JOURNEYING THROUGH DISTRACTION . . . .THE JOY OF COMING HOME

Description

The practice of Meditation is not new to the Christian Tradition. It has existed since the early centuries of Christianity as a method of contemplative prayer. Taught by the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this practice has at its heart the process of interiorising the WORD. Lectio Divina and the practice of Meditation in its original meaning, exist in a symbiotic relationship. Preserved in the East but largely ignored in the West, John Main, a Benedictine monk, recovered this practice for Christianity in the Western Tradition. The practice of Meditation in this sense is not meant to offer us new insights into the Scriptures. Instead as the letter to the Hebrews points out, its aim is to allow ldquo;the WORD which is alive and active to cut more deeply than any two-edged sword, piercing so deeply that it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it discriminates among the purposes and thoughts of the heart. rdquo; A contemplative reading of the Word progressively reveals us to ourselves.
The collection presented in the book consists mostly of Soliloquies, a literary form used to personalise the experience of the character portrayed. Interspersed between them are a few Reflections. These however, are not presented as an afterthought, the result of intellectual reasoning. They situate the context in which key attitudes that characterise contemplative prayer are shown to be Biblically founded.
Rather than call them chapters, each of them may be considered to be the elements that make up a colourful mosaic. There is a quote reflecting the underlying aspects of the teaching of the practice of Meditation which prefaces each Soliloquy / Reflection. Taken mostly from the writings of John Main and Laurence Freeman and the teachings on the practice, they form a prism whose spectrum is the light through which a meditator rsquo;s inner eye is opened and the WORD becomes the true LIGHT within. It shows that the practice is rooted in the Biblical Tradition.
One hopes that the reader will use this book as a companion to the daily practice of Meditation, as we lsquo;Journey to the Heart rsquo;. Journeying through distraction, sustained by the Promise, in the company of the Patriarchs and Prophets, may you experience the Joy of Coming Home thus joining the Cloud of Witnesses who first experienced its Fulfilment.

Additional information

Weight	300 g
Sub Title	A LECTIO DIVINA FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
Author	Christopher Mendonca
ISBN	978-81-89851-52-1