The First Spiritual Exercises: Four Guided Retreats
"A beautiful book and an important one as well. Michael Hansen, S.J., an experienced Jesuit retreat director and a talented writer, recovers an often-overlooked way of praying with St. Ignatius Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. But this is much more than a guide for a fulfilling personal retreat; it is also a compendium of inspiring meditations, useful insights, and practical advice for anyone who seeks a closer relationship with God. In these pages is a wealth of knowledge that I will surely be using in the future--both in counseling others and in my own prayer life." --James Martin, S.J.,, Author ofThe Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything"The First Spiritual Exercises, written and piloted by Fr. Michael Hansen, S.J. is an important breakthrough in our understanding of the Spiritual Exercises and for potentially extending an experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius to many, many more people of all ages than other more familiar forms of the Exercises. Great care is displayed in the inclusion of texts for and about women as well as grounding every retreat in key Gospel texts that introduce the person making these Exercises to a deeply Gospel spirituality as well as Ignatian approaches to prayer and transformation into discipleship." --Janet K. Ruffing, R.S.M., Professor in the Practice of Spirituality and Ministerial Leadership, Yale Divinity School"Michael Hansen, S.J,. helps readers meet the living God who wants a personal relationship with them. From years of experience he knows the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola very well and leads the reader in a creative and easy-to-follow way through them without jargon and with a deft hand. I am very happy to recommend this book and I sense that St. Ignatius rejoices that his great work has been made so accessible to modern readers." --William A. Barry, S.J., Author ofA Friendship Like No Other"If you are looking for a clear, simple, and practical approach to developing your prayer life in the Ignatian tradition,The First Spiritual Exercisesis well worth procuring. One of Ignatius's most radical and contentious insights was that the Creator engages directly with the heart of the creature. What I particularly like about the exercises inThe First Spiritual Exercisesis that they invite, stimulate, and give us freedom, if we dare, to dispose ourselves to experience such an encounter." --Brendan Kelly, S.J., Master of Jesuit Novices, Australia"Jesuit Michael Hansen'sThe First Spiritual Exercisescaptures in a helpful way Ignatius's process of spiritual renewal and makes it an accessible and useful tool for deepening an intimate connection with God today. I highly recommend it." --Wilkie Au, Author and Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University"Michael Hansen has graced us with a fresh look at Saint Ignatius'sSpiritual Exercises. Rooted deep in both Ignatius's understanding of the spiritual life and also the realities of Christian discipleship in the contemporary world, Hansen offers us a thorough immersion in the Ignatian school of divine love. I highly recommend Hansen's text for use among religious and lay people, in retreat centers, in schools, in parishes, and in conversations among friends. " --Tim Muldoon, Author ofThe Ignatian Workout