Pathways to God - A guide to the practice of silent prayer

Pathways to God - A guide to the practice of silent prayer by Fr Paul Nicholson SJ - published by CTS

When the disciples of Jesus asked him how to pray he answers with a simple formula, Our Father. We Catholics have learned to pray the set prayers like The Hail Mary, The Glory which Fr Nicholson says take us 'a long way' spiritually but sometimes are not enough to sustain us. Talking to God (St Ignatius phrase) breathes new life into prayer, silence and fewer words come into being.

In 2010 the BBC decided to test this out. with six volunteers who were invited to visit St Beuno's retreat house in north Wales to a six day silent retreat. How would they react in an unfamiliar setting without family, friends, work, TV, radio, the internet, newspapers, or music? Each one of them discovered during the retreat that they 'found themselves better able to focus on what is more important in life and the changes they longed for became possible.

Fr Nicholson agrees that we could bring this kind of experience into our lives, by finding a quiet time for fifteen to thirty minutes a day in silent prayerful reflection. In the remainder of this booklet he sets out in eleven exercises how we can use this time.

1. Pathways into silence
2. Reflecting on the day
3. Reviewing your life Journey
4. Discernment - Choosing what is life giving
5. Keeping a reflective journal
6. Praying with a listening heart
7. Using your imagination
8. Healing hurtful memories
9. Facing up to bereavement
10. God in the city
11. Reviewing your prayer

These exercises are drawn from the 'Spiritual Exercises' of the 'sixteenth century Basque nobleman St Ignatius of Loyola presented in words and concepts 'more attuned to our times'. Fr Nicholson reminds us that 'the trick with an exercise is to do it.' This is a deeply effective booklet to keep nearby and to treasure.