This book would be a cherished addition to the library of anyone
who is serious about prayer. Monastics and Oblates, and newcomers
in formation, will find much of value in it. It could well be used
as a textbook in a liturgy or spirituality course. It is a volume I
am sure to return to in the future…. Pick it up and see for
yourself. You’ll be glad you did.Cistercian Studies Quarterly
[T]he book is profoundly Catholic and displays the breadth and
depth of our traditions of prayer, which cater for so many
temperaments and situations. Most importantly, it is itself an
encouragement and inspiration to pray.The Downside Review
This book shares wisdom about prayer that these monks have attained
concerning the Jewish-Christian tradition of prayer, a wisdom
gained through the daily practice of prayer and through serious
study. This is not a collection of pious aphorisms about prayer;
rather it is a report, well conceived and clearly expressed, about
the corporate experience of these monks and their insightful study
of the tradition of prayer. . . . homilists will find in this book
excellent background to their own experience and study of
prayer.Catholic Books Review
Fifteen monks have contributed finely researched and readable
essays . . . the fact that each essay has been carefully researched
and edited by brothers of the same community means that the book
reads as a seamless whole.Horizons
This book, rather like seminary formation, comes from the place
where the academic and the spiritual meet. The personal experiences
of prayer and study engaged in by these monks has produced a
wonderful text that not only covers the history of prayer, but the
history of the transformative power of prayer in the lives of the
People of God. It is a model of collaboration not only at the level
of the whole book, but within many of the essays as well. . . .
This book is enthusiastically recommended for all libraries serving
adults.Catholic Library World
A great read; easy to understand; and a great overview of prayer
throughout the ages. Not a book one reads to ‘finish.’ Rather, a
book that invites the reader to pause, to reflect, and to pray in
the form of prayer that is being described. While anyone familiar
with prayer may know most of the forms of prayer that are
described, the beauty of this book is the historical context in
which each prayer form is placed. Whether it is scriptural,
devotional, or official prayer, the reader learns (perhaps once
again) the historical culture and circumstances that allowed the
prayer form to come to prominence and perhaps later to fade, recede
and then be reclaimed by another generation. Even though the book
is a collection of essays written by a whole variety of monks, the
various chapters fit together nicely, flow from one era to another,
and avoid duplication. It is obvious that the authors are not
studying prayer as simply an exercise in historical research, but
rather an explanation of praye
I think that whenever you get a group of monks together to talk
about prayer you are in for a treat. The Tradition of Catholic
Prayer is a treat. It is a rewarding book if you care about the
history of how Catholics pray, and it is a profound book if you
actually care about connecting to that tradition. By profound I
mean that at some point while reading the book you to realize you
are being seduced into prayer. You plod along, thinking you are
reading about how others have prayed when it occurs to you that
this reading is itself a prayer. It is prayer as seminar. It is as
though these monks decided to call a meeting of saints to talk
about prayer and invited you to sit in, and before it ends you find
yourself in the middle of a conversation with God, who, of course,
just happened to be there, too.Dr. Jon Paul Dilts, Associate
Professor in the School of Journalism, Indiana University
What a well-written and well-organized book. Oh, to have had this
resource when I was teaching high school religion! Kudos and thanks
to all the Benedictine monks who contributed to this major work. It
has filled in a lot of the blanks for me and made me acutely aware
of the depth of our faith.—Former high school theology teacher
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