Have we been selling ourselves short on the importance of prayer
and our need to persevere in prayer? St. Teresa of Avila warns us against doing
so: “You must believe that if you give up prayer, you are, in my opinion,
courting danger.”
Who among us is not distracted
during prayer? How many of us feel like our prayer time is lifeless and
useless? Why do so many give up on prayer and never reach the point where God gives
them the undeserved blessing and gift of infused contemplation? What is infused
contemplation and how does it differ from meditation? Why are we not taught about
this form of prayer? What are the origins of this type of mystical prayer? Who
is called to such prayer? How many have abandoned their prayer life just when they
might be on the precipice of real communion with the Lord they love?
David Torkington, noted Spiritual Theologian, Author and Speaker, answers these questions
and countless others in his easy to read, instructive and inspiring book, Wisdom From the Christian Mystics - How To Pray The Christian Way.
The author writes in a clear, compelling and interesting
way. He is a master of the written word, as you can appreciate from the following
excerpt:
“Two things are
necessary for prayer to grow beyond the stage of set formulas and petitions, to
the stage when it becomes a personal encounter with the most loveable man ever
to walk on this earth. The first thing is to find some space and time in which
to stop being busy about many things so that there can be time to come to terms
with Christ’s death, and to celebrate his life and love, and his continuing
life and love. The second thing needed is to read and re-read every word that
has been written about him in the Gospels and to read everything that he said,
because what he said is addressed to us personally… These sacred words are
precious, so they should be read slowly and carefully, as you would pore over
poetry to penetrate its meaning and experience its impact. Gradually in time
and under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the faith that once seemed solely
cerebral will deepen, as hearts and minds that were like stone before, soften
and become porous to receive and experience the love of Christ ever more deeply…
I particularly enjoyed the way in which he seamlessly weaved into his narrative the
words and wisdom of several saints. Here are two of my favorite quotes:
If the heart does not pray, then the
tongue labours in vain”. – St. Bernardine
of Siena
“You will never love someone unless
you know them, but you will never really know them unless you love them.” – St. Thierry
Wisdom from the Christian Mystics - How To Pray The Christian Way includes "A Blueprint for Daily Prayer". It is a must have volume on your
book shelf. This book is a resource that will give you the tools to enrich your prayer
life. You will consult it regularly. It is a treasure-trove of meditative resources.
It will draw both the prayer novice and veteran closer to the loving embrace of
God.
Blessed indeed was the day David
asked me to review this book. I shall be forever indebted to him, as will all read
it. Get a copy now.
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