Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality for Lay Persons: Large Format Edition - Paperback

by Louis Christiaens S. J. (Foreword by), Paul E. Bangasser (Author)

After being nearly killed in battle about five hundred years ago, the young soldier Ignacio de Loyola had a mystic experience which changed his life. He began helping others also find God in their lives. Ignacio started keeping a small notebook to improve his method, which grew over the years into his classic 'Spiritual Exercises', which became the cornerstone of the Ignatian Spirituality tradition. This booklet introduces this spiritual tradition to today's lay person. There are three main sections: i) some basic concepts; ii) simple exercises to incorporate into daily life, some exercises likely encountered on an Ignatian retreat, and the practice of having a personal spiritual companion; iii) how to incorporate this spiritual vitality into one's couple or family and into prayer groups. This is mainly a workbook; short, inexpensive, with wide margins and space at the back for personal notes. It is designed to be used up, underlined, highlighted, marked with personal notes and comments, put to practical effect, not to adorn a library shelf. If used this way, it should soon be outgrown. It concludes with additional references, including some useful websites. The booklet may be useful: a) to introduce Ignatian spirituality to laypersons interested in developing a spiritual dimension in their life; b) to establish a common understanding of Ignatian spirituality within a lay prayer group (such as a CLC-CVX group); and c) to facilitate training in basic Ignatian spirituality skills for a specific group (such as a Retreat in Daily Life, or Annotation 19, group). It is available in English, French and Spanish, and in enlarged format.