His Silent Presence

Until recently, discernment has not been a high priority among Catholics. We have lived off rules of thumb in doctrine and practice, preferring assembly line religion to a personal and custom-made response to God from deep within our own lives. Contemplation and personal discernment are recognized today as normal developments in the spiritual life. Contemplation and discernment deal directly with the mysterious, incomprehensible God who appears among us and is experienced in himself (in contemplation) or in a given human situation (in discernment). Discernment asks us to be contempla­tives in action, in our human choices, finding the same God outside whom we discover in silent prayer. The challenge of identifying that Presence in such a way as to interpret the course of action we should take is a formidable one. This book begins a theology of discernment by reviewing the traditional theory that has come down to us from Scripture and the Fathers of the Desert. Seeing this body of teaching in its simplest lines, using the form as presented to us by Ignatius of Loyola, will provide a framework in which to critique the process in the light of present perspectives.

Although it is never made explicit in the text, when we read the Gospels as story, we can picture a Jesus who, for most of the time, walked through life in unhurried peace and calmness. So unrushed was he that two people in need of his healing died because he would not allow himself to be dictated to by circumstances. God received greater glory through Jesus, later raising both Lazarus and Jairus's daughter from the dead. But in a busy world full of need, poverty, and sickness, Jesus walked through first-century Israel with apparent ease. He desires us to live in the same way. But how do we do that in a demanding and stressful, modern world? How did Jesus manage it? Much of the answer lies in Jesus's personal prayer life and his relationship to the Father. In these pages, join the author in his long quest to follow Jesus into that most intimate of relationships to experience something of the "unforced rhythms of grace" (Matt 11:28-30, MSG) and the deep love of the Father.

The Silent Messenger charts the life of Meher Baba, the Indian spiritual Master who famously declared: “Don’t worry, be happy,” and “I have come not to teach, but to awaken." Meher Baba's life and teachings move through Vedantism, Sufism, Christianity and Buddhism. Uniquely, Baba gave all this to the world whilst remaining silent for 44 years. The Meher Baba Association presents the final book by Sir Tom and Lady Dorothy Hopkinson, which depicts the extraordinary facts of Meher Baba’s life and work, illustrated by judiciously chosen excerpts from his teachings and the insights of many of those who were closest to him.

This book arose out of the need to work with emotionally regressed non-talking children who entered hospital in full retreat from the external world. It helps parents and professionals compassionately comprehend the child's difficulties in depending on someone to receive communication.

'You'll meet 'traveling companions' from history, like Ignatius and Julian of Norwich--individuals and groups who illuminate these prayers. You'll discover how classical approaches to God can deepen your prayer life today. An appendix offers step-by-step instructions for practicing the Jesus Prayer, and the prayer of examen, for walking the labyrinth, praying with your body, and more--whether individually or in a group." -- Back cover