The Spark in the Soul: Four Mystics on Justice (Francis of Assisi / Meister Eckhart / Evallyn Underhill / Thomas Merton) - Softcover

Terry Tastard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0809131544 ISBN 13: 9780809131549

Publisher: Paulist Pr

Synopsis

How can prayer help us to live and act in a way that leads to justice and peace? In The Spark in the Soul, Terry Tastard has turned to four great mystics to find the answer. From Francis of Assisi's discovery of the vulnerability of God we learn about seeing through the eyes of the poor. This leads on to how Francis' meditation on Christ's presence in our sufferings deepened his awareness of the suffering people of his day. We also discover in Francis a spirituality of non-violence. Meister Eckhart teaches us how detachment from the world's distractions helps us recover our consciousness of God within us as the ground of our being. This contradicts contemporary teaching on human nature, which tells us that we are more human the more we possess as consumers. Eckhart also leads us to a sense of ourselves as the place of God's birth-giving, where the world is made anew through God's transforming presence in us. Evelyn Underhill shows how complete prayer includes adoration, communion and cooperation. Love of God challenges us to get involved in completing his purposes through our free cooperation; cooperation in turn challenges us to see through any distortions and false perceptions of society. Prayer implies our acceptance of change. Thomas Merton points us toward a discovery of our identity in God and not in terms of role or achievement. He encourages us to enter into solitude and silence, which will help break down the prejudices which we inherit from society; it will help us see officially promoted lies for what they are and reach beyond them for the truth. Finally, his teaching on contemplation draws our attention to a contemporary sickness, which views the world and other people as important only insofar as they are useful. Terry Tastard is a Franciscan living in London, England. Before joining the Anglican Society of St. Francis in 1975 he was a journalist in southern Africa.

About this edition

• Publisher: Paulist Pr
• ISBN 10: 0809131544
• ISBN 13: 9780809131549
• Binding: Paperback