Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola Part 1

First Annotation
Spiritual Exercise is like physical exercise.  It requires training and discipline.  While Physical exercise includes, walking, running and strolling, spiritual exercises is to examine one's conscience, meditating, contemplating, praying mentally and verbally, and performing other spiritual activities.  The goal of the spiritual exercise is to rid the soul of all disordered tendencies, to seek the divine will, and manage one's life for salvation of souls.

2nd Annotation
The spiritual director helps the person directed by giving short summaries of the main points.  If Director overdoes it, and explains and amplifies everything, it may hinder further spiritual growth.  The person doing the spiritual exercises contemplates upon the spiritual narratives of sacred scriptures and makes it their own through the use of faculties of reason and by God's divine power.

3rd Annotation
Reverence is required in regards to vocal and mental prayer to God or in trying to understand the lives of the Saints.

4th Annotation
Spiritual Exercises are divided into 4 parts.
1.  consider and contemplate one's sins.
2.  Life of Christ up to Palm Sunday.
3. Passion of Christ.
4.  Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.

The spiritual exercises are meant to be completed in 30 days.  Although it is divided into 4 weeks, some weeks are shorter and longer depending on each individual persons.

5th Annotation
Those who are doing spiritual exercises must do so with great courage and generosity towards his creator and Lord.  It requires that the person has a certain kind of disposition: offering God His will and liberty, alow God the Divine Majesty to make use of Him according to God's will.

6th Annotation
The spiritual director must observe carefully of the person being directed; and discern whether they are growing spiritually, and see if there are any consolations or desolations.  In addition, the spiritual director can query the details of the spiritual exercises and how the person directed are observing them in a practical manner.

7th Annotation
The spiritual director must not discourage the person directed if they are experiencing desolations, but to encourage them with hope of future consolations.

8th annotation
The spiritual director can assist by answering questions that the person directed may have, especially those pertaining to the first and second week.

9th Annotation
The spiritual director must discern the readiness of the person directed.  If they are not ready for the second week, do not explain it to them just yet because it may not be helpful but harmful.

10th Annotation
If Spiritual Director notices that the person is tempted under the appearance of good, then go ahead and instruct them about the rules of the 2nd week.

11th annotation
The person being directed must not rush through the weeks, but be patient, but to take time and go through each week.

12th Annotation
Each of the exercises must be 1 hour long.  Be careful if the hour is cut short because the enemy is always tempting people to cut short their prayer.

13th Annotation
If the person experiences desolations, don't give up, but it is necessary that they stay longer than one hour.

14th Annotation
The Spiritual Director must discern whether the person directed is suitable for a religious life, and at the same time, those who are not called to the spiritual life must be warned so that they don't make a mistake.

15th Annotation
The spiritual director must not influence the person in any direction, so that the Lord will communicate Himself to the devout soul.  The director acts as a channel between the person and the Divine Majesty.

16th Annotation
The spiritual director must help the person directed to be fully aware of inordinate tendencies that can have temporal advantages or self-interests, and he must pray and do things contrary so that the motive may always be for the service, honor and glory of the Divine Majesty.

17th Annotation
The spiritual director must find ways to adapt the exercises that will helpful for the person.

18th Annotation
The spiritual director must take into account the person's age, education, and ability, and try to adapt the spiritual exercises for that particular person.

19th Annotation
The spiritual director must help the person directed be familiar with examination of conscience, ten commandments, 7 deadly sins, 5 precepts of the Church, works of mercy.

20th Annotation
Those who are discerning the possibility of a religious life will find it helpful to isolate themselves from family and friends because it will provide spiritual benefits.
1.  will merit in the ways of grace.
2.  helps to concentrate -gives them a greater freedom to serve God.
3. Detach from the world means to attach oneself to God.