Blessed Pierre Favre SJ

Father, in the Name of Jesus, give me the Spirit.
- Pierre Favre SJ

In my web travels, I saw a couple of reviews of books on Pierre Favre ...
The Spiritual Writings of Pierre Favre: The 'Memoriale' and Selected Letters and Instruction by the Institute of Jesuit Sources ... and, Pierre Favre & Discernment by Brian O’Leary SJ. I have some bits from the reviews below, but first, some info about Pierre Favre ...

Of the early Jesuits, the one I'm drawn to is Pierre ... from the little I've read of him, he was quiet, no stranger to self-criticism, and a little hesitant at first to trust God ... qualities with which I can identify. Here below is what William A. Barry SJ wrote of him in one of his books ...

When Ignatius went to Paris to study, he roomed with Pierre Favre and Francis Xavier, both young students in their early twenties. Pierre Favre quickly came under the influence of Ignatius. But Ignatius did not direct him through the full Spiritual Exercises until four years had passed. Pierre was full of scruples, terrified of God's wrath. He seems to have had an image of God as a terrifying snoop seeking to catch him out. With such an image of God he could not enter the Spiritual Exercises with trust and hope and great desire for closeness to God ....

But Ignatius worked kindly and patiently with him during the four years and gradually Pierre's image of God changed and his scruples disappeared. He now desired closeness to God and wanted to know what God's hopes and plans for him were. Ignatius led him through the Spiritual Exercises, and Pierre decided to join Ignatius as a companion. He was one of the ten founders of the Society of Jesus and was considered by Ignatius to be the best director of the Spiritual Exercises among all of the first Jesuits.

Here is a bit from William J. Walsh's review of the first book mentioned above, in the journal, Questia ...

... The Memoriale is a priceless legacy and remarkable on two scores. First it is a record of how someone coached by Ignatius actually prayed. In it, we have F.'s meticulous observations about the movement of spirits in his consciousness. We can see in concrete detail how energetic, persistent, and concentrated F. was in practicing the art of prayer in the thick of action.

Second, the Memoriale (along with the other writings collected here) is remarkable for revealing how a diffident young man from a mountain village in Savoy was transformed into the confidant, confessor, and spiritual director of cardinals, bishops, nuncios, diplomats, priests, religious men and women, students, and high-born lay men and women. Actually, it is surprising to find a man like F., hesitant and prone to bouts of scruples and sexual temptation, in the company of firebrands like Ignatius and Francis Xavier. It is a tribute, then, to the spiritual genius of Ignatius that he enabled F. to move through his crippling self doubts and to discern with accuracy and assurance the presence of the Spirit at work in himself. There, day after day in prayer, F. noted the arrival of great desires for Christ, tested them, and found the push he needed to carry them out in zealous service ....

And here below is part of the review of the second book mentioned above, by Senan Timoney, S.J., from The Jesuits in Ireland site ...

This book by Brian O'Leary explores the theme of discernment in the Memoriale or spiritual journal of Bl. Pierre Favre. It is a work worthy of a monumental figure in the early history of the Society of Jesus. Favre, who was a key founding member of the Society, managed to cover much of Western Europe in the final seven years of his short life of forty years. Italy, France, Germany, Flanders, Portugal, Spain were all part of his itinerary, but there was also an inner journey going on. His Memoriale is a reflective account of his inner life and of what St. Ignatius calls the "movements" of his soul.

This is where O'Leary shows a mastery of his subject. To say that this book is scholarly may for some readers connote dullness, but this is far from the case. All the time the author keeps us in close touch with the text but with a delightful detachment. This reflects his obvious interest in Favre, but also, in the best sense, a critical view of the text and of its author .... This book is an excellent exploration of discernment in the spiritual journal of a great man.

***

Read more about Pierre Favre here

Read a letter from Ignatius to Pierre Favre at the Woodstock Theological Center Library