Today we begin our blogalogue with Margaret Silf.
I began by asking Margaret about her latest book: You stated that you enjoyed writing Just Call Me López more than any of your other books. Why was that? [“Lopez” is one part of the full name of St. Ignatius Loyola. Margaret’s book is an imaginative encounter between the saint and a 21st century woman.]
Dear Paul,
I think it is because this wasn’t a “book” but more of an unfolding friendship with López, and that process took me completely by surprise. Sitting down to write a new section felt like eagerly awaiting a visit from a dear friend. The friendship grew with every page.
Sometimes he exasperated me. Sometimes his situation literally brought me to tears. Often we laughed together. But in every new circumstance my genuine affection for him deepened. He quite simply became a part of my life and will always remain so.
I suppose with Just Call Me López, it was a different experience from the writing of a more conventional book, in that there were always two of us involved, on every page – three if you count the Holy Spirit, who, after all, made the whole thing possible.
With a more conventional book there is a degree of satisfaction in completing it, but with López, the joy is not primarily in having written the book, but in having forged a heart-relationship with this remarkable man, which has been life-changing for me. The experience has changed me in ways that I could never have predicted.
Margaret
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Can’t wait to get my hands on this book or fornthe reat of this conversation.
Maria,
The book is available at a special [30%] discount from Loyola Press and we will be making it available for free for a couple of weeks on Amazon nearer the end of the month.
Paul
I now have it on my Kindle and have started reading..
Welcome to PFO, Margaret. What a privilege it is to have you among us. From my own point of view, to be able to learn more about you as the week progresses, feels like a real gift. Thank you for how you generously share your gifts in our world, with your work.
I suppose the thing that strikes and intrigues me most today is how you say that it was less a book, and more of an unfolding friendship. That is so beautifully put, and so very Ignatian!
Fran,
Margaret is giving a retreat right now and probably won’t be able to join us “real time,” but I will fill her in on everything when she comes to visit us here at the Press on St. Ignatius Day.
Paul
I downloaded the book from Amazon this morning, so have only read the pre-amble. I’ll read it along with the blogalogue this week.
Have a great week everyone.
Simon, I guess I should give in and buy a Kindle and then I wouldn’t have to wait patiently for books to arrive. Enjoy the book this week!
Lynda, I am a convert to the ‘Kindle-sphere’ but it isn’t always the Kindle versions that come out first. I seem to remember that Margaret’s book, “The Other Side of Chaos,” came out in paper first. If you travel, even a modest amount, I would thoroughly recommend a Kindle. They are so convenient.
Lynda, you don’t need to buy a Kindle !
You can download Kindle for free from Amazon onto your laptop.
It only takes a few minutes and hey presto you can then buy Kindle books and read them on your laptop.
Simon,
Loathe as I am to discourage sales of the book, I should note that we are planning to give it away for free on Kindle for a couple of weeks later in the month.
Paul
Ouch lol
Guess I should have been more patient and got a free copy!
Margaret, Fran expressed my thoughts very clearly – we are certainly privileged to have a visit from you. For me the timing isn’t the best as I’m off to an eight-day Ignatian retreat so I will read the posts and comments when I return but I can hardly wait to read your latest book.
Blessings to everyone and please know you will all be in my prayers.
Lynda,
I hope you find nothing but peace and consolation on your retreat.
Paul
What a great start to this blogalogue. Margaret, having had the privilege to get a sneak peek at this book, I have to say the heart-relationship not only comes through on every page, but I felt it as my own invitation to a deeper heart relationship not only with Lopez, but with you as well. What a generous gift you’ve given us all.
Tom,
Like Margaret and Lopez, you have a big heart. I thank God that there’s room for all of us in this relationship.
Paul
I am a bit more than half-way through the book, and am enjoying it beyond measure. Margaret Silf’s thought that we can practice the “art of spiritual conversation” got me thinking about the ways in which I engage in that sort of conversation (outside the formal bounds of spiritual direction), and how I might do that more thoughtfully!
(Spoiler alert!) And I loved it that Ignatius texts! God in all things…
Michelle,
It makes my heart sing to hear you say that you are enjoying the book “beyond measure.”
Paul
Like everyone else here, I can’t wait to have your book in my hands. Ignatius is a fascinating man, so sensitive (he was moved to tears saying the mass, looking at the stars…) How blessed you are to have encountered him this way!
Claire,
As noted above, it can be purchased with a 30% discount directly from Loyola Press or, if you wait a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to get it from the Kindle store for free.
Paul
I, too, am about halfway through, and am enjoying it tremendously. More next week!
Robin,
I’m so glad that you are enjoying the book. I know I love it, but then you begin to wonder if you’re seeing the world through the same lenses as others…
Paul
Just got back from a few days away at a festival in Buckfast Abbey to find this blog treat. The bookshop at the abbey had several of Margaret’s books and I bought One Hundred Wisdom Stories – is that your source Paul ?
I’m really looking forward to downloading her new book later and thanks for making it a freebie.
My first introduction to her work was via her book Inner Compass and Compass Points; both great.
I’m interested to see what Margaret is up to in terms of her schedule in the UK this year and next.
Blessings
I can’t believe all I am reading! Thank you SO much folks for all these kind comments. Lopez is thrilled beyond words that people are warming to his own warm heart. I am a techy dinosaur I’m afriad, so have no idea how to do things like blogs, and I spend most of my time despearately trying to catch up with emails – Lopez is probably more technically savvy than I am. But he sends his greetings to each and every one of you.
I live in the UK, and do various bits and pieces over there when I happen to be home – Phil, you might like to check out Sheldon, Exeter (Mary and Martha) or Ammerdown near Bath, or Whirlow Grange Sheffield, when I will be doing a Lopez weekend next spring.
I really hope you enjoy the journey with Lopez and come to love him as much as I have.
PS Sorry I don’t have my own website. How pathetic is that?! For reasons, see above!