1 The Spiritual Exercises and the Return to Virtue
Recent decades have seen a surge of interest in both Ignatian spirituality and what is called virtue ethics. The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola have for centuries been a widely-used basis for spiritual formation and retreats of all kinds. Virtue ethics is a creative and fertile movement in moral theology. Let’s examine each more closely.
The Many Dimensions of the Spiritual Exercises An Experience The Spiritual Exercises are first and foremost an experience. In their full form, they are an experience of thirty days of solitude, praying four or five hours a day, and a way to encounter God. The Spiritual Exercises are a process intended to lead someone to the freedom of hearing God’s call and following that call in faith. The 1