A well-designed guidebook with pragmatic instruction for spiritual retreats.
A Catholic author rediscovers traditional Jesuit Spiritual Exercises through the writings of Pope Francis.
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola have been the cornerstone of Jesuit meditation and prayer for half a millennium; they were designed especially for Catholics in religious retreats who seek to discern the will of God. At the peak of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns, Ivereigh—the lead organizer of a retreat for the British Province of the Jesuits—moved his group to a virtual setting where participants were “linked by screens and fellowship and the vulnerability we were feeling at that time.” This book’s eight chapters parallel the topics of that eight-day event, which particularly focused on the 21st century’s “crisis of nonbelonging”: “Restless, anxious, and insecure, people find it hard to build community.” The author emphasizes that isolation extends well beyond the context of pandemic-related social distancing, and he highlights the social ills of self-interest and the marginalization of migrants and refugees. The book draws heavily on the writings of Pope Francis, who, as the first Jesuit pope, has a special connection to the Spiritual Exercises, having served as “a formidable Ignatian spiritual director” in his pre-Vatican life. As the author of two biographies of Pope Francis, as well as co-authoring a bestselling book with him (2020’s Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future), there’s perhaps no better expert on the philosophy of Francis than Ivereigh. This well-researched book, which includes more than 20 pages of sources and bibliographic entries, offers readers excerpts from Pope Francis’ writings, many of which are presented here in English translation for the first time; the book even features a foreword by the pope himself that effectively contextualizes the Spiritual Exercises and retreats as one of the Catholic Church’s “channels of grace.” Designed for personal or group use, the book offers easily replicated retreat activities, replete with prayers, discussion questions, and readings for contemplation. The book’s backmatter provides a handy “User Guide” and other helpful materials to facilitate an event.
A well-designed guidebook with pragmatic instruction for spiritual retreats.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780829457919
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Loyola Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.
An examination of how the U.S. can revitalize its commitment to freedom.
In this ambitious study, Snyder, author of On Tyranny, The Road to Unfreedom, and other books, explores how American freedom might be reconceived not simply in negative terms—as freedom from coercion, especially by the state—but positive ones: the freedom to develop our human potential within sustaining communal structures. The author blends extensive personal reflections on his own evolving understanding of liberty with definitions of the concept by a range of philosophers, historians, politicians, and social activists. Americans, he explains, often wrongly assume that freedom simply means the removal of some barrier: “An individual is free, we think, when the government is out of the way. Negative freedom is our common sense.” In his careful and impassioned description of the profound implications of this conceptual limitation, Snyder provides a compelling account of the circumstances necessary for the realization of positive freedom, along with a set of detailed recommendations for specific sociopolitical reforms and policy initiatives. “We have to see freedom as positive, as beginning from virtues, as shared among people, and as built into institutions,” he writes. The author argues that it’s absurd to think of government as the enemy of freedom; instead, we ought to reimagine how a strong government might focus on creating the appropriate conditions for human flourishing and genuine liberty. Another essential and overlooked element of freedom is the fostering of a culture of solidarity, in which an awareness of and concern for the disadvantaged becomes a guiding virtue. Particularly striking and persuasive are the sections devoted to eviscerating the false promises of libertarianism, exposing the brutal injustices of the nation’s penitentiaries, and documenting the wide-ranging pathologies that flow from a tax system favoring the ultrawealthy.
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593728727
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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