The Jesuit Guide To (Almost) Everything - James Martin [184]
The Letters of St. Ignatius Loyola, edited and translated by William J. Young, S.J., is a compact compendium of the saint’s letters to Jesuits and other friends. So is the slightly more scholarly Ignatius of Loyola: Letters and Instructions, edited by John Padberg, S.J., Martin Palmer, S.J., and John L. McCarthy, S.J. Also, Joseph Munitiz and Philip Endean have edited a book called Saint Ignatius Loyola: Personal Writings that incorporates into a single volume the text of the Spiritual Exercises, many letters, and hard-to-find excerpts from the saint’s journals.
THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Reading The Spiritual Exercises is not like doing them, but it is an essential resource nonetheless for the pilgrim along Ignatius’s way. Two of the best translations are The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: A Translation and Commentary, by George E. Ganss, S.J., which provides an analysis of some key words and concepts, and Draw Me into Your Friendship, by David Fleming, S.J. Fleming offers two side-by-side translations—one hewing completely to the original text, the other more contemporary and free-form. Other excellent books on the Exercises (helpful for directors and retreatants alike) include Letting God Come Close and Finding God in All Things, both by William A. Barry, S.J.; Seek God Everywhere, by Anthony de Mello, S.J.; Spiritual Freedom, by John English, S.J.; Stretched for Greater Glory, by George Aschen-brenner, S.J.; The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, with Commentary, byJoseph A. Tetlow, S.J.; and Like the Lightning, by David Fleming, S.J.
If you’re interested in a line-by-line analysis of the Exercises, perhaps the best book is Michael Ivens’s Understanding the Spiritual Exercises. This is the most detailed of the books on the Exercises included here, and it can be used profitably by the newcomer and the expert, not to mention spiritual directors. For a woman’s perspective on the Exercises, try The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed, by Kathryn Dyckman, Mary Garvin, and Elizabeth Liebert. Finally, Paul Mariani, a layman, husband, father, and poet, wrote a memoir of his time making the Spiritual Exercises at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester called Thirty Days.
IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY AND PRAYER
Margaret Silf’s Inner Compass is a lovely invitation to Ignatian spiritual practices for the beginner. William Barry has written several terrific books that explicitly and implicitly use Ignatian spiritual themes. My favorites are God’s Passionate Desire, Seek My Face, and A Friendship Like No Other. George Traub, S.J., has collected articles on a wide variety of topics in An Ignatian Spirituality Reader. A wonderfully concise book is David Fleming’s What Is Ignatian Spirituality? A more detailed and intensive approach to Ignatian spirituality is Eyes to See, Ears to Hear, by David Lonsdale, which has especially good chapters on discernment and Ignatian contemplation.
For exploring prayer in general, an excellent starting point is William Barry’s God and You: Prayer as a Personal Relationship. Also Armchair Mystic, by Mark Thibodeaux, S.J., is a user-friendly introduction to prayer in general with an Ignatian flavor. Thibodeaux’s God, I Have Issues looks at prayer during different emotional states. The Discerning Heart, by Maureen Conroy, R.S.M., talks about both prayer and the practice of spiritual direction.
Good books on the practice of discernment and decision making in the Ignatian tradition include Making Choices in Christ by Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J., Wise Choices, by Margaret Silf, and The Discernment of Spirits,