How can I find meaning and joy? How can I think clearly? What’s valuable in life and what’s irrelevant? How do we manage anger? What can we do about envy? laziness? resentment? How do I know what matters most? What do I really want?
These are the questions that lie at the heart of Ignatian spirituality, the 500-year-old wisdom tradition that has shown leaders, seekers, and doers the way to a better life.
“Ignatius and his friends believed that God is working everywhere in creation — in our sorrows and joys, in work and in prayer, in the world of nature and in the world that human beings have created. They were fervent Christians, but their spiritual outlook was not sectarian. It was curious and tolerant, comfortable with ambiguity, suspicious of rules and any urge to exclude. Today, the motto that expresses the heart of the Ignatian message is God can be found in all things.”
From the Introduction
“Ignatius and his Jesuit colleagues crafted ‘practical applications of knowledge’ to the most fundamental life challenges we face: making difficult choices, relating to other persons, keeping oneself recollected amidst daily life’s chaos. Above all, Ignatius’s approach helps us to figure out what a meaningful life entails.
“Many of us would pay lots of money to download the app or acquire the gadget that could effectively deliver all the results enumerated above. Yet Ignatius’s ‘spiritual technologies’ are all available for free. What’s needed is only a sincere, open heart and the commitment and discipline to learn and use the relevant tools and approaches.”
From the Foreword by Chris Lowney,
author of Heroic Leadership:
“One of the most successful and accessible explicators of the riches of Ignatian spirituality, Jim Manney is the perfect person to write this beautiful book. Let the wisdom of St. Ignatius guide you gently through your days with these lovely meditations.”
— James Martin, SJ, author of My Life with the Saints and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
Praise for What Matters Most and Why
“If you are looking for a book to help you put your faith into action, What Matters Most and Why is the book for you! Jim Manney offers thoughtful daily reflections rooted in Ignatian spirituality that encourage you to not only prayerfully ponder what matters each day, but also to live what matters each day. Each day holds a moment of eflection with an invitation for action. A book I will recommend again and again to those seeking to put their faith into practice!”
— Becky Eldredge, Ignatian-trained spiritual director and author of Busy Lives & Restless Souls
“There’s no doubt, Jim Manney knows his Ignatius of Loyola. But what matters to me most is the attention Manney pays to what’s essentially human. This book is for our common path of love, work, compassion, relationships, and God.”
— Jon M. Sweeney, author of James Martin, SJ: In the Company of Jesus and editor of The Complete Francis of Assisi
“In this accessible volume, Jim Manney distills decades of prayer, writing, editing, and encouraging others. Readers who are intimately familiar with this tradition, as well as those approaching it for the first time, will find here ample sources for contemplation and action.”
— Tim Muldoon, author of The Ignatian Workout and Living Against the Grain