Habits of Freedom: 5 Ignatian Tools for Clearing Your Mind and Resting Daily in the Lord

by Christopher S. Collins SJ

Overview

Awarded second place for classical spirituality by the Catholic Media Association.

Do you feel exhausted, anxious, or distracted? Do you want to free your mind from mental clutter?

Popular retreat leader and spiritual director Fr. Christopher Collins, SJ, says that if you turn your heart to God you will find clarity and spiritual peace. In Habits of Freedom, Collins offers you five practical tools to help you develop a habit of daily discernment that will lead to inner calm.

Drawing on the wisdom of St. Ignatius Loyola and his renowned Spiritual Exercises, Collins offers practical spiritual exercises for incorporating five tools into your daily life to help you de-stress, organize your thoughts, and experience the calming presence of Jesus. These are:

• allowing God to show you the signs of oncoming anxiety and mental breakdown;
• developing the ancient practice of spiritual discernment to help analyze your moods and perceptions;
• interpreting life events with an eye toward personal growth and resiliency;
• practicing detachment from negative influences; and
• engaging in interior sensitivity to how God works to bring you peace.

Habits of Freedom is an excellent resource for spiritual directors and individuals, as well as for use in prayer and parish groups seeking practical material that can speak broadly to members from a variety of backgrounds and seasons of life. The book can be easily adapted for small groups and retreat use. A free small-group guide is available at AveMariaPress.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646801244
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	04/22/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	809,794
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Fr. Christopher Collins, SJ, is the vice president for mission at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. His research and teaching have been in the areas of systematic theology and spirituality.

Collins is the author of Three Moments of the Day and The Word Made Love. He regularly gives retreats around the country based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Discerning a Way Forward vii

1 Allow Disruption

"Can these bones come back to life?" 1

2 Remember Who I Am and Whose I Am

"You are my Beloved. In you I am well pleased." 17

3 Reject the Lie

"If you are the Son of God …" 33

4 Talk It Out

"What are you discussing as you walk along?" 49

5 Go on Offense

"Do you love me? … Feed my sheep." 65

Conclusion

Living Lives of Love, Freedom, and Joy 81

Acknowledgments 87

Small-Group Discussion Guide 89

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“For most of my life, I thought that indifference was a bad thing. When I ran across the Ignatian concept of ‘holy indifference,’ however, my eyes were opened in a new way. I learned of the peace that comes from accepting God’s will in all things. It was a life-changing revelation. In Habits of Freedom, Fr. Christopher Collins does a great job presenting the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola to a new generation. I'm grateful for this book and I'll benefit from it for years to come. I know you will too!” —Gary Zimak, author of Give Up Worry for Lent!

“If you are seeking ways to hear God’s voice in the busyness, Habits of Freedom is the book for you. Weaving storytelling, practical advice, and exercises for prayer, Fr. Collins breaks down St. Ignatius’s discernment wisdom in a relatable and easily digestible way. This is a book I will be sharing with the people I accompany in spiritual direction!” —Becky Eldredge, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and author

“St. Ignatius’s writings on the Principle and Foundation, the Examen, and especially on the Rules for Discernment are rich and profound but not always easy to understand and apply. Habits of Freedom cracks the code, teasing out the ways these sixteenth-century texts can guide us today.” —Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, author of Going Deeper