Wednesday April 27, 2005 The Way of Perfection
The Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of Avila (c.1565)
***** (out of 5)
The Way of Perfection was written by St Teresa of Avila as a guide for the nuns belonging to the Carmelite Order, the order for which she was prioress when the book was written. This book, a blessed classic, discusses the attributes of a prayerful life leading to a more intimate relationship with God. In the first section of the book, St. Teresa provides instruction, based on practical personal experience, in attaining the three essential characteristics for attaining spiritual perfection: fraternal love, detachment from worldly things, and true humility. She discusses the subjects of mental and vocal prayer and contemplation in this section as well. The second section of the book contains St. Teresa's profound and inspirational commentaries on the Pater noster (Our Father), or The Lord's Prayer. In this section, the Saint shows how everything discussed in the previous section of the book becomes manifest in this most perfect of prayers. She discusses each part of the prayer in detail - from the awesome implications of "Our Father" to the importance of earnestly entreating God to "deliver us from evil".
The Way of Perfection was written over 400 years ago for a small group of cloistered nuns. As with other works of tremendous genius, however, St. Teresa's instructions and commentaries are timeless and universal. Making The Way of Perfection even more remarkable is the simple way in which the deeply profound concepts are presented by St. Teresa. Also, her conversational style adds a true sense of intimacy to this sublimely beautiful work.
While Catholics will find this book particularly rewarding, its relevance is by no mean limited to adherents of Catholicism. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in achieving a deeper sense of spirituality through an intimate prayer-filled relationship with God.
Also Recommended:
- The Imitation of Christ - Thomas a Kempis (1418)
- The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence (1693)
( Apr 27 2005, 12:46:57 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [3]