Customer Reviews

The Jesuit Guide To (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life

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I first became aware of this book when it was featured on some television talk show I had been watching. I must admit at first I was disappointed because I thought it was going to be a much lighter read perhaps even a humorous account of some religious blunders a certain religious order had been found guilty of. On the contrary, I found the book to be very thoughful in nature, deep and philosophical. At first it intrigued me intellectually. Father Martin begins by informing the reader how the Catholic religious order of the Jesuits was founded by a recuperating soldier (Inigo de Loyola) in mid-sixteenth century Spain. Inigo, whose name in Latin is Ignatius, was ordained in 1537 and founded the Society of Jesus, officially approved by Pope Paul III, in 1540. What I personally liked was that although Ignatius "counseled the Jesuits always to carve out time for prayer, they were expected to lead active lives...they were to be active people who adopted a contemplative, or meditative stance to the world. The "contemplative in action", according to St. Ignatius Loyola, "not only contemplates the active world and sees wonderful things but also sees in those wonderful things signs of God's presence and activity. The contemplative in action is deeply aware of God's presence even in the midst of a busy life. It is a stance of awareness. Awareness of God."

The more I read this book the more I liked it. My favorite chapters, for instance, Chapters Twelve "What Should I Do? The Ignatian Way of Making Decisions" and Thirteen "Be Who You Is! Work, Job, Career, Vacation...and Life." were in the second half of the book.

Father Martin has a remarkable ability to reach others through his writing in a most compassionate and understanding way. I truly believe this is a gift he received from God. He left me with much to think about in my own journey. When you find yourself over 50, with advanced education, many years of experience and still not able to find a job after three years of unemployment, you start to wonder what purpose do you have. I realize however I am not alone in this. There are many out there just like me. I do feel, however, that deep prayer and meditation, keeping our faith in God, realizing he has a purpose for each and every one of us is the key. As Father Martin pointed out we all have gifts that come from God and prayer helps us connect with him to find the best ways of using them. I am left therefore feeling truly inspired and uplifed by Father Martin's writing. I strongly recommend this book to both Catholic and non Catholic alike.

I purchase the book to complement the audio book version as reference to specific topics. I had gone thru the audio book version several times and when I want to understand a specific topic, I read and re-read that portion in the book. It is a very helpful , practical and down to earth piece of literature on spirituality . Ironic as it may sound. But that is in my opinion. It had helped me understand and answer the many questions and doubts about my faith.

Excellent and insightful. A delight to read. Recommended for everyone. James Martin takes you through a captivating journey that will benefit everyone and give sense to our daily lives.

A thoroughly fantastic read. Having seen an interview with the author I was intrigued with what he had to say and found the book informative, entertaining, and very easy to read. You don't have to be 'religious' to enjoy this book. For me, it pointed to everyone's intrinsic spirituality even for the cynical, although it might not be a book for those who would rather be 'right' than happy. I am very glad I bought it as I refer to it often.

Bought it on Good Friday, bored of it by Easter Sunday. There is too much history about the Jesuits, and I frankly got bored.