The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, by J. Martin

Wow, I just loved this book.  I learned so much.  I saw the author in an interview, was intrigued, bought the book, and was not disappointed!

A quick summary:  The book, written by a Jesuit priest, talks about Ignatian spirituality, and how it can help you in different aspects of life: prayer, friendship, decision-making…as the title says, how it can help you in almost everything.

This book was just full of insight and great advice.  Here are some things I learned/liked:

• The examen:  A prayer you can use every day, which consists of the following steps: (1) gratitude, or thanking God for things that occurred during the day, (2) review, or going through the events of your day and recognizing where you felt God’s presence and where you sinned, (3) sorrow, or remembering things for which you are sorry, (4) forgiveness, or asking for God’s forgiveness and when applicable, others’ forgiveness, and (5) grace: ask for God’s grace for the following day.  I’ve started using the examen and think it’s a great way to guide your prayer time.
• “God, an elderly Jesuit once suggested to me, is something like an old carpenter in a small village in Vermont.  If you ask the townspeople where to turn for carpentry work or repairs, they will say, ‘There’s only one person to call.  He does excellent work.  He’s careful, he’s precise, he’s conscientious, he’s creative, he makes sure that everything fits, and he tailors his work exactly to fit your needs.  There’s just one problem: he takes forever!’”  (p.99)  I love this quote.  It reminds me that even when I don’t see things happening, God is at work, and he always knows what he’s doing.  It reminds me that when it seems that we’re not getting those things we really long for, it’s because God is taking his time to make sure we get something good. 
• The presupposition:  This refers to thinking positively of others’ intentions.  Sometimes we see someone act a certain way and immediately jump to conclusions, assuming the others had negative intentions. We should avoid doing this, and when we really don’t understand others’ intentions, we should just ask them instead of jumping to conclusions.
• “Compare and despair”:  Sometimes, it is very easy for us to focus on the negative things about ourselves, or on the things that don’t seem to be going well, and when we look at other people, all we see is how well things seem to be going for them.  We need to remember that we all have good and bad things, things that go well and things that don’t.  We need to remember that we are individuals, and embrace our individuality.
• Steps to becoming yourself: “First, remember that God loves you…Second, realize that God loves you as an individual, not simply in the abstract…Third, accept your desires, skills, and talents as things given to you by God for your happiness and for others…Fourth, avoid the temptation to compare yourself to others and denigrate or undervalue yourself…Fifth, move away from actions that are sinful or that keep you from being compassionate, loving, and free…Sixth, trust that God will help you because God desires for you to become who you are meant to be…Seventh, recognize that the process of becoming the person you are meant to be is a long process and can take time." (p.385)

There’s so much more I loved about this book.  I know this review can't possibly convey how much I truly enjoyed this book and how much I learned, but this is a book I enjoyed so much I hope to read it over and over again.