Finished and Unfinished Lectio Divina
A few years ago, “Lectio Divina at the School of Mary” was published, a work originally written in 2001. The teaching of Lectio Divina began in 1995 and has continued to develop since then. Over time, a significant challenge emerged: many individuals noticed that the daily readings often conveyed the same message. The Lord was beginning to impart His supernatural light, with the Holy Spirit acting directly and personally.
However, the light people received seemed general rather than specific, practical, or precise. As a result, Jesus’ will often appeared unclear, leaving people uncertain if they were truly listening to Him or practicing Lectio Divina correctly.
The key was to persist in prayer until the light became clear and Jesus’ will certain. This crucial aspect, however, was not sufficiently emphasised or explained in the first book. Therefore, the purpose of this new book, Finished and Unfinished Lectio Divina, is to assist all who have begun practicing Lectio Divina, as outlined in the first book or in the Solid Foundations Course, and need clarity on this issue.
Additionally, articles published on the website have been included in this book. (Amazon USA – Amazon UK)
Igniting the Fire of Our Faith
This book is for each person who wants to ignite and nurture their personal faith. The first part of the book essentially presents Christ as the centre of our faith. In the second part, the author shows that faith can grow and provides practical explanations on how to nourish it by offering various means for it to do so, all complementary and rooted in the Tradition of the Church. The last part in particular is specifically dedicated to the growth of faith. The wisdom and practical advice found in this book are presented in the simple form of “100 questions and answers,” making it very accessible at all levels. Faith is both a challenge and a great help for our lives. With this in mind we must face our doubts and put into practice the directions and ways offered in this book in order to see our faith ignite again and grow.
“Mary, you who have believed, make us participants in the purity of your Faith, your adherence to the Word of your Son, your commitment to follow Him to the end with the strength of the Holy Spirit.”
“May this Year of Faith [2012-2013] make the relationship with Christ, the Lord, ever stronger, for only in Him do we have the certainty to look to the future and the guarantee of an authentic and lasting love.” — Benedict XVI (Amazon USA – Amazon UK) (Table of Contents click here)
Praying the Mass
The goal of this book is to help the faithful to live better the Mass, to enter into the grace of the Mass, to understand what God wants to give us and how we can benefit from the graces of the Mass.
The Mass has everything in it; it is the summary of the Gospel; it is the summary of Jesus’ life; it contains God’s entire gift for us. One Mass would be enough! Its richness is incommensurable. With the help of the great masters of spiritual life like St. Teresa of Avila we can enter more deeply in the Mass and benefit from its immense richness.
Liturgy is Prayer. Liturgy is the norm of Prayer. Liturgy is the source and summit of our prayer. Have we explored the depth and richness of Liturgy? We often remain fixed on the exterior acts of worship and forget that true worship is “in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23-24), that we have an altar in our heart because of the Baptismal Priesthood and that we are called to participate in the Mass in a deep and way.
St. Teresa of Avila teaches us contemplation –i.e. God’s intervention in our prayer which elevates us in Him– but she recommends a more perfect prayer, a prayer which unites “vocal prayer” and “mental prayer” (the Prayer of the Heart). We can say the same about liturgy: to live liturgy in a more perfect way we need to unite the exterior rites with an inner participation which leads to true contemplation.
This book is composed of various articles published on the website of the School of Mary (www.schoolofmary.org). One might find some repetitions, but in spiritual life, repetition is always beneficial.
1- The Specificity of Christian Prayer
2- The Immersion in the Trinity
3- Liturgy as Prayer
4- Two Types of Contemplation
5- Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer According to Carmelite Spirituality
6- Raising Awareness of the Liturgy of the Word
7- Proposal for a Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word
8- Prayer of the Heart and Communion
9- Transfiguration and Mass
10- Mary’s Fiery Prayer
Hearing Jesus’ Call
Our Christian life can be divided in two periods, one before hearing Jesus’ Call, and one after. This book addresses aspects of Jesus’ Call that can easily be overlooked and delves into the difference between merely knowing that God calls all the baptised to holiness and truly hearing Jesus’ personal Call in our hearts at a specific point in our lives. (Amazon US – Amazon UK)
God Loves You
“Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Mk 10:21). We can easily overlook this passage. We think that it is not for us. Who understands the extent of Jesus’ love for each one of us? How many people know that Jesus’ love is the starting point of Christianity? The starting point of our day? The starting point of our prayer? He always has the initiative… always. He searches for us much more than we search for Him, his Thirst to give himself to us is infinite and his Love is unconditional. For many reasons we tend to forget his Love, doubt it and not open ourselves to His Love. This book is meant to strengthen our faith in Jesus’ unconditional love. It closely follows the Scriptures. (Amazon US – Amazon UK)