for anything that could serve as a segue to more spiritual subjects. He described one such encounter in Venice while he was waiting for a boat to take him to Jerusalem.
One day a rich Spanish man came across him, and asked him what he was doing and where he wanted to go. And learning of his intention, he took him to eat at his house. Subsequently he had him to stay for a few days until things were ready for his departure. Since Manresa, the pilgrim now had this custom: when he had a meal with people, he would never speak at table unless it was to reply briefly. But he would listen to what was being said, and pick up a few things from which he might take the opportunity to speak about God. And when the meal was ended, that is what he would do, and this was the reason why the good man with all his household became so fond of him that they wanted to have him as a guest, and pressed him to stay on in the house.
Still later, while studying theology at the University of Paris, Ignatius said that “he began to give himself more intensively to spiritual conversations than he normally did.” Although he was eager to engage anyone in conversation, he kept a lookout for gifted or popular students. Should they have a conversion experience, and even better, if they could be persuaded to make the Exercises, they could reap especially great fruit for the Church. Ignatius’s two greatest success stories were his own roommates in the dormitory: a popular track-and-field star named Francis Xavier and a pious farm boy with a gracious personality named Pierre Favre.
Ignatius began to recognize that engaging people in relatively informal, spontaneous, one-on-one conversations about God, faith, and ‘best practices’ in the spiritual life was a powerful means to edify both them and him.
Here are a few dynamics of spiritual conversation that bear notable connections to other Ignatian themes.
- Contemplation in Action: Persons who seek opportunities for spiritual conversation are profoundly mindful of the presence of God in every person they encounter: his or her desires for love, truth, meaning, value, beauty and immortality, which God Himself implanted in order to draw people to Him. To engage any person at the level of those desires is the ultimate cura personalis. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, who worked for forty years as the doorkeeper of a large Jesuit community, is a wonderful model in this regard. Though the work itself could easily be considered humble or mundane, he chose to treat everyone who knocked on the door as if he or she were Christ himself and thereby transformed their lives and his.
- Respect for the Individual: Spiritual conversation by its nature gravitates toward the particular needs and concerns of the individual. For that reason, its practitioners must fight the temptation to react before they reflect. Are they listening attentively, or are they formulating a response in their minds while their interlocutors are still speaking? “Be slow to speak and ready to listen for long periods,” Ignatius advised Jesuits.
- Adaptation or “Inculturation”: Ignatius instructed Jesuits to adapt to their interlocutors. If one is cheerful, be cheerful; if serious and reserved, act similarly; if jocular and lighthearted, do likewise. “This is what pleases them,” he explained. People are more inclined to engage in substantial conversation if they feel a kinship.
- Ends and Means: Socrates played dumb, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Jesus’ parables were a deliberate strategy also. Practitioners of spiritual conversation always keep in mind their deliberate purpose: to bring people to God. Otherwise, conversations become self-indulgent or wander wherever chance takes them.
Barton T. Geger, S.J., is associate professor of the practice at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry and a research scholar at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College.
This article is an excerpt from "Cura Personalis: Some Ignatian Inspirations." Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal, Vol. 3: No. 2 (2014). Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/jhe/vol3/iss2/2. Used with permission.
