The Hidden Life Of Prayer

A classic of spiritual devotion edited for a new generation of readers. Opens the closed door to the "secret place" of effective prayer experienced by many historical saints.

Everyone wants to know how to talk to God and get answers to their prayers. Yet most people are skeptical of prayer, or convinced they’re doing it wrong. Is there a secret to talking with God? God is more concerned about the condition of our hearts than the words we use. He cares more about the posture of our hearts than the posture of our bodies. And what is the right heart posture? Humility. The Secret to Prayer will take readers on a 31-day journey, examining the heart and actions of biblical characters whose prayers were answered. On the other side of the journey, readers will have a more vibrant prayer life, and a more intimate relationship with the God to whom we pray.

Could our deepest hurts reveal the key to a powerful form of prayer that was lost 17 centuries ago? What can we learn today from the great secret of our most cherished traditions? "There are beautiful and wild forces within us." With these words, the mystic St. Francis described what ancient traditions believed was the most powerful force in the universe – the power of prayer. For more than 20 years, Gregg Braden has searched for evidence of a forgotten form of prayer that was lost to the West following the biblical edits of the early Christian Church. In the 1990s, he found and documented this form of prayer still being used in the remote monasteries of central Tibet. He also found it practiced in sacred rites throughout the high deserts of the American Southwest. In this book, Braden describes this ancient form of prayer that has no words or outward expressions. Then, for the first time in print, he leads us on a journey exploring what our most intimate experiences tell us about our deepest beliefs. Through case histories and personal accounts, Braden explores the wisdom of these timeless secrets, and the power that awaits each of us . . . just beyond our deepest hurt!

This is an inspiring collection of Edith Stein's shorter spiritual writings, many available for the first time in English translation. Topics include: Shorter spiritual writings on prayer, liturgy, and the spirit of Carmel. They were composed during her final years, often at the request of her Carmelite superiors. Here the noted philosopher, Catholic feminist, and convert shares her reflections on prayer, liturgy, the lives of holy women, the spirit of Carmel, the mystery of the Christian vocation, and the meaning of the cross in our lives. These essays, poems, and dramatic pieces offer readers a unique glimpse into the hidden inner life of one of the twentieth century's most remarkable women.The book includes 5 photos and fully linked index.

The Road to Cana, Anne Rice’s second book in her hugely ambitious life of Christ, begins before his baptism in the Jordan and concludes with the miracle at Cana. It is a novel in which we see Jesus, the man, living quietly in Nazareth as he has for many years. He is still known as Yeshua Bar Joseph. And he is enduring a winter of no rain, endless dust and looming trouble in Judea. Legends of a virgin birth have long surrounded Yeshua, yet for decades he has lived no differently than the others who come to the synagogue on the Sabbath. All who know and love him find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take. And at last we see this quiet man emerge from his baptism to confront his destiny–and the Devil. We see what occurs when he takes the water of seven great limestone jars and transforms it into cool red wine; when he is recognized as the anointed one; when he is urged to call all Israel to take up arms against Rome and follow him as the prophets have foretold. Like Out of Egypt, the first novel in Anne Rice’s series on the life of Christ, The Road to Cana is based on the gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship. The book’s power comes from the profound feeling its author brings to the writing and the subtlety with which she summons up the presence of Jesus.

For over 25 years, journalist, author and commentator Tom Harpur has been thinking, speaking, and writing about religion and spirituality for the mass media and a popular audience. In the process, he has travelled the globe, written 14 books and thousands of articles on everything from life after death and the place of healing in religion to the controversy over who Jesus is and the rational basis for a firm belief in God. In all of this experience, Tom Harpur discovered that one of the central issues for every faith is prayer. Yet, over his time as a parish priest, seminary professor and commentator, Harpur found a distinct gap in the books available on prayer. Simple, practical, and focused on real life, 'Prayer: The Hidden Fire' is the kind of book on prayer Tom Harpur wanted and badly needed many years ago when he first consciously took over his own spiritual journey. This book examines our deep inner need to pray. Harpur encourages readers to go beyond childhood notions of prayer and to develop a personal style of praying and repertoire of prayers that work for them today. Along the way, Tom Harpur shares experiences from his own spiritual journey, and gives readers his most personal work to date.