As we finish the first phase of the retreat, it is important to address the question of how non-Christians should approach the second, third, and fourth phases of this Ignatian Prayer In Daily Life experience. The second, third and fourth phases are structured by and oriented toward the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Some have suggested that this precludes non-Christians from experiencing them. I disagree, but I have to admit to having certain limitations. I do not know other faiths as well as I know Catholic Christianity. I also know Judaism a little better than I know Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and other faiths and philosophies. Most of my suggestions will thus focus on Christianity and Judaism.
Even though my knowledge is limited, I sense certain possibilities here. The second phase of the classical Exercises invites the retreatant to contemplate the life of Jesus up to his entrance into Jerusalem and preparations for the last supper. A non-Christian could approach this by contemplating the life of Jesus as a great spiritual teacher, not as the son of God. There are other possibilities: members of the Jewish community could choose to contemplate the life of Moses or one of the prophets. Jews could also contemplate the history of the Jewish community and its relationship with God: The call of Abraham, the patriarchs, Moses, the conquest of the Holy Land, the kingdom, exile, the return from exile, suffering through the Hellenistic rule and oppression, the Roman Occupation, the early Rabbis, the writing of the Talmud and Mishnah, diaspora, life within Christendom, pogroms, the medieval scholars (Maimonides), modernity, the Holocaust, the formation of the state of Israel, Jewish involvement in modern and post-modern social justice activities (Heschel), modern and post-modern Jewish scholarship, and Jewish involvement in inter-religious dialogue.
Jews could participate in the third phase of the Exercises which contemplates the passion and death of Jesus by focusing on their struggle with God during the Shoah and the resilience of their faith after the Shoah. Jews could also contemplate the absurdity of Christians punishing Jews for the material of the Christian third phase of the Exercises. That is, Jews could enter into the third phase of the Exercises by contemplating the suffering foisted upon them by Christians who, caught up in the evil of the scapegoat mechanism, misinterpreted the events of the passion and death. They would not be deifying themselves. They might focus on praying to God who allowed them to suffer, but who also somehow mysteriously preserved them as a Jewish community in the face of an attempt to obliterate them. As a Christian, I cannot even suggest what such a prayer would be; however, I am struck by the radical commitment to justice that the Jewish community has lived after the Shoah. How would one find God in that? I am sure my Jewish brothers and sisters are capable of doing so. I may humbly suggest that, since this takes place in an Ignatian context, it might be helpful to use Howard Gray’s study of the Jesuit Constitutions: Howard explains that Ignatius taught others to find God by encouraging them to be attentive, reverent, and devout. That method transcends all religious boundaries and is helpful to all faiths.
The current inquiry about our retreat reminds me of a moment on an Ignatian retreat that I coordinated at Georgetown University. After one of the contemplations of the passion, as the retreatants dined, I played the soundtrack to Schindler’s List. The retreatants, all Christians of various denominations, wrote that it was a profound experience. It thus seems to me, that during this Prayer In Daily Life, it would be fruitful for Christians to contemplate the horror of the Shoah and Christian complicity in it.
How shall Jews enter into the fourth phase? At the end of the fourth phase, we contemplate to attain the love of God. All traditions can enter into that activity. The first parts of the fourth phase contemplate the resurrection of Jesus. I am not sure if Jews would want to participate in the early exercises of the fourth phase. In all humility and with all respect, I sense that there are certain Jewish prayer experiences that parallel the contemplation of the fourth phase: first, Jews might want to meditate on the promise of the Messiah. What are the qualities of the Messiah? What role will Israel play in healing the world when the Messiah comes? Consider the Jewish community’s ability to forgive after the Shoah, an event in which a huge chunk of the globe sat by and watched many of them be tortured to death. How has God raised them above resentment and acrimony? What aspects of the Jewish tradition focus on the radical mystery of God’s redeeming a sinful and stubborn humanity? For Christians the resurrection is the center of our faith. What is the center of the Jewish faith? Contemplate the joy of that center. For Christians the resurrection glorifies all that is human. What aspects of the Jewish faith glorify our humanity?
The goal of this retreat in daily life is not to create a syncretistic hodge podge of various religions. One of the goals of this retreat is to encourage all of the people of the Lake Erie region, and as many people around the globe who are interested in this experience, to pray for each other and to share the profound experience of the Ignatian Exercises. Although it is not a requirement for membership in the Lake Erie Olympic Movement, this retreat will give many of us the initial energy to begin our Olympic Movement. It is also an attempt for each of us to realize just how similar we are. We may belong to different faiths, but our hearts and minds are very similar, if not the same. Finally, this experience is also very American. As Americans we love the tapestry of culture that nurtures us.
Finally, however each faith tradition approaches the Exercises, there is another Ignatian method that can be utilized by all--Ignatian Contemplation--and there are two second phase exercises that non-Christians can adapt--the three kinds of people and the three kinds of humility. In Ignatian Contemplation, we use our imagination to actively enter into a scene from a religious text. Whether one is Christian or not, this method can enliven any scriptural contemplation. As for the three kinds of people and the three kinds of humility, both are exercises that encourage us to ask God for the gift of radical spiritual freedom. All of the great traditions have methods that encourage us to strive for and ask for the gift of radical spiritual freedom.
I hope that this helps. I am grateful for all people and for all traditions. Each of the traditions has taught me something significant. I pray that God may bless all with a spirit of freedom and generosity at all times.
Namaste! Shalom! Al-Salamu Alaikum! Peace!
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