[PDF] Contemplative Provocations eBook

Author : Donald Haggerty
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 41,41 MB
Release : 2013-01-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1681491109

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A great many religious people undertake, at least for a time, a serious dedication to prayer. They are moved by a longing for a deeper encounter with God, and the possibility of this beckons them as a distant light at night on the sea. Yet far fewer in number become true contemplative souls, for it is difficult to continue the quest for God in the face of many obstacles. For those who are spiritually courageous and full of desire for God, this book cannot but provoke them to begin or to persevere in this ultimate adventure in life-the more complete discovery of the living God. Thematically unified by the notion of God's ultimate transcendence to our limited human knowledge, Contemplative Provocations offers a rich profusion of insights on the life of prayer and the pursuit of God. A key to spiritual growth is the understanding that the hiddenness of God becomes a paradox in the experience of a soul seeking him wholeheartedly. Rather than enjoying a more intimate familiarity with God, the soul advancing in prayer is likely to experience more intensely, more provocatively, the concealment of God. This surprising truth undergirds true contemplative prayer. It is a reason why every contemplative soul, and every saint, is inflamed with a never satisfied thirst for God.

Author : Fr. Donald Haggerty
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 49,38 MB
Release : 2016
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1621640337

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A soul desiring to give itself in love to God faces great challenges that require understanding and some encouraging advice. Written in a style of short and effective meditations on prayer and contemplative spirituality, the concise reflections in this book address the heart of a soul's interior response to God. God's desire to draw souls to a deeper gift of themselves is inseparable from his desire to draw them into a deeper encounter with the sacred mystery of his presence. Offering an abundance of insights into the value of silence, deep faith, trust and interior surrender to God, Father Haggerty also illumines the link between contemplation and love for poverty and the poor, and makes a strong appeal to the importance of prayer as the primary answer to the crisis of faith that afflicts so many people today. The longing of souls for a deeper contemplative encounter with God is indeed a sign of the times. When it is nurtured properly and begins to burn as a passion of the soul, the love for prayer becomes a lifelong quest.

Author : Donald Haggerty
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 42,21 MB
Release : 2020-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1642291056

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Despite signs in recent decades of a crisis in the Church, a countercurrent of intense interest in prayer and a close relationship with God is clearly at work today. A deeper esteem for contemplation has accompanied this turning to prayer, and many people desire spiritual direction and guidance. Written by a recognized expert on contemplative prayer, this book concentrates on the interior hardships experienced by souls who give themselves to God wholeheartedly. More than a summary of the symptoms of interior trial, these poignant observations are the fruit of the author's many years in retreat work. Personal experience, not simply knowledge of the spiritual tradition, inform his concise, carefully crafted comments. Throughout the book, the writing invites the reader to ponder the subject of spiritual darkness, perplexity, and other struggles in the spiritual life always in the light of the loving God, who draws souls into greater surrender to himself.

Author : Fr. Donald Haggerty
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 13,29 MB
Release : 2017-10
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1621642119

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This book by the acclaimed spiritual writer Fr. Haggerty offers penetrating observations into the phenomenon of Christian conversion. Arranged as a collection of concise, meditative reflections on various topics associated with conversion, it takes up many issues that are not often linked in spirituality to the crucial moment of a soul's return to God in conversion. The repercussions of sin, the proper understanding of mercy, the importance of a more radical response to the will of God, are naturally given attention. But, more unusually, the reflections in this book also treat other issues that ensue in the immediate aftermath of a conversion that can make the difference between a mediocre life with God and a truly holy life. The focus in certain chapters on love for the poor, on simplicity of lifestyle, on devotion to the Eucharist, as special graces that awaken in the immediate period after a conversion, is not commonly noted. The treatment of a "second conversion" in life is likewise a provoking contribution to enhance our desire to cross a decisive threshold of greater depth in our relations with God. The prospect of embracing a deep passion for God in our lives is the thematic undercurrent within the pages of this work.

Author : Pico Iyer
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 10,10 MB
Release : 2019-09-03
Category : Travel
ISBN : 0451493966

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“Arguably the greatest living travel writer” (Outside magazine), Pico Iyer has called Japan home for more than three decades. But, as he is the first to admit, the country remains an enigma even to its long-term residents. In A Beginner’s Guide to Japan, Iyer draws on his years of experience—his travels, conversations, readings, and reflections—to craft a playful and profound book of surprising, brief, incisive glimpses into Japanese culture. He recounts his adventures and observations as he travels from a meditation hall to a love hotel, from West Point to Kyoto Station, and from dinner with Meryl Streep to an ill-fated call to the Apple service center in a series of provocations guaranteed to pique the interest and curiosity of those who don’t know Japan—and to remind those who do of its myriad fascinations.

Author : Louie Giglio
Publisher : Multnomah
Page : 162 pages
File Size : 29,11 MB
Release : 2017-12-19
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0735290717

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Let Every Breath You Take Be an Act of Worship Worship is more than singing on Sunday morning. While that’s part of it, worship is the essence of what makes us truly human. God sparked this desire within our hearts from the day He first breathed life into Adam and Eve. Since then, every single human who has walked this planet has participated in this God-given ability, and divine quest. While many have squandered their gift, there are those who find the wonder-filled life of communion with God no matter the time or place. True freedom comes when worship flows through us as naturally as the air we breathe, when the words and actions in our lives resonate with our Creator so deeply that every inhalation is full of meaning. When we understand the holiness of the God who knows the stars by name—and His overwhelming love for each one of us—how can we offer anything less? In The Air I Breathe, Louie Giglio explains in passionate prose what it means to truly live a life of worship, offering insight and guidance for finding our personal path towards connecting with the God of the Universe.

Author : Laura Kipnis
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 37,71 MB
Release : 2004-09-14
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0375719326

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A polemic against love that is “engagingly acerbic ... extremely funny.... A deft indictment of the marital ideal, as well as a celebration of the dissent that constitutes adultery, delivered in pointed daggers of prose” (The New Yorker). Who would dream of being against love? No one. Love is, as everyone knows, a mysterious and all-controlling force, with vast power over our thoughts and life decisions. But is there something a bit worrisome about all this uniformity of opinion? Is this the one subject about which no disagreement will be entertained, about which one truth alone is permissible? Consider that the most powerful organized religions produce the occasional heretic; every ideology has its apostates; even sacred cows find their butchers. Except for love. Hence the necessity for a polemic against it. A polemic is designed to be the prose equivalent of a small explosive device placed under your E-Z-Boy lounger. It won’t injure you (well not severely); it’s just supposed to shake things up and rattle a few convictions.

Author : Pico Iyer
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 42,76 MB
Release : 2019-04-16
Category : Travel
ISBN : 045149394X

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Returning to his longtime home in Japan after his father-in-law’s sudden death, Pico Iyer picks up the steadying patterns of his everyday rites: going to the post office and engaging in furious games of ping-pong every evening. But in a country whose calendar is marked with occasions honoring the dead, he comes to reflect on changelessness in ways that anyone can relate to: parents age, children scatter, and Iyer and his wife turn to whatever can sustain them as everything falls away. As the maple leaves begin to turn and the heat begins to soften, Iyer shows us a Japan we have seldom seen before, where the transparent and the mysterious are held in a delicate balance, and where autumn reminds us to take nothing for granted.

Author : Philippe Lançon
Publisher : Europa Editions
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 35,47 MB
Release : 2019-11-12
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1609455576

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In this Prix Femina–winning memoir, a writer at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo recounts surviving the deadly terror attack on their office. On January 7, 2015, two terrorists claiming allegiance to ISIS attack the Paris office of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The event causes untold pain to the victims and their families, prompts a global solidarity movement, and ignites a fierce debate over press freedoms and the role of satire today. Philippe Lançon, a journalist, author, and a weekly contributor to Charlie Hebdo is gravely wounded in the attack—an experience that upends his relationship to the world. As Lançon attempts to reconstruct his life on the page, he rereads Proust, Thomas Mann, Kafka, and others in search of guidance. It is a year before he can return to writing, a year in which he learns to work through his experiences and their aftermath. Disturbance is not an essay on terrorism nor is it a witness’s account of Charlie Hebdo. It is an honest, intimate account of a man seeking to put his life back together after it has been torn apart. “A powerful and deeply civilized memoir.” —The New York Times

Author : Kevin and Lisa Cotter
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 43,83 MB
Release : 2017-01-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1681497433

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"If we want love, why do we often settle for less?" — from the Foreword by Jason and Crystalina Evert Tired of toxic relationships, many young adults want to clean up their love lives. They desire to give their lives to Christ and turn away from sin—but without a concrete plan, they quickly fall back into old habits. Featuring daily reflections and resolutions, this forty-day detox provides a practical "cleanse" for those who want to purify themselves from the poisoned dating culture and live a life of authentic freedom, respect, and love. Inside you'll find: Compelling and clear explanations of "God's plans for love, dating, and sex" Hopeful true-life stories of people who have successfully moved from desiring chastity to actually living it Practical tools, habits, and strategies to live more virtuously with joy and freedom