Friday Review -- Into the Silent Land

A new book for a change instead of a golden oldie. Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird was released in July, 2006. So far, I have not found a single Ring member who has mentioned it. Although, its subject,contemplative prayer, isn't mentioned too often either.

Contemplative spirituality strikes many people as either not Christian or not Presbyterian. We are a head-first bunch, and if it can't be intellectualized or rationalized, it probably isn't on our plates. I should admit that my spirituality is more contemplative than most Presbyterians, in part, because I have been strongly influenced by the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.

I have read this new book by Martin Laird, but I haven't lived it. There were places where I found it easy to lose sight of God's place in the teachings of this book. However, when I consider the people I have known who exhibit the kind of calmness and centeredness that this book describes as the fruits of contemplative prayer, I see people whom I have always considered to be genuinely holy.

This book is neither as beautifully written nor as easy to read as Richard Foster's book on prayer. I found it worth the effort, because it offers a kind of walk through the process of developing a contemplative practice that I would expect to find only when working one-on-one with an experienced spiritual director. I have tried contemplative prayer before, but I have never gotten very far with it. The early roadblocks that I remember running into are all well described by Laird with constructive suggestions for working through them.

If you are interested in expanding the contemplative aspect of your spiritual life and Lectio Divina is already an established part of your day, this book looks more practical than any of the others I have seen on the subject.

I would love to hear comments either on this book or on contemplative spirituality in general.

I can be reached directly at JusticeSeeker@aol.com