Introduction to the Spiritual Life
Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus
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- $169.00
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- $169.00
Descripción editorial
A compelling exploration of the biblical foundations, contemplative practices, and spiritual path of Jesus himself—from the bestselling author of The Case for Jesus
“What happens when a biblical theologian explores classic spirituality? This book. Pitre’s students have asked, Why have we never heard this before? The reader wonders the same.”—Dr. David Fagerberg, author of Liturgical Mysticism
The path of following Jesus is an ancient and storied spiritual tradition. Yet many believers are not familiar with the three major forms of prayer and the three stages of spiritual growth that exist to bring them closer to God.
In his most personal book yet, Brant Pitre, PhD, draws on the riches of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the writings of mystics across the centuries to shed light on the mystery—and wonder—of the spiritual life.
Starting with the age-old belief that the path of prayer is not only informative but transformative, Dr. Pitre explores
• the scriptural roots of the major forms of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation
• the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of spiritual growth
• the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
• the Jewish roots of the Lord’s Prayer
• Lectio Divina: how to pray with the Bible
• seven vices and their seven opposing virtues
• the battle of prayer: how to deal with difficulty and distractions
• the “dark night of the soul” in the Scriptures
Full of sacred truths, contemplative insights, and practical steps, Introduction to the Spiritual Life is a biblical road map of the spiritual landscape that enables us to follow Jesus as our primary guide.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Biblical scholar Pitre (The Case for Jesus) fuses theology and scriptural insight in this well-grounded introduction to Catholic spirituality. "Jesus himself is the supreme teacher of the spiritual life. He is the master and model of all Christian spirituality," Pitre writes in his examination of techniques (such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and meditation) and topics (notably, the seven capital sins and their countering virtues). Throughout, he mines the Bible, especially the Gospels and Psalms, for illustration, drawing broadly on the writings of Christian mystics and other ancient church fathers such as Ignatius Loyola, John of the Cross, and Francis de Sales. For example, in a section on how to "ponder the word of God" through meditative prayer, Pitre cites Loyal's words that attentive reading can bring faithful into a sense of intimacy: "We should ask God for "an intimate knowledge" of Jesus so that we can "love Him more and follow Him more closely." This is a solidly traditional, scholarly approach; readers looking for contemporary references should look elsewhere. Those seeking a thoroughly cited classical Catholic thesis will be well served here.
