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| | Description | St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits), was known for his practical spirituality. The "way of Ignatius" has helped millions of people—from the doubtful seeker to the devout believer—find freedom, make friends, live simply, work sensibly, fall in love, experience joy, and enter into a relationship with God. The Ignatian goal of "finding God in all things" eans that every part of our lives can lead us to God. The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything shows us how this is possible, with user-friendly examples, humorous stories and anecdotes from the heroic and inspiring lives of Jesuit saints and average priests and brothers, as well as examples from Martin's twenty years as a Jesuit. The traditional wisdom that Jesuits use to help other people in their daily lives is easily applied, but not often explained well to the general public. The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything translates these insights of St. Ignatius for a modern audience and reveals how we can find God—and how God can find us—in the real world of work, love, suffering, decisions, prayer, and friendship. | |
| | Product Details | | Author: | James Martin | | Hardcover: | 420 pages | | Publisher: | HarperOne | | Publication Date: | March 09, 2010 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0061432687 | | Product Length: | 9.1 inches | | Product Width: | 5.9 inches | | Product Height: | 1.4 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.3 pounds | | Package Length: | 9.1 inches | | Package Width: | 6.1 inches | | Package Height: | 1.5 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 74 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 74 customer reviews )
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223 of 224 found the following review helpful:
"The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life," by Fr. James Martin Mar 18, 2010
By Ann W. Turner
"writer and seeker"
If you are looking for a companion to take along on your spiritual journey, you couldn't pick a better one than Fr. James Martin, S.J. His new book is a marvel. It is clear and concise about all those troubling questions you always wanted to ask about God and finding God. It offers a map (thoughtfully provided by St. Ignatius of Loyola and built on by Fr. James) for seeing God in your life and putting into practice this wisdom. This includes simplifying your life, confronting the nature of suffering, how Ignatian spirituality helps with making decisions, how to become the person you were created to be, and more. I especially liked the part on role of desire--our hearts' deepest longings--and how they bring us closer to God. Add in Fr. James's flashes of incisive humor as well as various accounts from his personal journey, and you have a fine book.
If I had one word to apply to this book (I considered "inspiring," "educating," "enlightening," and "transforming") it would be clarity. We are in great need of a clear thinker as we ponder together the nature of our humanity and who we are called to be while alive on this earth.
174 of 176 found the following review helpful:
A readable religious book that still makes you think. Mar 29, 2010
By Derek Emerson
Religious, and specifically Christian, books can be a challenging lot. On the one hand there are plenty of great 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 other 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 (Almost) 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 difficult 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 making 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 Almost). Rather, it's a guide to discovering how God can be found 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 those emails to a coworker. This is the first of four definitions that comes from Jesuit spirituality, namely, that everything in your life is important. The second idea 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 those of us who are not Jesuits can still actively incorporate spirituality into our lives. Third, not only is everything important, but God can be found everywhere. This carries the theological phrase of incarnational spirituality, but the idea 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 great deal of time looking at the role of prayer in our lives. Again he is not afraid 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 working 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, 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. Created by the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius Loyola (and Jesuit spirituality is often 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 idea of all aspects of your life are important 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 create opportunities to move forward.
Martin's explanations of the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty are enlightening in not only understanding what those 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 those even in sexual relationships realize there are many ways to express love. In a sex-obsessed culture, this rather obvious line of thinking is desperately needed.
This is how Martin works throughout the book. He explains how Jesuit's think 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 easy "feel good" book or "10 steps to live like a Jesuit," look elsewhere. If you want to think 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 funny, and he points it out. He loves to tell Jesuit jokes, almost always at the expense of Jesuits, and the book is filled with real-life stories to illustrate his points. How often do you get to read a priest talk about being overwhelmed by sexual obsession just weeks before ordination? Martin does, and he spares himself little in the telling of tales. But his honesty and humor make all this thinking that more fun. And after all, if we cannot enjoy our faith, we must be missing something.
Martin also keeps a friendly, informative Facebook page where you can read about his other comments on life.
83 of 86 found the following review helpful:
Great book for anyone looking to understand spirituality Mar 16, 2010
By J. Sioson
This book outlines the basic tenets of Ignatian spirituality and applies it to the different paths that a person can take spiritually. Fr. Martin does an excellent job of making spirituality more practical and available to everyone, not just those who are fortunate enough to know a Jesuit. If you're confused about spirituality and religion and everything in between, this book is an easy-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).
51 of 54 found the following review helpful:
Spirituality, it's not just for Priests Anymore Mar 17, 2010
By Catherine W. Mclaughlin
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, often funny 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).
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Love this book! Mar 26, 2010
By Kyrie
"kyrie"
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 - funny yet thought provoking, and it does a great job of explaining what it means to be Jesuit, and what Ignatian Spirituality means. I recommend it for anyone interested in this topic (and actually to ANYONE. It's just that great of a book!)
See all 74 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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