UNE AUTRE CONNAISSANCE DE DIEU: LE DISCERNEMENT CHEZ IGNACE DE LOYOLA.

LONSDALE, DAVID

UNE AUTRE CONNAISSANCE DE DIEU: LE DISCERNEMENT CHEZ IGNACE DE LOYOLA. By Sylvie Robert. Cogitatio Fidei. Paris: Cerf, 1997. Pp. 604. Fr. 290.

Robert's central thesis is that the rules for discernment in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola and the process of discernment which they shape open up within a context of faith a particular way of knowing God as creator and source of all that is created. Her book is an examination of the theology that informs the rules for discernment and more broadly the Exercises as a whole. Since much of this theology is implicit, this book is also a study of what lies behind the texts. The rules are seen as the center of a series of concentric circles which embrace the book of the Exercises, other writings of Ignatius and the early Jesuits, the life of Ignatius, and the wider historical context in which the texts were written. All of these interrelated elements are skillfully used to shed light on Ignatius's understanding of discernment.

After establishing what she considers to be the best text of the rules for discernment and a cogent chronology of their composition, R. presents a balanced, informed explanation of Ignatian discernment. Discernment was vital for Ignatius; it was the heart of Christian living. In everyday choices lies the possibility of moving: either toward well-being and creative fullness of life in God, under the influence of the "good spirit," or alternatively toward illusion and death, under the influence of "the enemy of our human nature." The course to be taken is discovered by reflecting on inner experiences that occur in response to people and events. The fundamental principle is to follow and act upon true "consolation" and to resist "desolation," because the former indicates a right relation between creature and creator whereas the latter represents the delusions of "the enemy." Ignatian discernment, therefore, means understanding inner experiences as the basis for giving shape and direction to life. The rules for discernment offer a framework to guide this process. This and the participation of an accompagnateur give an ecclesial dimension and sanction to personal discernment.

On the basis of her outline of Ignatian discernment R. then argues, in my view persuasively, that in the mind of Ignatius discernment offers a way of knowledge of God. The tradition Ignatius inherited taught that God may be known within a context of faith in two ways: by contemplative union and by concepts. Discernment is of course a process of discursive reasoning involving concepts. However, it has as its object, not God but a created reality, the felt movements in the soul. Here God is known indirectly, by means of that which is not God. R. claims, however, that in the mind of Ignatius discernment is itself a form of union with God and leads to a simple, intuitive vision of God in immediacy and communion. Such knowing is possible because God presents God's self to be known. It is not opposed to conceptual understanding. On the contrary, it is the use of all a person's natural faculties in the activity of discernment which opens up the way to the intuitive, contemplative vision. Moreover, for Ignatius, creation is the privileged place for knowing God. To focus on created reality in discernment, therefore, is both to be aware of a relationship between creation and creator and at the same time to distinguish God from all that is created--to know God as radically different. Hence discernment involves union with and awareness of God as the radically other creator and source of all that is created. This knowledge of God gives shape and direction to life. Later R. examines further Ignatius's understanding of the relationship between these two ways of knowing and the relative value he placed on each.

R. believes that, Ignatian discernment offers a form of Christian living particularly suited to the modern world. It brings into harmony aspects of life often separated or seen as mutually hostile: contemplation and action, intellect and affectivity, theology and spirituality, the personal and the ecclesial. It values the world and everyday activity as the place of God's presence. Moreover, it locates human wholeness theologically in a right ordering of the relationship between creator and creature. It is a simple operation that espouses the human desire for happiness and well-being and allows God to be known in a way that both respects humanity and allows God to be God. Throughout her book R. is impressive in her understanding, clarity, historical sensitivity, cogent argument, and thorough scholarship. She has made an important and original contribution to Ignatian studies.

DAVID LONSDALE Heythrop College, London