The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Study of Ignatian Spirituality for Everyday Life

THE JESUIT GUIDE TO ALMOST EVERYTHING is the latest book by the acclaimed, bestselling Jesuit writer, James Martin, S.J., whose earlier work MY LIFE WITH THE SAINTS has become a contemporary classic of popular Jesuit spirituality. Father Martin has deservedly won accolades for his accessible yet insightful writings; the "America Magazine" writer and editor has even gained a popular following through his occasional appearances on "The Colbert Report." (His national television presence may well make him the Archbishop Fulton Sheen of the early twenty-first century --sans the former's flashy episcopal habiliment.) Father Martin's writing style conveys a sense of being effortless, that is to say, it is without evident artifice; his writing makes him as approachable as he appears on television (and on Facebook). He's also down-to-earth about his own foibles; no holier-than-Saint Joe cleric here. This book--as the title suggests--runs the gamut of life issues, taking as its starting point and organizing principle the essence of Jesuit spirituality, founder St. Ignatius Loyola's "way of proceeding." By explaining the "way of proceeding," Martin sums up on the first page what his book is all about: "the freedom to become the person you're meant to be, to love and accept love, to make good decisions, and to experience the beauty of creation and the mystery of God's love." The chapters unfold from there, treating such topics as seeking God; living a simple life; plumbing the real meaning of chastity, love, and friendship; understanding and accepting obedience and suffering; learning the Ignatian way of decision making, discovering the role of desire in vocation, and being "who you is." Occasionally one encounters a section that feels less organic than pastiche, but Martin's presentation is always engaging and useful. While the reader is likely to have had some interest in religion or spirituality to have even picked up the book, Martin attempts to expand the meaningfulness of this material to all "seekers." This is both ambitious and in keeping with the Jesuit (and the Christian) charge to evangelize, but it's difficult to surmise how successful he is in that regard. One of the goals of the Society of Jesus (the formal name of the Jesuit Order) has always been to extend its thinking and practices beyond its mostly clerical membership, an ever more challenging (and important) mission as the Order's ranks diminish. Since Martin's world is principally that of the Jesuits, his examples, just as in earlier books, come mostly from his years of Jesuit formation and the experiences of his present life as a priest. Thus, there's a quite a bit of insider Jesuit religious life (vice experiences of everyday lay life) that Martin attempts to convert into lessons for the layperson. I think he does this rather successfully and engagingly--though I should note that my judgment might be influenced by the few wonderful years I once numbered in the edifying company of the Jesuits. It'd be interesting to see if spiritually minded non-Catholics are paying attention. I hope so. If I had been the publisher, I might have tinkered with the presentation of the material. I see this as a spiritual guidebook, and so it would have interested me to have seen this formatted accordingly, like a travel guidebook rather than as a travel narrative. One might read a travel guide cover-to-cover in preparing for a trip, but while on the journey one will want to go right to the section most applicable. In this context, one might want to ready-reference Martin's excellent synopsis of, say, the Examen or the Ignatian decision-making process, and a guidebook format would both facilitate locating those sections and highlight the salient points through text boxes, charts and other graphic devices. Note to HarperOne: it's not too late to get an illustrated guidebook version of this book out by next Christmas! One will wonder what's NOT covered by an "almost" guide. Well, sex *is*, in a way (actually, in a profound way), so not that. There's a definite deficit of attention paid to food (though Rick Curry, S.J. is mentioned--ah, no, I'm not punning on his name; the Jesuit brother who founded the National Theater Workshop of the Handicapped has also written books on soupmaking and breadmaking), but I note that sort-of tongue-in-cheek. The book actually is quite comprehensive, but fortunately, should Martin choose, he still has plenty of topics to cover. In a follow-up he could address or further develop such matters as understanding the nature of evil/Satan in the modern context (thinking beyond Dana Carvey's Church Lady); the relationship between science and faith; the challenge of living faith-filled, counter-cultural lives in an affluent, comfortable society; end-of-life (and associated quality-of-life) issues; and death and resurrection. An expanded treatment of the Jesuit performing and visual arts would be welcomed. In any case, I'll be looking forward to whatever Father Martin should choose to write about, even if it's about sitting in the Colbert Green Room.

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.

There are times in life when you enjoy a book, there are other times you relish a book and there are times when not only do you relish a book, but it profoundly changes your life. This is one of those times. I know this is a book review but I need to get a little into the background. Last month I was (and still am a bit) going through a challenging period of my life. I went out of town to a hillstation called Mussoorie in northern India to get away for a while. One day, I visited an antique store that sells old and used books. There I was drawn to a book called Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form . So, I bought it and read a bit of it. Out of curiosity, I checked if it was available on Amazon.com. It was. I noticed on the lower part of the page a list of 'Suggested Books' and my eyes fell on The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life . I bought it, downloaded it and kept on reading it. I couldn't stop! This is a book that appealed to me from page one. What I love is that James Martin, S.J. has written this book in very simple language (but he also taught me a lot of new words I never knew existed). There is humor spread throughout the book and this is a good thing. For this is one of the central themes of the book - joy and laughter are divine and holy! Jesus wasn't a serious and moody person, he was joy itself! It is so true that we take religion and spirituality to be full of seriousness and gloom. There's a reason they say, "gloom and doom!" The methods of St. Ignatius of Loyola like Examen, Ignatian Contemplation, Colloquy have taught me a new way to pray and contemplate on my own thoughts, words and deeds. The whole thing about Discernment and Presupposition are really helpful. I had heard a lot about Jesuits, but frankly didn't know anything about them before reading this book. I think the world needs more of this type of living - where worshipping God involves living in the real world and being 'contemplatives in action' and helping our fellow human beings in our day to day lives. The book also teaches you to love freely, without expecting anything back. This is so liberating! It also makes it clear that no matter how much you love anything or anyone in this world - God has to be #1. You have to love God and put your relationship with God before anything else. I recommend this book to everyone, whether Christian or not. Prashant Solomon New Delhi Author of Shadows of Truth and Being an Indian Citizen - A guide to our Fundamental Duties

Really liked the perspective of a Jesuit. The teachings, lifestyle, and practices of the Jesuits have been mysterious to me and it was eye-opening and enlightening to understand them better. For some reason I always pictured a Jesuit as being like the special forces of the Catholic church. Why? I am not sure, but I remember thinking that. Anyway, the life of Ignatius is interesting to begin with but the paradigms and world-views are deeply inspiring. As one who loves theology, I could see the compelling nature of giving your life to the cause of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Martin is a conversational writer and his chapters, while long, are easy to read and have sections to them. There were times it felt like a section was a bit drawn out, but on the whole he was balanced. If you are interested in Jesuits or would like insights from a respectable spiritual path, give it a read. A few ideas and quotes that I noted * The Examen prayer - A daily outlined prayer that allows one to give thanks, review the day, and choose to move forward in a better way. * prayer is “a long, loving look at the real.” * In order to communicate an essential truth, God offered us a parable: Jesus. Jesus is the parable of God. So for the Christian, if you want to learn about God, get to know Jesus. * Detachment, freedom, and a sense of humor are signposts on the road to holiness. * One night I was so angry that I clenched my fists and shouted aloud, “How about some @#$% help, God!” Some readers might be shocked that a priest would use language like that, especially in prayer. And I thought my spiritual director, a wise and gentle Jesuit priest named Damian, would reproach me. Instead Damian said, “That’s a good prayer.” I thought he was kidding. “That’s a good prayer because it’s honest,” he said. “God wants your honesty, Jim.” * most people are called to romantic love, marriage, sexual intimacy, children, and family life. Their primary way of loving is through their spouses and children. It is a more focused, more exclusive, way of loving. That is not to say that married couples and parents do not love others outside their families. Rather, the main focus of their love is God and their families. For the person in a religious order, the situation is the opposite. You vow chastity to offer yourself to love God and make yourself available to love as many others as possible. * “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams,” wrote Fyodor Dostoevsky. * compassion is the willingness to enter into the “chaos” of another person’s life. * Jesuits are supposed to be clever—if not crafty—when it comes to obedience. One joke has a Jesuit feeling guilty about one of his bad habits. He asks his superior, “Father, may I smoke while I pray?” The horrified superior says, “Certainly not!” He relates the story to another Jesuit who has the same habit. After pondering the matter, the second Jesuit asks, “Father, may I pray while I smoke?” “Of course!” says the superior. * Work without prayer becomes detached from God. Prayer without work becomes detached from human beings. * Vocation may have little to do with one’s actual work. For the deepest vocation is to become who you are, to become your “true self,” the person whom God created and calls you to be. * God is the goal. So is our offering of ourselves to God. That’s part of the friendship. In any real friendship, there is, as Ignatius says, an exchange of gifts. “Each shares with the other.” God offers himself (or herself) to us, and we offer ourselves to God.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the Jesuits, and had enjoyed the authors autobiographical "My Life With The Saints." When the evening news leaves one wondering how it could possibly get worse, one might wish to turn to this book to learn more about the Order of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) who have seen it all since the 1500's. Fr. James Martin, SJ, an editor of America magazine, writes this guide with grace and humor. His work is easy to relate to. He was "one of us," a regular guy, who went to Wharton, worked for GE, traveled Europe, dated women, etc. before he found himself exploring the Jesuit tradition. So, while this book may or may not draw you into the order, I submit that this is a great introduction/ guide/ handbook/ aid to the spiritual quest or questions one might have. Martin writes in an easy, non-academic manner (a mite tough to do for a Jesuit, lol), which is adaptable and can be read as a chapter-a-day to allow one time to digest the principle ideas. Chapters include: 1. A Way of Proceeding 2. The Six Paths 3. What Do You Want? 4. Beautiful Yesterdays 5. Beginning to Pray 6. Friendship With God 7. God Meets You Where You Are 8. The Simple Life 9. Like the Angels 10. More by Deeds Than By Words 11. Surrendering to the Future 12. What Should I Do? 13. Be Who You Is! 14. The Contemplative In Action At 420 pages, it's not a light handbook. But Martin guides the reader with the light touch of a sibling introducing something new to a younger brother or sister. It's also well worth reading for those who went to Jesuit high schools or colleges as a refresher. All in all, an individual cannot single handedly make an impact on a world gone haywire. But together, I still believe Good wins over Evil. Each one can only focus intently each day to be the best at what one is called to be to respectfully in bring about good through prayerful intentions and collective action. This book helps the reader understand an order dedicated to being a light on a hill since the Dark Ages.

This book is perhaps best described as a self-help book that purports to provide the path to a free and fulfilled life in the 21st Century. It is unique among self-help books in that it is based on the spiritual reflections of a 16th Century Spanish-Basque Catholic Saint, Ignatius de Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (better known in this country as the Jesuits). The book is even more unique in the self-help genre in that the path it offers a set of really practical applications that can be applied to improve anyone's daily life. St Ignatius himself is a fascinating character. He was a soldier and courtier who fit the image of a Spanish dandy in the best Don Juan tradition. Early in his career he was severely wounded and in the course of his recovery made what I believe the Jesuits would call a discernment that he was being called by God to undertake His work. After several false starts he founded the Jesuits as an order dedicated to helping the materially poor and the poor in spirit. Reading his collected writings (Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Personal Writings; Penguin Classics) one is left with the impression that he indeed had a special spiritual gift, but that he also retained something of the soldier in him. A stern sense of duty and sacrifice appear very much part of his spirituality. The book itself relies heavily on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius which are a rigorous series of meditations that run in an eight week cycle. Be that as it may, Father Martin SJ offers a wonderfully lucid explanation of how the writings of St Ignatius and his thinking on such activities as prayer can be applied to make life simpler, more focused, and above all (to use an overused word) `meaningful. His insights on Ignatian views of obedience, poverty, and chastity certainly offer anyone the means to bring contentment and fulfillment into your life. In short this self-help book actually works in the sense that it makes a powerful argument for finding a better life through a focus on God. A final note, Father Martin SJ, this book's author, is a very good writer and appears to be a very amiable fellow. He is the chaplain of the Colbert Nation and has appeared on Steven Colbert's TV show on several occasions. Yet if one reads this book closely underneath that amiable exterior, rather like St Ignatius himself, there is a core of steel in Father Martin SJ composed equally in an absolute faith in God and an unshakable sense of duty. Never try to argue with a Jesuit, you will always lose.

Everyone, both atheists and those who search for theology meaning, can find practical and inspirational ideas in this book. I think a better title might be "Practical Theology."

Interesting book