Those of us who have enjoyed the experience of St Beuno’s and adopted Ignatian spirituality as our own, have made ‘seeing God in all things’ a way of life, and there is plenty of material and guidance out there to help us on this journey. For myself I came across a couple of books recently which have been a great help to me in making this prayer, which I would now like to share with you!
Finding God in the Mess: Meditations for Mindful Living by Brendan McManus SJ and Jim Deeds (2017) is one such book. As the authors propose, ‘it is the time out to look back and understand life events, which bring about deeper, more satisfying living.’
We can often create a false division in our lives between the messiness and challenge, and the good and spiritual, instead of seeing that God is at work in all. The authors explore many areas such as depression, suffering, the dark night, woundedness, fear, and abuse, as well as accepting oneself, sowing small seeds, joy and happiness, reflecting one’s light, and gratitude.
Through a series of meditations and reflective questions this book can be used as a wonderful resource for prayer in the morning, at midday or in the evening. With its help I find myself daily revisiting areas such as the above but this time very much in the presence of God, a presence that now stays with me most of the day. It has become so much easier ‘to find God in all things’!
Another book that I have found very helpful is: Living with Ignatius: On the Compass of Joy by Nikolaas Sintobin SJ (2023). This is a simple and concise introduction to the life of Ignatius and his spirituality. It presents a kind of refresher course on many of the realities we face daily. Through reading it one becomes more aware of what is involved in making choices, of learning from one’s feelings, of how believing in God makes one believe in humankind, and so much more.
I have had no hesitation in recommending these books to those I accompany on a regular basis and the response has been positive each time. I guess I believe as my patron Saint Teresa of Avila believes, that ‘there is no stage of prayer so sublime, that it isn’t necessary often to return to the beginning.’