Overcome Vice The Ignatian Way: A Particular Examen
- Co-authored: Karen Shields Wright, Gregory Vigliotta
- Jun 25
- 4 min read
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Philippians 4:8
Understanting Virtue
A virtue is the habitual disposition to do the good. A virtuous person makes every effort to do the next right thing, pursue what is good and true.
"The goal of the virtuous person is to become like God. " St. Gregory of Nyssa
Four virtues, called the Cardinal vvirtues play an important role for the Christian pilgrim who is striving towards perfection. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
Prudence: St. Thomas Aquinas describes Prudence as"right reason in action". A prudent person prescribes rules and measure to his conduct.
Justice: A moral virtue that a person exercises in order to give god and their neighbor what is due to them.
Fortitude: A virtues that gives a moral person the strength and resolve to pursue the good, especially against obstacles and temptation.
Temperance: A moral virtue that gives the moral person the ability to moderate attraction of pleasures
Theological virtues help the Christian pilgrim, striving for perfection, to live in relationship with the Blessed Trinity
Faith: A gift from God through the Holy Spirit that empowers the Christian to believe in all that God has revealed to us.
Hope: Gives us the grace of a firm desire for the Kingdom of God and instills in us the ability to trust in Jesus Christ.
Charity: A virtue that demonstrates love of God, by loving one our neighbor as Jesus commanded.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Moral life of the Christian pilgrim, striving for perfection, is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord
Fruits of the Holy Spirit: The Fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in the Christian who seeks to be like God. They are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity.
Understanding Sin
"There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them. The Letter to the Galatians contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: "Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Catechism 1852)
The Capital sins engender other sins and other vices. They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.
The Virtue of Gratitude and the Discernments of 'spirits'
In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, he reminds us that the first sin pride comes from not being grateful. All things we have are gifts from God who is our Creator. Pride comes from not living in the reality that we were created. Namely, to love and serve God in this world with our whole mind, soul and strength. The Christian pilgrim strive for perfection, to be like God and we focuses on growing in virtue. Furthermore, discernment of the "good spirits" helps us to see that the God is calling us to Him all the time, to live the Virtues that can only be perfected through the gifts of grace by the Holy Spirit.
The Grace of Gratitude and Growth
Gratitude also helps us in growing in all the Cardinal Virtues and human virtues.
You may be called to consider which Gifts of the Spirit, Fruits of the Spirit or Virtues you wish to increase in your life. This Examen as a Particular Examination of Conscience helps us to reflect upon our growth in the Virtues within our daily life.
How To Make The Particular Examination of Conscience
First, in the morning, immediately on rising, one should resolve to guard carefully against the particular sin or defect with regard to which he seeks to correct or improve himself. (SE 24)
Secondly, after dinner, he should ask God our Lord for the grace he desires, that is, to recall how often he has fallen into the particular sin or defect, and to avoid it for the future. Then follows the first examination. He should demand an account of himself with regard to the particular point which he has resolved to watch in order to correct himself and improve. Let him go over the single hours or periods from the time he arose to the hour and moment of the present examination, and in the first line of the figure given below, make a mark for each time that he has fallen into the particular sin or defect. Then he is to renew his resolution, and strive to amend during the time till the second examination is to be made. (SE 25)
Thirdly, after supper, he should make a second examination, going over as before each single hour, commencing with the first examination, and going up to the present one. In the second line of the figure given below, let him make a mark for each time he has fallen into the particular fault or sin. (SE 26)
Four Additional Directions (SE 27)
These are to serve as a help to more ready removal of the particular sin or fault
Every time one falls into the particular sin or fault, let him place his hand upon his breast, and be sorry for having fallen. He can do this even in the presence of many others without their perceiving what he is doing.
Since the first line of the figure to which G is prefixed represents the first examination of conscience, and the second one, the second examination, he should observe at night whether there is an improvement from the first line to the second, that is, from the first examination to the second. (SE 28)
The second day should be compared with the first, that is, the two examinations of the present day with the two of the preceding day. Let him observe if there is an improvement from one day to another. (SE 29)
Let him compare one week with another and observe whether he has improved during the present week as compared with the preceding (SE 30)
G |
G |
G |
G |
G |
G |
G |
(SE) All quotes are taken from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Based on Studies in the Language of the Autograph by Louis J. Puhl, SJ
