St Ignatius of Loyola underwent a spiritual experience while convalescing after the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, and went on to found the Society of Jesus, better known today as the Jesuits. His spiritual exercises - a compilation of meditations and contemplative methods - are based on the Saints own experiences of repentance and pious practices.
The book is divided into four weeks of reflection and four key meditations - on the Kingdom of God, the Two Standards, the Three Classes of Men, and the Three Modes of Humility - and has at its center the emulation of Christ.
One of the great...