Review: The Jesuit Guide To Almost Everything by James Martin, SJ
A few years back, one of my coworkers at Nuru, Charles Molloy, recommended The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality For Real Life by James Martin, SJ, to me as a good book to read regarding spiritual formation. For those who know me, this has been a topic of interest for me for many years, and one in which I strive to practice what I learn with regularity. Martin has been a guest on multiple occasions to The Colbert Report when it was a show, and his book is a New York Times Bestseller.
At over 400 pages, the book can appear an intimidating tome, but once one cracks it open and begins to read, it is a very quick read. The book, in my estimation, is a bit of an anecdotal and biographical/experiential commentary and guide to a much older book, The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. In another post, I’ve mentioned a similar book Developing Intimacy With God by Alex Aronis (which I work through at least once per year) as a great book for exploring and cultivating one’s relationship with God. I found Martin’s book to be written to make itself available to both the committed and to those who are irreligious or perhaps spiritual seekers.
The beauty of the book is in the mixture of Martin’s personal stories and examples. He writes in such a way that the text is approachable by anyone: Catholic or Protestant, deeply committed or exploring/seeking. He offers well-tested insights to making steady improvement in one’s life, and suggests that we take time to reflect on moments where we experience the presence of something beyond the ordinary in our daily existence.
I would highly recommend this book at any time, but The Jesuit Guide To (Almost) Everything lends itself very well as a study for the Lenten season. Given that Lent is a time for letting go of or adding activities specifically to grow closer with God and identify more intimately with Jesus during his time in the wilderness, this book could be a tool to be used to accomplish both. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and that it spurs you on in your own faith journey.