Fire from Above: Christian Contemplation and Mystical Wisdom (Spiritual Direction)

A humble prayer calls down fire from above, and as we learn to live a life rooted in prayer, this heavenly fire grows into a profound awareness of the presence of God. This is the deepest purpose of prayer, and making this journey is essential for reaching the heights of holiness for which we were made.

In Fire From Above, Dr. Anthony Lilles, Academic Dean at St. John's Seminary in California, shows you how to put your whole life in conversation with the Risen Lord within the Catholic tradition of spirituality. The wisdom of great saints and mystics will help you discover how to surrender your pride and appeal to God with humble trust, and how prayer addresses your deepest human needs.

Dr. Lilles then shows you how the mystery of prayer unfolds, and how God provides heroic levels of courage and deep internal resolve through humble and persevering devotion. You'll examine how spiritual battles and dryness in prayer are essential to reaching communion with God, including the dark night of the soul. In these remarkable pages, you'll also explore:

Why finding time to pray is always possible and necessary even when life is busy

How the proper use of sacramentals can render the heart more vulnerable to God's saving power while protecting it from evil.

Practical ways to confront self-deception and other challenges to contemplative prayer.

How forgiveness and bearing hardships are means for spiritual maturity

The indispensible role of Our Lady in the life of faith

Read these pages, and you'll soon embark on the epic adventure which is the life of prayer, and you'll find encouragement to desire neither the goods nor the experiences of this world, but instead to pursue alone the Lord and His divine plan for your life.

Professor Anthony Lilles is a husband and father who provides retreats, blog posts, and podcasts on St. Elizabeth of the Trinity's spiritual mission around the world. Professor Lilles has taught graduate-level theology since 1994, having served at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Denver, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, and St. John's Seminary in Camarillo prior to joining the faculty of St. Patrick's Seminary. With a B.A. in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as an ecclesiastical licentiate and doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, he has specialized in St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church. He co-founded the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and the High Calling Program for priestly vocations. He also founded and serves as president of the John Paul II Center for Contemplative Culture. His work at St. Patrick's began in 2014 when he helped start an annual summer spi