Little is known about the provenance of this rare first-edition copy of Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises in the Georgetown Library’s Booth Family Center for Special Collections. Bound in 1548 in Latin after being translated from Ignatius’ native Spanish, the Exercises are a foundational text of Ignatian Spirituality, and a major work in Catholic theology.
Written during a period of intense asceticism while recovering from a wound sustained in battle, the Exercises outline a spiritual retreat divided into four “weeks,” each with its own spiritual gifts and challenges, for one to undertake under the supervision of a spiritual director.
Rather than a rulebook or strict regimen, the Exercises suggest pathways to recognizing God’s will in one’s personal life through meditations on self-awareness, self-giving, self-sacrifice, and self-understanding.
