Spiritual Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises (Latin: Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish Catholic priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus. Their influence was tremendous, but they were not original, being "nothing but a compilation of pre-existing meditations for self-cultivation." == Structure == Divided into four thematic "weeks" of variable length, they are designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days.