A Lenten journey with Agere Contra

Lent – a 40-day, sacred season of spiritual renewal for Christians - began a few weeks ago. As I vowed to observe it with greater fervour than before, I searched for meaningful ways to deepen my observance.  I came across the Ignatian practice of Agere Contra, as championed by its founder, St Ignatius of Loyola.     

This Latin phrase meaning “to act against” advocates the practice of intentionally doing the opposite of what one is naturally inclined to do - especially when those inclinations lead toward sin, vice, or addiction. The idea is simple. If you’re attached to a worldly good, the most effective response is to act against that attachment and turn in the opposite direction. In so moving away from the attraction we muster strength and grace to swap our passions and desires for God’s direction and His will.  

For example, if indulgence in good food and excessive drink has become an addiction, Agere Contra — act against it — by embracing fasting. If an obsession with accumulating wealth and possessions dominates your life, agere contra — act against it — by giving away generously. If the craving for others’ approval becomes unceasing, agere contra — act against it — by stepping away from social media, seeking solitude and quiet reflection. If ostentation and pomp consume you all the time, agere contra – act against it – by actively practising austerity and simplicity.

And if the desire for attention and recognition is dominating your thoughts, agere contra—act against it—by choosing obscurity, seeking not to be noticed, and moving in the opposite direction.  Myriad other enticements and temptations of life that devour us can be fought by agere contra.  This will help us to pull away from the self-seeking and fleeting pleasures of life, in the opposite direction to God-centred and lasting happiness.  The beauty of ‘agere contra’ lies in its ease to practice it intentionally and daily at a personal level.  

Moved by its profound beauty, I embraced the practice of agere contra this Lenten season. It proved to be both a transformative and strengthening journey. Admittedly, there were moments when I faltered, drawn by the allure of familiar temptations. Yet, I trust that with each passing Lent—and throughout life—I will continue to grow in the grace and discipline of this powerful spiritual path.