More Books

Free shipping does me in and encourages me to buy more books. And this month, that has been a blessing. I had to buy a book for class from Amazon.com and bought an extra to get free shipping, and then I found a gift card for $10 from Barnes and Noble and bought more books to get free shipping. And am delighted by my purchases.
I want to recommend three books that I am currently reading slowly.

These are all spiritual books and the best way to read them is a little bit at a time and allow them to settle into our minds and souls. I frequently start the day reading one of these.

1. THE WAY TO LOVE by Anthony DeMello. This is a little, little book and is the last meditations of him. Anthony DeMello is a Catholic priest whose writings are profound. I first read THE SONG OF THE BIRD by him and it continues to have an important place in my library. The most important book of his for me, however, has been AWARENESS. That has been a great blessing in my understanding of self and God. This little book is a gem. The very first chapter spoke to the hollowness of a life living for approval - and I was hooked.

2. THE NAKED NOW: Learning to See as the Mystics See. by Richard Rohr. His books EVERTYING BELONGS is aother one that I go back to at least once a year. This one is also speaking to me. here is a quote:
"In the West, religion became preoccupied with telling peple what to know more than how to know, telling people what to see more than how to see. We ended up seeing Holy Things faintly, trying to understand great Things with a whittled-down mind, and trying to love God with our own small and divided heart. it has been like trying to view the galaxies with a $5 pair of binoculars.
...Contemplation, my word for this larger seeing, keeps the whole field open; it remains vulnerable before the moment the event, or the person - before ti divides and tries to conquer or control it."

3. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird Henri Nouwen's students write about his teachings on spiritual direction. I have already quoted in this blog from this book. It is a treasure.

So, what I keep learning is how important it is to put these kinds of thoughts and ideas into my mind as I begin the day and as I reflect on the day. I recommend all of these books - probably one at a time would make more sense than what I am doing. But they are so good I keep picking up all three throughout the day.