In his times, Inigo should have been not only a popular, much-sought-after spiritual master, but also an expert psychologist, psycho-analyst, who paved the way for the future Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. He was able to probe into the human mind and heart, and bring out the best in them. He was able to propose answers to some of the perennial problems seekers had been going through, especially in search of spiritual well-springs. One wonders how he was able to present the problems of the human mind and heart, and provide suitable solutions to counter them! It is obvious that Inigo began to observe his own self for a considerable amount of time, which resulted in his recommendations to tame the human mind and heart.
Since he knew how to tame and bring to full control the normal human tendencies, Inigo made use of simple tools to do this. Agere contra (in Latin, acting against) is one such tool, with which Inigo was able to bring an order or discipline in the life of a person. This notion is found in many of the works of the spiritual master, especially in his spiritual classic, the Spiritual Exercises. In the Introductory Explanations, no. 13, Inigo points out how agere contra could become a useful tool to defeat the enemy: “Hence, to act against the desolation and overcome the temptations, the exercitant ought to remain always a little longer than the full hour, and in this way become accustomed not merely to resist the enemy but even to defeat him”.
The same thing could also be applied to other spheres of one’s spiritual life, and the purpose of doing the opposite is to defeat the enemy, and not to give scope for falling. This is very much in tune with the new teachings of Jesus, as found in the Sermon on the Mount, showing our second cheek to someone who slaps us, and to give the tunic to the one who takes our cloak, and walk for two miles with the one who asks us to walk for a mile, though here the intention is to defeat the psychological victory of the person who imposes certain thing on us. This implies that we should be well-disposed to accept and even willingly embrace privation, humiliation, insults and ultimately to humble ourselves as our master was.
During the initial years of his new life, Inigo had studied the different tricks that the Satan had employed in him, and out of them he had drawn this practical implication. In his spiritual journal, popularly known as his autobiography, Inigo had narrated how he was tempted to keep his hair long and nails growing, because he wanted to be as close to the saints as possible, and as a sign of his penitent life, and after he realized that it was the temptation imposed on him by the evil one, he cut his hair and nail, and thus defeated the tricks of the enemy. Thus Inigo had found agere contra bringing a lot of spiritual fruit both in his personal life and in the life of those who practised it.
We shall find that the notion is very effective in the case of persons who would like to excel in their practice of spiritual virtues, so that they always go one step ahead of where they are left. They cannot afford to let the evil one take chance over them, and through a calculated move, the evil one had to be defeated, and the aspirant would deprive himself of the personal pleasure, comfort and other privileges. Agere contra could be practised only by persons who are well-disposed, and are generous enough not to count the personal loss or wounds inflicted by others. It is obvious then that this is meant for those who are good and virtuous, and wish to go ahead in coming closer to the Lord, and not meant for those who are struggling with their vices.
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