Book Recommendation

 I didn't have space to bring many books with me on this trip. Here's the entire list:

• My Bible
• An old pocket edition of Dante's Divine Comedy in Italian and English
• An old pocket edition of The Little Flowers of St Francis of Assisi
• A 32 page booklet called On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus by 'a monk of the Eastern Church' (Lev Gillet)

It's that last book I'd love to mention here for a couple of minutes, if I may. I've been reading it for about a couple of months now, which is why it made it onto the (very) short list of books to bring.

You might think I'm a very slow reader (that averages about half a page a day!) but it's an incredibly meditative book and you really need to sit with it over a long period of time. And it's worth the investment. Gentle, gracious, direct, hospitable, practical, deep and rich all at once, I think it's hand-down the single best book on prayer I've ever read. And let me tell you: in three decades of ministry, I've read a lot!

The Monk is particularly commending a very simple prayer: praying just the one word, Jesus, while opening the heart to the presence of Christ and bringing our whole selves and world into that prayer. It's not the only way of praying, or even necessarily the best way ("the best prayer is for everybody the prayer to which he or she is moved by the Holy Spirit, whatever prayer it may be") but it is a good and fruitful prayer. It's a prayer that can "penetrate the soul little by little, till all thoughts and feelings come together and coalesce around it."

Here's a beautiful passage from the book:

The repetition of the name may be likened to the beating of wings by which a bird rises into the air. It must never be laboured and forced, or hurried, or in the nature of a flapping. It must be gentle, easy, and - let us give to this word its deepest meaning - graceful. When the bird reaches the desired height it glides in its flight, and only beats its wings from time to time in order to stay in the air. So the soul, having attained to the thought of Jesus and filled herself with the memory of him may discontinue the Name and rest in Our Lord. The repetition will only be resumed when other thoughts threaten to crowd out the thought of Jesus. Then the invocation will start again in order to gain fresh impetus.

When I say I've been in churches and other beautiful places praying, it's often been this.

If you're interested, you can order a copy from the Carmelite Book Service - for only £4! 

By the way, if you've read the book or have any experience or wisdom about this prayer, I'd be delighted to hear it - add to the comments below so we can all share.