If someone else is already discussing this book, please let me know but I couldn't find it. Anyway, I wanted to be clear that I am not Catholic so if some of my questions are pretty basic, please bear with me.
I found myself drawn to this book right from the title. The idea of spiritual exercises, specific things you can do to have a better spiritual life was intriguing. I was brought up Protestant - Pentacostal. We were taught to "do devotions" every day. This was a bit of bible reading, then some time in prayer. Prayer was not formalized, just talk to God. My mother would even make a prayer list for us kids, broken down into days of the week. Immediate family on one day, another group of relatives on the next day, and so on. Often I had no idea what to pray for when it came to a specific person, so I would just say "Please bless (insert name here)" and go onto the next. Meditation was often considered "evil Eastern religion" practice, something Hindu and Buddhist monks while levitating. If a Christian was to meditate, you were leaving your mind open for evil spirits to enter, possessing you. If the Bible mentioned meditating, it meant just to think about what a verse meant, which usually could be figured out more easily by looking at a Commentary. I found my upbringing led me to have an understanding in my head about God and religion, but my heart was left out of it. Worshiping God in body and mind, but totally lost in how to use the soul, or spirit. Any emotional experience had with God was to be pushed aside as not real, not spiritual, just your emotions.
Well, that is where I am coming from. I am hoping that this book will help me develop a more spiritual relationship with God, not just something in my head that does not seem real.
Starting off with the book, I got thrown for a loop right at the start, in the Annotations. Don't know why, but I always thought annotations came at the end. Anyway, in the second annotation, it mentions Contemplations or Meditations. So what is the difference between the two? Or is there a difference? Also sounds like this whole book is meant for someone who knows what they are doing to lead someone else through it. Wonder if that means I shouldn't even try following this.
Any suggestions or comments are appreciated. Thanks!
I found myself drawn to this book right from the title. The idea of spiritual exercises, specific things you can do to have a better spiritual life was intriguing. I was brought up Protestant - Pentacostal. We were taught to "do devotions" every day. This was a bit of bible reading, then some time in prayer. Prayer was not formalized, just talk to God. My mother would even make a prayer list for us kids, broken down into days of the week. Immediate family on one day, another group of relatives on the next day, and so on. Often I had no idea what to pray for when it came to a specific person, so I would just say "Please bless (insert name here)" and go onto the next. Meditation was often considered "evil Eastern religion" practice, something Hindu and Buddhist monks while levitating. If a Christian was to meditate, you were leaving your mind open for evil spirits to enter, possessing you. If the Bible mentioned meditating, it meant just to think about what a verse meant, which usually could be figured out more easily by looking at a Commentary. I found my upbringing led me to have an understanding in my head about God and religion, but my heart was left out of it. Worshiping God in body and mind, but totally lost in how to use the soul, or spirit. Any emotional experience had with God was to be pushed aside as not real, not spiritual, just your emotions.
Well, that is where I am coming from. I am hoping that this book will help me develop a more spiritual relationship with God, not just something in my head that does not seem real.
Starting off with the book, I got thrown for a loop right at the start, in the Annotations. Don't know why, but I always thought annotations came at the end. Anyway, in the second annotation, it mentions Contemplations or Meditations. So what is the difference between the two? Or is there a difference? Also sounds like this whole book is meant for someone who knows what they are doing to lead someone else through it. Wonder if that means I shouldn't even try following this.
Any suggestions or comments are appreciated. Thanks!
