Fr. Edward Dowling, SJ, a friend of Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, was convinced that the Spiritual Exercises influenced the 12 Steps of AA (which guide many other 12-step programs). Bill Wilson said he had never heard of Ignatius or the Exercises. He said he sat down at his kitchen table one day and wrote out the 12 Steps in about 20 minutes. To this Fr. Dowling said, “If it were twenty weeks, you could suspect improvisation. Twenty minutes sounds reasonable under the theory of divine help.”
I recently ran across an article Fr. Dowling wrote showing the parallels between the Exercises and the 12 Steps. A sample:
St. Ignatius starts with a presumption that our power of faculties are bound by sinful tendencies and addictions to the wrong things. The Spiritual Exercises, therefore, work on the soul in both a negative and positive way. The first section, the consideration of my sins and of their effects in hell, is the negative part. It aims by self-denial to release our wills from our binding addictions, to enable the will to desire and to choose rationally.
The second part of the Spiritual Exercises, start in with a consideration of the Incarnation and going through the Passion and Resurrection, is an effort to see how Christ would handle various situations.
A priest alcoholic, who has written with discernment on the Spiritual Exercises, first pointed out to me the similarity between them and the twelve steps of A.A. Bill, the founder of A.A. recognized that those twelve steps are pretty much the releasing of myself from the things that prevent my will’s choosing God as I understand Him.
I always practices St Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, and followed CLC (Christian Life Community) groups since I was 15. At 45 years old i met Overeaters Anonymous and always wondered why I felt the program so close to Ignatian Spirituality. Now I founsd out ! Thank you very much !!!
Thanks for the post! I´m a fellow of A.A. myself and I´m currently researching on Ignatian Spirituality. The Examen of St. Ignatius instantly reminded me of the 12 steps.
I was surprised to learn that there is actually a conncetion between the 12 steps and Ignatian Excercises. And incredible to see how much I learn through AA. As a side note, I´m not a Catholic 🙂
Insightful, thanks.
If a person has to reach/aim at constant peace, he has to live in a spiritual life. And as said by many scholars to date, Awareness is the first step to change.
Thank you for posting this! It is difficult to find any of Fr. Dowling’s stuff.