The World of Books

Discover God Daily: Seven Life-Changing moments from the Journey of Saint Ignatius, by Brendan McManus SJ and Jim Deeds (Messenger Publications, €9.95/£8.95)

Pedro Arrupe: a heart larger than the World, by Brian Grogan SJ (Messenger Publications, €16.95/£18.95)

Anyone who wishes to understand the feelings and thoughts that inform and motivate Pope Francis’s approach to the world and faith, needs always to keep in mind that he is a Jesuit. These two books, aimed at a wide general readership, will be of great value in this quest.

Spirituality

Discover God Daily is a little handbook, a sort of vade mecum of Ignatian spirituality, making it available to all in straightforward terms. This is an example of active spirituality – which for many seems a vague and difficult term in these days of hectic bewilderment.

But as the authors point out it took the battle-hardened Ignatius some 15 years before he found the way he was to take. So don’t expect anything in life to change overnight.

This book is the Ignatian tradition in action, or rather at work. When Teilhard de Chardin referred to the “slow work of God”, I always feel he had in mind the changes in geology (which was his metier), which are indeed creepingly slow, but nevertheless laid the foundation for the physical world as we know it.

Brian Grogan’s book takes a different, but still very relevant approach. He has great experience is bringing over to his audiences what are often difficult concepts, but sometime stunningly simple, as in his expression: “Love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce…”

One of the most influential experiences for Pedro Arrupe were his efforts to cope with the aftermath of the use of atom bombs by the United States to bring the world war in Asia to a swift close. Lives were certainly saved, but others went on dying of radiation for decades after. It was a moral landmark of the 20th century, one now little talked about (allowing Putin to hint at the use of “tactical nuclear weapons”).

Touchstone of faith

These experiences shaped Arrupe’s ideas of what people should do in their lives: this is all explained by Fr Grogan, but needs to be better acted on by us all. Compassion was the touchstone of faith. But this is merely to rephrase what is said in page after page, scene after scene, parable after parable in all the Gospels.