Introduction to the Spiritual Life

I’ve just started reading a new book which I can well recommend: Brant Pitre Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus (New York, Image: 2021). Dr. Brant Pitre is Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute, Colorado. He gained his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame where he specialised in the study of New Testament and ancient Judaism. This book is a gem. Easy to read, he 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 Catholic spirituality. He covers vocal prayer, meditation and contemplation, the three major temptations and their remedies, spiritual exercises such as the Lord’s Prayer, fasting and almsgiving, the seven capital sins and their opposing virtues, lectio Divina and how to meditate on Scripture, and the dark night of the soul. As he says: If you, like me, grew up thinking the spiritual life was mainly about saying your prayers and hoping not to go to hell, or if you’ve ever started to pray but given up after experiencing dryness or distraction, or if you’ve ever tried to read the writings of the mystics but felt lost or confused by what they were saying, or even if you know the spiritual classics well but are curious about the biblical roots of their teachings – whoever you are, wherever you are on the journey – if you’re thirsting for the living water that only Jesus can give, then this book is for you.