Fully Alive: The Daily Path of Christian Meditation

Fully Alive is a previously unpublished book by John Main, a Benedictine monk, who was one of the twentieth century’s most influence spiritual teachers. It was Main who helped popularize in the contemporary church the practice of contemplative prayer—a tradition that had been lost since the era of the Desert Fathers. During his lifetime, hundreds of groups gathered at his monastery to learn meditation from him, and this book is drawn from these talks, delivered to help people enter the experience of silence. John Main’s teaching is striking for the depth and richness of its simplicity. The lessons gathered here offer a practical prayer companion for every stage of the contemplative pilgrimage.

Laurence Freeman, OSB, is the founder and spiritual guide of the World Community for Christian Meditation. He has edited many of Main’s works, including John Main: Essential Writings.