St. Ignatius' Own Story

Reading this book was far easier than I expected. I thought it might be rather boring and dry, but there are a couple of things that make it a good read if you are interested in learning more about the life of Ignatius: 1. Ignatius actually lived a pretty interesting life. 2. The comments added at the bottom help to put some of the historic events in context, as well as rounding out the narration. If you have never heard of the Jesuits or Ignatius of Loyola then you might not find the book interesting. However if you are familiar with them, this book is a great way to understand how the Society got started and how Ignatius' spiritual exercises came to be.

There are few old classic stories like the one of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. In this book we find an understandable story that fully explores all the parts that made this man special. His gifts and even his flaws are expossed but in the end, you will find great inspiraton and love for this human saint who walked so among us and did so much to influence our education system and the church policies. I like the way the author wrote the story. I could identify with the journey that Ignatius took with his life. A worthy book to read for life inspiration. A man with much to admire. Highly recommended!

Ignatius words and zeal are much easier to read than texts such as Luther's "On Christian Liberty". Ignatius seems to speak much more plainly of his faith journey, expressing his ideas and doubts in the way that a fellow faith seeker can relate to.

The title itself is somewhat misleading. The text is not, per se, an autobiography as authored by St. Ignatius but rather, is a transcript written from memory of the results of several interviews with the Saint by a fellow Jesuit. However, the insight into the character of Ignatius through the report of the autobiography is remarkable. Further, the story of his life itself provides wonderful background for exploring the socio-historical context Spiritual Exercies of St. Ignatius.