First Belong to God - On Retreat with Pope Francis

First Belong to God - On Retreat with Pope Francis by Austen Ivereigh

'All the life-threatening crises that beset us around the world, from the ecological crisis to the wars, the injustices against the poor and vulnerable, have their roots in this rejection of our belonging to God and to each other.'

So writes Pope Francis in his Foreword to First Belong to God, a new book published today, which offers insights into the priorities and teachings of the Pope, while exploring the wisdom of St Ignatius on which the Pope has drawn throughout his life.

First Belong to God grew out of an eight day retreat which Austen led in July 2020 on 'The Joy of Belonging', a few months into the Covid lockdown.

Our current 'crisis of non-belonging' is well documented, writes Austen - 'we are living in an age both of decomposing bonds and identity fundamentalism', which leaves us restless, anxious and insecure. This can lead to the temptation to distrust God and to close in on ourselves. In contrast, 'coming out of ourselves' is a way to recover our deeper longings, and to open ourselves up to new possibilities, new life and a better future. 'This is the invitation of Francis' teaching,' writes Austen, 'and the hoped-for grace of this retreat.'

In First Belong to God, Austen draws on 'a treasure trove' of public speeches and writings by Pope Francis, as well as retreat talks he gave as a Jesuit in Argentina which have not been published in English until now. They draw on the Pope's wisdom on a wide range of topics including migration, the climate crisis, war and peace, fraternity vs indifference, synodality, disagreement and discernment, suffering, evangelizing, the power of mercy, loneliness and isolation, inner weariness and anxiety, and much more. 'Francis is the greatest voice on the world stage telling the truth about the human condition: we belong to each other', writes Austen.

The book is structured as a retreat over eight days, with reflections and suggestions for prayer each day, and suggestions on how the retreat can be used, whether in a retreat setting or a parish.

'The path to a better future, the future God desires for us, begins in the human heart, in our yearning to belong.

In those desires is the road out of our crises, both our own and those of our world. By regenerating the bonds that bind us, in reoxygenating us to receive the gift that is our life and our world, we need first to know and experience the Giver, who is already here, waiting for us. There is no better manual for this than the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, and no greater spiritual guide in our time than Francis, the world's first Jesuit pope.' Austen Ivereigh

Austen Ivereigh is arguably the leading English-language interpreter of the pontificate of Pope Francis. A British writer, journalist and commentator known for his bestselling biographies of Francis - The Great Reformer (2014-15) and Wounded Shepherd (2019) - he co-authored with Pope Francis his bestselling New York Times reflections on the post-pandemic world, Let Us Dream: the Path to a Better Future (2020). A Fellow in Contemporary Church History at Campion Hall, Oxford, he writes regularly for many publications in the UK and worldwide, and is a sought-after commentator.

Paperback, 240 pages, 978-1788126694, £15.00, publisher Messenger Publications. 13 February 2024

Available from: www.messenger.ie/product/first-belong-to-god-on-retreat-with-pope-francis/ and all good bookshops.