THIRTY DAYS: On Retreat with the Exercises of St. Ignatius

In laying open his journal from a 30-day retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Mariani, a writer and English professor at Boston College, allows the world to look in on a highly personal time in his life. His gracious and courageous invitation is not for everyone, however. Those considering the "Long Retreat" with Ignatius's Exercises may benefit from an intensive look at one man's encounter with this time-honored method for contemplation and reflection, but reading his book will require something of the endurance needed to undertake the retreat itself. Mariani has tried to provide a sense of what daily life is like at a retreat center by including observations about the food, the weather and his personal habits along with the progress he is making in his reflections on the Scriptures. But by the second week of his accounts, this pattern becomes tiresome and repetitious, even though the menus change. The cycle of eating, sleeping, walking, meditating and meeting with Mariani's spiritual director communicate the routine of the retreat but sometimes get in the way of his more substantive message about its spiritual content. Readers who persevere, however, will be rewarded with some wonderfully tender moments from Mariani's 30 days, particularly those concerning his once-fractured relationship with his wife, Eileen. (Mar.)