Column: CEO Learnings
Invite God into Your Life and into a world in desperate need of spiritual solutions for today’s challenges, a review of Rev William Watson, S.J.,’s Inviting God Into Your Life: A Practical Guide for Prayer.
We live in turbulent times characterized by injustice, violence, and misinformation (what we use to call propaganda). Happiness and peace are elusive. Confusion abounds.
Author William M. Watson, S.J., D. Min., notes that we are suffering because we are trying to use human means and intelligence to solve problems rooted in evil which is a spiritual problem. We should really be seeking a spiritual solution, one that requires a simple faith and a trust in God.
The place to begin is simple: with ourself and our relationship with God. The rarity of happiness and peace that we all long for “is more a result of a weak spiritual life.” And more often than not, this is connected to a person’s inability to know how or where to begin this relationship…one that can nourish the heart and mind.
In his stunningly beautiful and inspirational Inviting God into Your Life, Watson invites us to begin with prayer. It will nourish our heart and mind with the most effective pathways to connect with God and…we can do it in as little as fifteen minutes a day. He offers tips, prayers, meditations and mental exercises to get us started and to sustain us for the journey.
Ignatian Spirituality for today
Fr. Watson launched the non-profit Sacred Story Institute in 2011, to bring Ignatian Spirituality to Catholics of all ages and walks of life. The Sacred Story Institute is promoting programs based on Ignatian spirituality that enable each of us to make our life a sacred story. This book was influenced by his over thirty years developing Ignatian programs and retreats for high school and college students, university faculty and alumni.
Watson has observed that many people do not know how the spirit of darkness operates. The “tempter” confuses our conscience by offering options – excitement and new possibilities for growth – in exchange for a relationship with God. His goal is to separate us from God and trap us. Promised pleasure never ends up as pleasurable nor does it lead us to growth and life. Rather, we live an existence filled with darkness and the absence of love…a real “hell” on earth.
Watson’s spiritual solution zeroes in on the wisdom of St. Ignatius and his Ignatian exercises that have been practiced for nearly 600 years by millions to nourish the soul. The book is organized around prayer, self-examination, educating our conscience and discernment, the Holy Eucharist, wisdom and inspiration, and how evil infiltrates our daily life and the world.
On prayer…” We each need to find a path to pray daily in order to live in God’s love. Prayer helps you to relate to God and to allow God to touch your life. This is a sure way of easing your difficulties. It points the way to hope, will lead you to personal freedom, and heal your broken spirit and relationships. Prayer connects you to the heart of God, who is your daily bread and enduring peace.”
Six practical tips
Inviting God into Your Life includes 6 Practical Tips for all forms of prayer, for those just getting started and for those wanting to deepen their prayer life:
- Keep it simple and resolve to do it faithfully
- Keep your prayer time constant
- Trust that God will come and help you
- Find a place only for prayer, a place where you can listen
- Distractions may exist but God is never distracted
- Speak to God directly, using a name that affects you personally
Discernment is the source of wisdom
With the filter of faith, you will see both good and evil operating in your life and in the world. Your conscience, your view of life, and your role in it will be reshaped to enable you to align willingly and smartly with God and His goodness.
Life is a spiritual voyage with Watson as one of our great modern-day captains. He shows us how we can invite God into our life, and experience the love, peace and joy that God offers us.
We are invited to join with Our Lord to complete his mission against evil in the world and to bring about his kingdom of peace.
To do so, we must align our relationship with Christ and consciously align our lives with his. We can be a people of faith and discernment, guided by His spirit in our church, our workplaces, our families, and the world.
Inviting God into Your Life is one of those rare books you will read over and over again.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- Inviting God into Your Life: A Practical Guide for Prayer, by Rev. William Watson, S.J.
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Thomas M. Loarie is the CEO of the innovative, medical solutions start-up BryoLogyx, a rotating host of THE MENTORS RADIO SHOW, and a senior editorial advisor and columnist for Catholic Business Journal. He may be reached at TLoarie@CatholicBusinessJournal.biz
View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate... MORE »
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