The Jesuit Guide to Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life

5 Responses to “The Jesuit Guide to Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life”

1. Hazel Philbrook says:

   March 31, 2010 at 11:24 pm

   I read this book on my Kindle and am now buying the hard copy so I can loan it to my family tree and friends. It is a truly useful tool for one looking to grow in their spiritual life. hazel
   
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
2. Kyrie says:

   April 1, 2010 at 12:59 am

   I work at a Jesuit University and have read many books on Ignatian Spirituality. I have made two 8-day silent directed retreats, and felt like I understood the concept. This book is such a pleasure to read – amusing yet thought provoking, and it does a fantastic job of explaining what it means to be Jesuit, and what Ignatian Spirituality means. I recommend it for anyone interested in this topic (and really to ANYONE. It’s just that fantastic of a book!)
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
3. Derek Emerson says:

   April 1, 2010 at 3:56 am

   Religious, and specifically Christian, books can be a challenging lot. On the one hand there are plenty of fantastic theological texts to read (Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Rahner, Barth, etc), but suffice it to say they are not the type of book you curl up with at the end of the day. On the additional hand, there are too many “Christian-lite” books (I’ll be nice and not name names) which touch on Christian themes, but lack the depth to really challenge the faithful.

   With his rather bold title, The Jesuit Guide to (Nearly) Everything, James Martin, SJ looks like he would fall in the latter category. But happily, what we find here is a treatment of the Christian faith (through a Jesuit lens) which is not hard to digest, but will challenge the reader to reexamine their stance toward faith. This is not just wordplay when I say “stance toward faith.” Martin honestly and respectfully engages readers who may be atheists or agnostics, as well as any Christian still examining their faith. He does note that much of what he offers from his Jesuit life could be adopted by non-Christians. But give Martin credit for not being embarrassed of his faith and building a strong case for Christianity.

   Martin acknowledges his own wordplay when he addresses his title. “It’s not a guide to understanding everything about everything (thus the Nearly). Rather, it’s a guide to learning how God can be establish in every dimension of your life.” The essence of the book is that every aspect of your life is spiritual — faith is not just concerned with your thoughts on God, but what you say in persons emails to a coworker. This is the first of four definitions that comes from Jesuit spirituality, namely, that everything in your life is vital. The second thought is “contemplative in action,” in which Martin outlines how a contemplative life translates into an active life. This theme plays a major role throughout the book as Martin explores how persons of us who are not Jesuits can still actively incorporate spirituality into our lives. Third, not only is everything vital, but God can be establish everywhere. This carries the theological axiom of incarnational spirituality, but the thought is simple. Finally, many readers may be surprised to hear that people who pledge obedience see their spiritual life as one of freedom and detachment from distracting influences as opposed to a set of rules to follow.

   Martin spends a fantastic deal of time looking at the role of prayer in our lives. Again he is not worried to challenge, as he does with the conventional excuse of “busyness,” when it comes to why we find prayer challenging. One of Martin’s strengths is that he understands the challenges of the effective world. He came to his own faith decisions after a, ahem, active collegiate experience and after having a successful business career. He knows what many people deal with daily, and although not the head of a family tree, he understands the stresses the life of a parent has to contend with in addition to finding prayer time. But he points out that all relationships need nurturing, and our relationship with God is no different.

   He offers several options, but his focus on “The Examen” is the most enlightening. This Jesuit prayer is central to the Jesuit way of life. Made by the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius Loyola (and Jesuit spirituality is regularly called Ignatian spirituality), this prayer takes a person through five steps at the end of the day. The prayer focuses on the course of the day. In Martin’s version (and we learn throughout that Jesuits are a pretty flexible lot on faith issues) we start with gratitude for what went well, and then review all actions of the day. When we recall events we are sorry for we have reached the third step, which leads naturally to seeking forgiveness, step four. Finally, we seek God’s grace for the coming day.

   Simple as it sounds, and it is simple, the prayer reinforces that thought of all aspects of your life are vital to God. All our actions should reflect our faith, and when we fail, we should seek to remedy our wrongs. Regardless of one’s faith inclination, a thorough review of the day and an accounting for one’s actions is bound to make opportunities to go forwards.
   
   Martin’s explanations of the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty are enlightening in not only understanding what persons vows mean, but what they have to do with the rest of us. No, he is not promoting worldwide chastity in the normal sense, but he does argue that loving chastely lets persons even in sexual relationships realize there are many ways to prompt like. In a sex-obsessed culture, this rather obvious line of thinking is desperately needed.

   This is how Martin works throughout the book. He clarifies how Jesuit’s reflect and why, and then looks to tie it in with everyday life for the non-Jesuits of the world. While it sounds simple, it is challenging in both content and translation to life. If you just want an simple “feel excellent” book or “10 steps to live like a Jesuit,” look elsewhere. If you want to reflect about faith and how it underlies your life, this is the place to start. But not to worry, Martin does all this with a sense of humor. He knows when some thinking sounds amusing, and he points it out. He likes to tell Jesuit jokes, nearly permanently at the expense of Jesuits, and the book is filled with real-life tales to illustrate his points. How regularly do you get to read a priest talk about being overwhelmed by sexual obsession just weeks before ordination? Martin does, and he spares himself small in the telling of tales. But his honesty and humor make all this thinking that more fun. And after all, if we cannot delight in our faith, we must be missing something.
   
   Martin also keeps a friendly, informative Facebook page where you can read about his additional comments on life.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
4. Catherine W. Mclaughlin says:

   April 1, 2010 at 4:50 am

   Fr. Martin has provided a wonderful guide for ordinary people who desire a deeper relationship with God. He provides a practical framework for people searching for more and delivers it in an immensely readable, never preachy, regularly amusing way. I thank Fr. Martin for first teaching me that Saints were ordinary people (My Life With The Saints) and now for showing me how ordinary people can become Saints. (The Jesuit Guide).
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
5. J. Sioson says:

   April 1, 2010 at 5:02 am

   This book outlines the basic tenets of Ignatian spirituality and applies it to the different paths that a person can take mentally. Fr. Martin does an brilliant job of building spirituality more practical and available to everyone, not just persons who are fortunate enough to know a Jesuit. If you’re confused about spirituality and religion and everything in between, this book is an simple-to-read primer for how to incorporate your spirituality in daily life and how to find God in all things. I especially like the part about SBNR (Spiritual but not religious).
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5