Spirituality Quiz

Your Spirituality Type: PATH OF ASCETICISM (Ignatian prayer)

More than half of churchgoers practice this type of prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It involves imagining oneself as part of a scene in order to draw some practical fruit from it for today. This spirituality goes back to the Israelite way of praying in 1000 B.C., to remember and immerse oneself in an event, thus reliving and participating in the event in a symbolic way.This is how Ignatius meditated on the Nativity scene: ''I will make myself a poor, little, unworthy servant, and as though present, look upon them, contemplate them, and serve them in their needs with all possible homage and reverence. Then I will reflect on myself that I may reap some fruit.''His preoccupation with order was evident in his Spiritual Exercises, which, writes Thomas Clarke in Playing in the Gospel, aimed at overcoming ''disorderly affections, so that the may make a decision that is in keeping with God?s will.'' According to Clarke, ''Most souls who are willing to endure the discipline of the 30 days of intense prayer activity of the Spiritual Exercises are rewarded with an unforgettable spiritual experience that frequently changes the whole direction of their lives.''