True Heart Practices: Ways To Selflessness

by William M. Watson

Everyone has experienced coming to a crossroads in their life. We’re all familiar with the feeling of having to decide between two different directions our lives could go--two different visions of our future. How do we pick between them? How do we know which one is the “right” path to take? St Ignatius of Loyola encountered this very problem when he awoke to his heart for the first time at the age of thirty. He was given the grace to see how his two different visions, portraying two possible directions his life could take, were fundamentally different from each other. He discovered that only one of these visions--one of these paths--led to his True Heart, and the fulfillment of his inner-most desires. That is what this book, True Heart, has been designed by Sacred Story Institute to do for young adults. In the course of a ten-week set of spiritual exercises, young adults (ages 16-30) will come to understand their True Heart. In doing so, they will approach their own crossroads with greater clarity and confidence. Armed with prayer and encouraged by peace, they will be able to face whatever crossroads life has in store for them knowing their True Heart--their heart created by God and for God. As St. Augustine Our Heart are restless till they rest in Thee!It is important to note that nearly half the allotted time for spiritual exercises is simply designed for unhooking from technology. This is so individuals can start to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Why is that important? Listen to the words of Pope It has become counter-cultural to choose a lifestyle whose goals are even partly independent of technology, of its costs and its power to globalize and make us all the same. Technology tends to absorb everything into its ironclad logic, and those who are surrounded with technology “know full well that it moves forward in the final analysis neither for profit nor for the well-being of the human race”, that “in the most radical sense of the term power is its motive – a lordship over all.” As a result, our capacity for making decisions, a more genuine freedom and the space for each one’s alternative creativity are diminished.So put True Heart to use in your parish, young adult programs or Newman Center. You will not be disappointed.

305 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2019

About the author

Fr. Bill Watson, S.J. specializes in building enduring Ignatian-based programs that stand the test of time. The Encounter program at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon will turn 40 in 2019 and has transformed the school. The 5-Day Ignatian Retreat at Georgetown University will have its 30th anniversary in 2017 and the Georgetown Freshman ESCAPE retreat celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016.

Many evangelization programs have a shelf-life or become the victims of unplanned obsolesce. The evangelization programs of Sacred Story Institute, based on Fr. Watson’s past track record, will become part of your faith community and endure in their relevance and effectiveness for decades to come. Invest in programs that will carry your faith community forward, built on the time-tested spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola.