This is a very spiritual book with great insights on the discipline of contemplation. Along with prayer and meditation, contemplation is one of the most effective ways of getting closer to God. This book helps the reader learn, understand and live the contemplative life.
"Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God." Unfortunately, few of us are pure at heart. Rolheiser posits most believers rarely, if ever, see God in their lives. Something is wrong with us. This book first describes in some detail why we are not fully aware of God in our lives - excessive narcissism, pragmatism and restlessness are the culprits. Our perception is distorted because we lack the perspective of the contemplative: an infinite horizon where God is the background to all our ordinary experiences. Simply put, most lack the ability to see beyond their own heartaches and headaches.
The book then turns to the three main contemplative traditions in Western Christianity, the mystical tradition exemplified by John of the Cross, the Protestant contemplative tradition, and the philosophical tradition of Theism. Rolheiser does an excellent job of summarizing all three.
The book ends by succinctly explaining the spiritual exercises we can undertake to help purify our hearts, expand our awareness and reacquire a childlike heart of wonder and awe.
Read this book. Become a contemplative. See and feel God everywhere!
He contends that "today we, the children of Western culture, post-modern, adult children of the enlightenment, struggle with practical atheism. Our consciousness is clouded with narcissism, pragmatism, and unbridled restlessness so much so, that we are contemplatively asleep. The road back is not a question of finding the right answers, but in living in a certain way. To approach reality and relationships with a certain set of attitudes. A proper praxis. And, like the Virgin Mary, after a certain gestation process, eventually you will give birth to Jesus. God enters the world as the conclusion of a gestation process.We must live in such a way that we give birth to God in our lives."
He routinely urged me to check my own comfort zone, such as "Endeavor to constantly discern your motivation, that is, be suspicious when the glory of God and your own glory habitually harmonize" and "Enter into the vulnerability of Christ, into his unwillingness to protect himself against pain as he fulfills God's will."
I found his observations about the church and religion today on the mark. His work is very readable and yet I found myself rereading a passage over and over because of the succinct, sometimes gritty, penetrating message. He makes the point that the journey takes time, practice and an ever vigilant opening of your heart. An excellent book that you will read over and over again.