The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice: The Ignatian Way for Everyone (Patrick Saint-Jean SJ & James Martin SJ) - Review

THE SPIRITUALITY OF TRANSFORMATION, JOY, AND JUSTICE: TheIgnatian Way for Everyone. By Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ. Foreword by James Martin, SJ. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books. xi + 235 pages.

Whether we are proficient or not, there are various ways that we can engage in spiritual practices that can enhance and even transform our lives. Some are quite ancient and others more modern. Among the spiritual practices available to us is the Ignatian Way, often known as The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. These exercises include a spiritual practice known as the Examen. This is the pattern of spirituality developed by the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and sixteenth-century Roman Catholic reformer, Ignatius of Loyola. Many resources have been offered through the years that explore and develop Ignatius’ practices. Among these many resources is a new book by Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ titled The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice. As James Martin, SJ notes in his foreword, Saint-Jean "frames the basics of Ignatian spirituality with words that are accessible to any reader, regardless of their religious background (or lack thereof)" (p. x). That is a key point. One need not be Roman Catholic or even Christian to benefit from reading and using this book.

The author of The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice, Patrick Saint-Jean is a Jesuit priest and psychologist who was born in Haiti and currently serves as a professor at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He brings to this book his own background and life experiences that, as James Martin points out, beautifully lay out in detail the elements that go into Ignatian spirituality for today. As he does so, as Martin notes, the reader will discover “how interaction with the Divine (however you understand that concept) is interwoven with the daily challenge to build a kinder, more just world” (p. xi). In an age where division and even hate are running rampant, this is a resource that will prove valuable for us as Christians and people of faith.

As the title of the book proclaims, Saint-Jean believes that Ignatius' The Spiritual Exercises offer contemporary persons an important resource that can transform lives, whether one is Catholic or more broadly Christian. While Ignatius assumed that persons using his Exercises would have put them into practice over an intensive four-week period, Saint-Jean adapts them, recognizing that most people cannot devote themselves as intensively to the process as Ignatius. Believing that they can prove useful for the common person who has a job and maybe a family, he offers a different process. Thus, instead of speaking of weeks, as did Ignatius, he speaks of stages. There are four stages in the process, each of which has five chapters that correspond with Ignatius' The Examen.

Stage 1 is titled "Our Broken World." The chapters in this stage invite us to ponder "Missing the Mark," being "Unconditionally Loved," "Self-Awareness," "Emotions," and "Conversations with the Source." The Source referenced here is God. Saint-Jean notes that "Communication with the Divine is essential to Ignatian spirituality" (p. 50).

Moving on to Stage 2, which Saint-Jean titles "Jesus as a Role Model." Here we encounter five chapters that begin with "The Challenge of Love" (Ch. 6). The author makes it clear that the focus here is not on a religious institution but on Jesus of Nazareth. From there we move to "The Power of the Imagination" (Ch. 7), "Heart's Desire" (Ch. 8), and "Decision-Making" (Ch. 9). The message Saint-Jean offers here concerns the process of discernment. Saint-Jean notes that Ignatius believed that "the Divine Spirit is constantly at work in our lives, guiding us into a way of life rooted in love" (p. 81). The final chapter in this stage is "Friendship and Community" (Ch. 10). While the process of Ignatian spirituality involves interior self-examination, Ignatius understood that spiritual growth developed in a relational network.

Stage 3 is titled "Suffering and Death." The chapters in this section focus on Jesus’ suffering and death. Saint-Jean headlines this section by noting that when we read the Gospels closely we see that Jesus’ words and actions were extremely political. In his work, he sought to empower the powerless. With that in mind we can explore topics beginning with "Solidarity with Those Who Suffer" (Ch. 11) followed by "The Call" (Ch. 12). The call referenced here has to do with justice, such that one aligns one's heart and actions to solidarity with the oppressed. To do this requires "Humility" (Ch. 13), "Compassion" (Ch. 14), and "Surrender” (Ch. 15). As for the nature of this act of surrender revealed in the cross, Saint-Jean suggests that “Jesus gives himself away completely—not because he had an unhealthy need to suffer but as an act of absolute love” (pp. 134-135).

The penultimate stage in Ignatius’ Exercises, Stage 4, is titled "Hope, Joy, and Possibility." Note that to get to this stage, we must first encounter suffering and death. Saint-Jean begins his discussion of this stage with a chapter on "Responding to the Resurrection" (Ch. 16). Here he follows Ignatius in lifting up the biblical narratives of Jesus' resurrection. He writes that "Resurrection is the reality that creation is ongoing, constantly at work in our world, turning death into life again and again and again in ways we could never have expected" (p. 143). We next move to a chapter titled "New Life" (Ch. 17). Here Saint-Jean points to the resurrection encounters Jesus had with Thomas and Peter, together with the imparting of the Spirit as the Breath of life. We move next to a chapter on "Healing" (Ch. 18) followed by the "Divine Dream" (Ch. 19). That would be a vision of the realm of heaven, or the world as it could be with nothing broken. This stage concludes with a chapter titled "The Empowerment of Possibility" (Ch. 20). This is a call to participate in bringing about the Divine Dream, to make the world better. In other words, to engage in these spiritual exercises doesn’t require passivity.

Stage 5, the final stage in this spiritual exercise, is titled "The Meaning of Divine Love." In the opening paragraph of Chapter 21, "A Love Story," Saint-Jean writes that "Ignatius began his Exercises with the affirmation that the unconditional love of God is the foundation of our spiritual journeys. Now he ends the Exercises with an invitation to go even deeper into Divine Love" (p. 183). This leads to a chapter titled "The Beloved World" (Ch. 22), which speaks of a new relationship with the world we inhabit, one that looks at the world through divine eyes. As we near the completion of the process we turn in Chapter 23 to "Generous Action" in the world. That leads to "Inner Authority" (Ch. 24) as the foundation of our decision-making. In other words, we don't conform to the expectations of others, including friends. Finally, we end with a reflection on "Moment-by-Moment Presence" (Ch. 25). We complete the process by recognizing the presence of God moment-by-moment, such that we are continually being transformed. As Saint-Jean notes "The Divine Dream has infinite potential --- but its growth cannot be hurried. Our job is to seek and find its seeds, and then nurture them with care and attention" (p. 217).

As we proceed through these four stages, with the twenty-five chapters, Patrick Saint-Jean invites us to “Pause” and put into practice the elements discussed in that particular chapter. While Ignatius envisioned all this taking place across four weeks of intense engagement, Saint-Jean's layout invites us to follow the path in a fashion that fits our situation in life. To help us with the process, he includes an appendix that lays out how we can pray Ignatius' Examen using one's hand. You might call it a “Five-Fingered Exercise.” The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice is offered to us by Patrick Saint-Jean as a guide to putting into practice the spiritual methodology developed centuries back by Jesuit founder, Ignatius Loyola. If attended to, the goal is a transformed life that leads to joy and the pursuit of justice. That is something worth embracing.