Reimagining The Ignatian Examen

Following the example of St. Ignatius, we believe that praying the Examen will lead to a better life. The 500-year-old daily practice of honest self-assessment and reflection is a founding principle of Ignatian spirituality. What we don’t know is if St. Ignatius ever felt like changing it up a bit. Jesuit speaker and author Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, is confident that St. Ignatius wouldn’t mind a little flexibility in his prayer. Join Thibodeaux as he guides you through new and unique versions of the Examen, totally flexible and adaptable to your life. In ten minutes, you can tailor your daily prayer practice to fit your personal and situational needs, further enhancing and deepening your meditation. Reimagining the Ignatian Examen—the only book of its kind—will lead you through a fresh and stimulating reflection on your past day, your present state of being, and your spiritual desires and needs for tomorrow.

Many of us do not trust our own thoughts, feelings, and desires when it comes to discerning God’s will. Instead we look outside ourselves to determine what God wants from and for us. In God’s Voice Within, spiritual director Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, shows us how to use Ignatian discernment to access our own spiritual intuition and understand that the most trustworthy wisdom of all comes not from outside sources, but from God working through us. God’s Voice Within is intended for people who know that there is more to the spiritual life than they are currently experiencing and are ready to take the next step in their walk of faith by making effective discernment—specifically Ignatian discernment—a daily practice. Ultimately, God’s Voice Within teaches us to discern what is at the root of our actions and emotions, which in turn allows us to respond to God’s promptings inside us rather than unconsciously reacting to life around us.

Ignatian spirituality is a way to pray, an approach to making decisions, a point of view about God, and a practical guide to everyday life. An Ignatian Book of Days is an invitation to help attune ourselves to the Ignatian conviction that we can find God in all things, that our personal experience can provide authentic knowledge of God, and that we can clearly see, feel, and experience God’s presence through an Ignatian lens in our daily lives. Accessible, inviting, richly rewarding, and filled with insights and reflections from favorite Ignatian leaders, including James Martin, SJ, Pedro Arrupe, SJ, Margaret Silf, and of course, St. Ignatius, An Ignatian Book of Days sees God as actively involved in the world and intimately involved with us in every moment and place.

“A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer is a valuable and thoughtful book, and a very practical one, which can be put with confidence into the hands of anyone who wishes to learn to pray the Examen and to find the presence and action of God in their lives.” —Andrea Kelly, Thinking Faith Sometimes we can experience prayer as formal, dry, and repetitious. But what might happen if we discovered a simple prayer that changed all that? In A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer, Jim Manney introduces Christians to a 500-year-old form of prayer that dramatically altered his perception of prayer and the way he prayed. The prayer is the Examen, which St. Ignatius Loyola developed for the purpose of nurturing a reflective habit of mind that is constantly attuned to God’s presence. What makes the prayer so powerful is its capacity to dispel any notion that God is somewhere “up there,” detached from our day-to-day tasks and concerns. Instead, the examen leads us into a relationship with a God who desires to be personally caught up in the lives of those whom he created.

NOW AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AS La aventura ignaciana! Third Place, Prayers & Spirituality category ACP Excellence in Publishing Awards, 2012 There is no better guide than St. Ignatius Loyola if one desires to discover how faith and everyday life can thrive together. In The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O’Brien, SJ, follows St. Ignatius’s lead and offers today’s time-strapped individual a unique way of “making” the Spiritual Exercises in daily life. The first part of O’Brien’s book provides helpful background information, including a brief history of St. Ignatius, an explanation of the Spiritual Exercises and their purpose, and a description of different ways to make the Exercises. The book’s core offers 32 weeks of prayer and meditations to draw participants into a deeper encounter with God. But what truly sets this book apart from other 19th annotations is how O’Brien has woven throughout the chapters his own personal accounts of living out the Exercises in everyday life. Through his deeply moving stories, readers discover how the Exercises intersect with the real world. The Ignatian Adventure is an ideal resource for spiritual directors, but its user-friendly, down-to-earth style also makes it perfect for any individual seeking a deeper life of prayer.

2021 Illumination Book Awards, Gold Medal: Theology With decades of experience in spiritual direction, Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, knows how impactful the Ignatian discernment of spirits can be. With few practical resources available to help make these principles relevant to spiritual seekers, Thibodeaux crafted his own, which is now made available here in Ignatian Discernment of Spirits for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Care: Going Deeper. This rich resource meets the needs of spiritual directors and counselors by offering fresh insight into discernment through innovative approaches and applications for varied spiritual experiences and challenges. In Ignatian Discernment of Spirits, Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, provides ◗◗ A practical crash course on Ignatian discernment of spirits ◗◗ 12 innovative ideas about discernment, culled from his decades of experience as a Jesuit and a spiritual director ◗◗ A hands-on approach to discernment that accompanies people who are experiencing various spiritual states or movements ◗◗ An easy-to-use resource section that includes Scripture relating to the discernment of spirits

Deepen your faith life with this at-home retreat! Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, combines his Louisiana storytelling, his knowledge of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and his gifts as a spiritual director to create an at-home retreat that is a journey of transformation. Experience God’s presence in a deeper way, and encounter God’s personal love for you as you follow along with this book over thirty days.

St. Ignatius Loyola is one of the great shapers of the Catholic tradition. The Spanish soldier turned pilgrim for Christ bequeathed not only an extraordinary institutional legacy but also a distinctive spirituality that today nourishes men and women looking for ways to integrate faith and life. Informing Jesuit education, ministry, and training in communities around the world, Ignatian spirituality offers a practical vision-of engaged, responsible, discerning men and women striving to find God in all things-that resonates in this age of transition. Drawn from the vast body of Ignatius's writings, these 365 maxims help everyone reflect on the presence of God in daily life. First complied by the Jesuit scholar Gabriel Hevenesi in 1715 as Scintillae Ignatianae, these brief thoughts, supplications, prayers, directions, and other aphorisms were first published in an English translation in 1928 but have been unavailable in book form for many years.Organized into a daybook for contemplation, Ignatius's words serve as personal spiritual exercises. They touch on a range of topics, from affirmations of God's presence and Christ's love to practical advice for living a life of virtue in service to others. In this accessible gathering, anyone seeking a richer spiritual life will find words that inspire, challenge, enlighten, and transform.FROM THE BOOKA little holiness and great health of body does more in the care of souls than great holiness and little health.Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."The sharper you are at noticing other people's failings, the more apt you will be to overlook your own."Go and set the whole world on fire. This wonderful habit of devotional calendars can only change us for the better and often offer soothing advice for each day of the year.