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rachelhelps's review against another edition
I loooooved the beginning of this book about the Examen and the beginnings of the Jesuit order. Martin's stories about the development of his spirituality were very touching. His defense of celibacy as a way of life was interesting and not something I as a member of the LDS church have encountered much. I didn't finish though... maybe reading about how to maintain friendships during a pandemic was hard for me.
socialworkstef's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audio book, narrated by the author and loved it. It is honest and insightful.
jppineda's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
kucheka's review against another edition
5.0
This book is full of things to think about so deserves a slow read...I think I need to read it a few more times yet but that is fair since it covers a lot of spirituality. I really enjoyed his accommodating and loving tone combined with lots of practical tips/suggestions. I really enjoyed this book
iteechesinglish's review against another edition
informative
4.0
A really accessible guide to basic principles of Jesuit spirituality. The author gives a good outline of the origins of the Jesuit order and also how lay people and even non-Christians can apply Jesuit principles to their lives.
mollyreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a solid introduction to Ignatian spirituality, combining practical spiritual exercises with humanizing stories about Martin, St. Ignatius and other Jesuits. Martin makes spirituality accessible, explaining how they provide value to him as a Jesuit priest but also how they could provide value to lay people and non-Christians. I also appreciated how Martin humanizes himself and others throughout this book, even describing St. Ignatius as a “former hothead”. I expect to reference back to this book from time to time, to remind myself of valuable exercises, such as the “Three Times” for discernment.
deeclancy's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this audiobook on Scribd. It is my first foray into audiobooks, as there's nothing like sitting with a physical book and getting lost in it. However, I subscribed to Scribd for work reasons and thought I would try the audio side of things. The book is a really enjoyable guide to Jesuit thinking by someone of the more enlightened mindset. I've admired James Martin for some time due to his compassion for a community long shamefully ostracised by the Catholic Church (the LGBTQ community). He reads extremely well, but I have some issues with the Scribd UI design and navigation, detailed below.
This book is filled with personal anecdotes to illustrate the theological points covered, and provides an overview of the life of Ignatius of Loyola. I learnt some things I hadn't known about St. Ignatius's upbringing and pre-conversion background as a swashbuckling soldier and courtier. There have long been aspects of Ignatian spirituality that have made a lot of sense to me, such as the idea that desire is often a reliable guide to decision-making if proper discernment is practiced as to the nature of the desire (not all desire is good). This always struck me as a rather enlightened view, for the 16th century.
Through the lockdowns, I've explored many strands of the tradition in which I was brought up, and other traditions, to get a sense of the state of the world of religion today (a subject that has always fascinated me). The Catholic Church contains various extremes, as well as more moderate strands. It has the likes of Richard Rohr and James Martin, on the one hand, who draw people into their orbit with their accessible yet deep writings. Then on the other, there are people like Fr Chad Ripperger, who speaks with mathematical certitude about salvation and seems to have a problem with Vatican II and its liberalisation of certain aspects of the Church. Ripperger gives sermons where he details the reasons why most people (globally speaking) will not make it into heaven, and is preoccupied with rules, regulations, and spiritual sanctification almost as the earning of brownie points. I don't doubt the sincerity of his beliefs, but cannot reconcile some of his views with the concept of a loving deity.
In this talk, Ripperger rips (pun intended) into James Martin as somebody who is, in his view, fundamentally against aspects of the morality of the Catholic Church, due to Martin's minsitry to the gay community (which is discussed briefly in this book, though is not the main thrust). He makes a virtue of not naming Martin, but nonetheless, Martin's picture is shown in the video, which is a bit problematic in its double standard. No doubt the merciful act of healing on the Sabbath would also be a problem for Ripperger.
As somebody with family members and friends who are gay, people I know are kind, moral individuals, I refuse to believe that God will condemn these individuals to hellfire because they are born with a certain makeup (as science is beginning to discover). There was even one time in my life when the only friends who came to my aid when I was in trouble were a gay couple I knew. The marginalized will instinctively help other marginalized, even if the nature of the pain is different. For this and many other reasons, I strive to be an ally to this community. You don't forget kindnesses during crises, and the official Church position on this issue has long seemed illogical and dangerous to me. So if people are 'not saved' due to their nature as gay, then I will probably be the same, according to Ripperger, for believing the opposite of the Church teachings on this issue. My conscience finds it difficult to conceive of a loving God who would knowingly create any category of human person destined to be condemned for all eternity, and who are to be judged in a blanket way as inherently disordered, regardless of character.
In the 17th century, Galileo was tortured and forced to recant his discovery that the earth moved around the sun. It took the Catholic Church until 1992 to formally admit that the earth did, indeed, move around the sun, by way of pardoning Galileo. (There were various sophisticated clerical astronomers practicing in the Vatican long before Galileo was formally pardoned, a strange and contradictory state of affairs.) It does not constitute a watering down of morality to admit that certain truths emerge over time that demand a revision of certain teachings.
My one bugbear with this book is not really related to the content, but to the Scribd app, which provides a table of contents with chapter numbers, but no titles. If you decide you wish to listen to a particular chapter again, unless you have a great head for numbers, you're stumped. It's not a particularly intuitive look-and-feel and there is a strong probability that I will subscribe to Audible instead when my year's subscription is up (if I find better UI design there).
This book is filled with personal anecdotes to illustrate the theological points covered, and provides an overview of the life of Ignatius of Loyola. I learnt some things I hadn't known about St. Ignatius's upbringing and pre-conversion background as a swashbuckling soldier and courtier. There have long been aspects of Ignatian spirituality that have made a lot of sense to me, such as the idea that desire is often a reliable guide to decision-making if proper discernment is practiced as to the nature of the desire (not all desire is good). This always struck me as a rather enlightened view, for the 16th century.
Through the lockdowns, I've explored many strands of the tradition in which I was brought up, and other traditions, to get a sense of the state of the world of religion today (a subject that has always fascinated me). The Catholic Church contains various extremes, as well as more moderate strands. It has the likes of Richard Rohr and James Martin, on the one hand, who draw people into their orbit with their accessible yet deep writings. Then on the other, there are people like Fr Chad Ripperger, who speaks with mathematical certitude about salvation and seems to have a problem with Vatican II and its liberalisation of certain aspects of the Church. Ripperger gives sermons where he details the reasons why most people (globally speaking) will not make it into heaven, and is preoccupied with rules, regulations, and spiritual sanctification almost as the earning of brownie points. I don't doubt the sincerity of his beliefs, but cannot reconcile some of his views with the concept of a loving deity.
In this talk, Ripperger rips (pun intended) into James Martin as somebody who is, in his view, fundamentally against aspects of the morality of the Catholic Church, due to Martin's minsitry to the gay community (which is discussed briefly in this book, though is not the main thrust). He makes a virtue of not naming Martin, but nonetheless, Martin's picture is shown in the video, which is a bit problematic in its double standard. No doubt the merciful act of healing on the Sabbath would also be a problem for Ripperger.
As somebody with family members and friends who are gay, people I know are kind, moral individuals, I refuse to believe that God will condemn these individuals to hellfire because they are born with a certain makeup (as science is beginning to discover). There was even one time in my life when the only friends who came to my aid when I was in trouble were a gay couple I knew. The marginalized will instinctively help other marginalized, even if the nature of the pain is different. For this and many other reasons, I strive to be an ally to this community. You don't forget kindnesses during crises, and the official Church position on this issue has long seemed illogical and dangerous to me. So if people are 'not saved' due to their nature as gay, then I will probably be the same, according to Ripperger, for believing the opposite of the Church teachings on this issue. My conscience finds it difficult to conceive of a loving God who would knowingly create any category of human person destined to be condemned for all eternity, and who are to be judged in a blanket way as inherently disordered, regardless of character.
In the 17th century, Galileo was tortured and forced to recant his discovery that the earth moved around the sun. It took the Catholic Church until 1992 to formally admit that the earth did, indeed, move around the sun, by way of pardoning Galileo. (There were various sophisticated clerical astronomers practicing in the Vatican long before Galileo was formally pardoned, a strange and contradictory state of affairs.) It does not constitute a watering down of morality to admit that certain truths emerge over time that demand a revision of certain teachings.
My one bugbear with this book is not really related to the content, but to the Scribd app, which provides a table of contents with chapter numbers, but no titles. If you decide you wish to listen to a particular chapter again, unless you have a great head for numbers, you're stumped. It's not a particularly intuitive look-and-feel and there is a strong probability that I will subscribe to Audible instead when my year's subscription is up (if I find better UI design there).
txkikind's review against another edition
4.0
This book was amazing! I didn't know much about the Jesuits and it was recommended to me before I began teaching at a Jesuit school. I fell in love with the Jesuits after reading this book. They remind me of the Episcopalians of the Catholic Church! The book isn't overly spiritual and I feel those who are religious and those who aren't will find value in its insights.
k8iedid's review against another edition
4.0
In my efforts to make sense of the world right now, I'm drawn to the writings of religious scholars. (Spoiler: Jesuits are my fave.) I follow Fr Martin on social media and love his preaching on a more inclusive church, so I decided to pick up his book. Through personal reflections, Fr Martin acknowledges our imperfections, our daily struggles with compassion and understanding.
PS - the background on St. Ignatius was great too. What an interesting dude!
PS - the background on St. Ignatius was great too. What an interesting dude!