Are you looking for resources to help introduce new faculty/staff to Ignatian Spirituality or even refresh your memory on a particular Ignatian concept?
Consider these two books by Jim Manney: What Matters Most and Why? and Ignatian Spirituality A to Z.
These two resources are great ways to not only introduce people to Ignatian Spirituality and the Society of Jesus, but also great resources for short prayer reflections or to refresh our own memories.
What Matters Most and Why
I have used some of the daily reflections from What Matters Most and Why as opening prayers for meetings and classes. Sometimes, I simply read the reflection of the day, but more often, I look for a particular theme that is relevant for the people I am encountering. The short reflection often lends itself to a discussion afterwards if time allows.
The book is organized into three parts: Experience, Reflection, and Action. In addition, each month has a theme related to the themes of Ignatian Spirituality. For example, the theme of April is “Freedom” and the theme of December is “Becoming the Person You are Meant to Be.” Each reflection has a quote at the top and then a couple paragraphs to consider. In my copy of the book, I have added reflection questions on many of the days to help extend my own prayerful reflection or the reflections of those I am praying with.
Ignatian Spirituality A to Z
This particular book reminds of me an extended version of the old “How to Speak Ignatian” text many of us Ignatian Educators first used to understand the Jesuit lingo! Not only does Jim take time to define some of the most used Ignatian terms, he also introduces people to St. Ignatius, the Constitutions, the themes of the Spiritual Exercises and more. Even as I add more and more wonderfully comprehensive books about the Society of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises, and Ignatian Spirituality to my reference collection, I still come back to this one for a quick point of reference. I have found it to be a valuable book to give to people new to Jesuit education and Ignatian Spirituality to help fill in the gaps as they begin the journey of engaging with over 500 years of the Society’s work in the world.
Some questions for reflection:
- What was being at a Jesuit institution for the first time like for you? Who helped you navigate the terminology and get to know the various elements of the Society of Jesus and Ignatian Spirituality?
- What are your go-to resources to help people when they want to know more about a particular Jesuit term or element of Ignatian Spirituality?
- How do you help yourself and others refresh their knowledge of all things Ignatian?
