Luigi Gioia

Touched by God (eBook, PDF)

The way to contemplative prayer

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Luigi Gioia's second spiritual book deals with the art of contemplation.

Say it to God: In Search of Prayer was chosen as the 2018 Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book and welcomed by many as an honest, accessible guide to freshen their practice of prayer in the midst of busy modern life. In Touched by God, Gioia moves on to explore the art of contemplation. He points out that contemplation is not a more advanced way of praying but a silent and loving attentiveness to God which has nothing in common with disembodied, a historical and impersonal forms of spirituality.

Contemplation begins when we are touched by God through Scripture and become aware of his presence in us. Gioia shows how this happens concretely in the lives of the characters of the Gospel of John, his chosen guide to learn how to welcome God in our lives and interact with him. Gioia's way to contemplation takes the reader not only through Scripture but also through plays and novels where God is never mentioned or is seen as absent, distant or even as an enemy.

By engaging with both religious and non-religious authors the reader can discover that contemplation is not some kind of spiritual wonderland but coexists with doubts, thrives in the middle of struggles, is discovered even in suffering, dissolves guilt and leads to authentic self-knowledge and compassion for every human being.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 208
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. September 2018
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472951014
• Artikelnr.: 54273105

Autorenporträt

Luigi Gioia is Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pontifical University of Sant'Anselmo in Rome and Research Associate of the Von Hügel Institute (Cambridge). He has preached spiritual retreats in the UK, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Korea, China, Philippines and he has published widely in scholarly reviews. He is currently Theologian in Residence at St Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction: Unexpected harmony
PART ONE: FEELINGS
The gift of feeling
Irrelevant feelings
Frustrating feelings
Silent rest
Restless desire
Mindfulness
Arresting awareness
A strange ability
PART TWO: JOHN
Empty hands
Playful encounters
Soft spot
Chasing the fugitive
God's touch
Body and flesh
Acknowledging stillness
Contemplating the light
Struggling to see
The inner nagging
PART THREE: QUIETISM
Sue the bastard!
Embracing history
A new sense of identity
What did you expect?
EPILOGUE
Yours is the night
The teacher within
Acknowledgements
A Note on the Author