Autor: Walsh, William J. S.J.

Buch: Workshop Rome 2001

Titel: PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION: IGNATIUS AND Lonergan

Stichwort: Disordered Affections / Bias, Sünde (disordered affections), Indifferenz, Befolgung d. transzendentalen Imperative

Kurzinhalt: Haupthindernis des Gottsuchens: Sünde, ungeordnete (disorderd) Liebe, Gefühle; the only way to deal with bias: to obey the four imperatives; Pereyra, Ignatian Exercises

Textausschnitt: () For Ignatius, what prevents us from seeking and finding God's will is sin and at the root of sin is 'disorderly love' or disordered affections; and the Exercises, of course, are devised to help you rid yourself of them:
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Ignatius speaks of inordinate attachments. Lonergan speaks of bias. For him, bias is what blocks continuous growth in authentic living and leads to decline. He defines bias as a flight from understanding and a flight from responsibility. The manifestations are manifold:
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Ignatius targets areas where one ordinarily experience strong feelings which can influence decisions: feelings about health and wealth, honor and length of life may get in the way of praising, reverencing, and serving God. In his directory, Pereyra 'gets more specific and proposes a list of sample relevant questions: (23; Fs)
'How have I made use of [the things on the face of the earth] so that they would be means for my achieving this end? -food, clothing, property, honor, office, dignities; my senses
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A bias is a block or distortion of intellectual development, and such blocks or distortions occur in four principal manners. There is the bias of ... <Zitat Methode d. Theologie>
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The outcome of bias for the individual human being is calamitous; but bias can have catastrophic social consequences as well:
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A civilization in decline digs its own grave with a relentless consistency.
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Ultimately, for Lonergan, the only way to deal with bias, to pursue self-transcendence, and to stop the decline of nations is for individuals and groups to obey the four imperatives:
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The use of the Principle and Foundation, I suggest, is just one such application of the use of Lonegan's four imperatives. Patterns of sinful behavior (the result of disorderly love) or biases block one from reaching the goal of the Exercises. So, the Exercises start with an exercise in self-awareness, that is, with an examination of consciousness. You ask yourself, 'Where am I? What have I been doing with my life?' You ask: 'Am I indifferent? If not, what is hindering me?' In Lonergan's terms, you start with an exercise in understanding and judging, with an exercise in self-knowledge and self-assessment. Ignatius invites you to be aware of your behavior, to understand how you have behaved, and to assess whether your decision to act is worthwhile or not. Ignatius is asking you, in effect, to be aware, intelligent, rational, and reasonable.
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you are indifferent, he says, 'if you are ready to entrust yourself to God, placing yourself in God's hands, abandoning yourself to Him, and taking at face value the words of Scripture: 'Cast all your cares on him,