I was in prayer this evening reflecting on the desire I had in the past to accompany others through spiritual direction and mentorship, and on the reality of spiritual parenthood and accompaniment in general. Throughout the whole history of the Church there has always been a deficit of spiritual parents that can walk with others all along the way from the earliest sprouting of the seed of faith to its fullest blossoming in the consummate intimacy with the Trinity that we call the “spiritual marriage.” And yet having someone to walk with you, whatever form this takes, is so important for each one of us. With all of this in my heart, I had a beautiful moment of clarity or insight in which I felt (again) the truth and conviction of the Spirit in my heart, confirming for me that my path lay elsewhere: in the fullness of silence and solitude, hidden in the caverns of the Heart of Christ in ceaseless prayer and intercession for all of those on this beautiful but painful journey of life. But in the same moment some beautiful words of Bishop Erik Varden came to mind, in which he is speaking about precisely this reality. I quote them here:
There is no lack of persons with diplomas in ‘spiritual direction’: they are two a penny. But a true spiritual father or mother is a rarity. It was ever thus; but perhaps the sparseness is especially acute in our day. That is why reliable books are such a blessing. A book can never replace a conversation; but immersion in the testimony of a man or woman of God can become conversation. A word carrying the message of truth become flesh does convey a presence, somehow. Exposure to such presence can turn into genuine friendship.
This is what, in all of my littleness and frailty, I feel called to offer to others from the heart of my solitude, deeply aware of my imperfections and yet also aware of what God has entrusted to me: I hope that my words may be nothing but bearers of the message of Truth-become-flesh, conveying a true presence. This presence can turn into a genuine friendship with the author (I know this first-hand from the profound spiritual fatherhood of John of the Cross who has accompanied me from my adolescence). But above all, through this exercise of “friendship through the word,” a deeper friendship is affirmed, strengthened, and clarified: the friendship with Christ, the Beloved of our souls.
I offer now a book that has been the work of a few weeks in the last couple months, though its content is the fruit of years. Entitled From Glory Unto Glory: A Foundational Vision of Our Transformation in the Trinity – A Spiritual Theology, it is perhaps best understood as a “companion for the journey.” It is not a specialized theological treatise or a scholarly manual, but a little school of prayer, a collection of meditations and reflections, which are intended to carry you precisely from the beginnings to the consummation in the best way that my very inadequate words can. It contains large portions of many (even most) of my other writings arranged according to topic and sequence, in order to aid in clarity and lead the mind and heart along a path of deepening understanding. But when I say “companion,” I really mean it: the book is 812 densely packed pages, intended to give you material for your own prayer, meditation, and lectio divina for a long time to come, and hopefully even to be there for you revisit in hard times when a word of truth is needed. That may sound like a bold desire, but it really isn’t – unless it be the confidence of childhood of which little Therese spoke so much – for this is simply the way God works with us, using the simplest and littlest of his children, and humblest of our works. He wants us to walk together, and this is the best way, besides my prayer and holding you in my heart before our beautiful Three-in-One, that I can do this. I hope may words prove to be of service to you in your journey with our loving God.
There are two versions of From Glory Unto Glory available on this website. The hardcover is my recommendation, for it is printed by a new printer (Ingram) to which I am transferring my books, and which is of very high quality. However, their print fulfillment times tend to be slower, and we will not be keeping the books in stock here. On the other hand, a paperback version is also available, and the shipping should be somewhat faster though of lesser quality (shipped straight from Amazon). The links are below, and also a fuller description (and table of contents) for the book.
HARDCOVER:
PAPERBACK:
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