The Anglican newspaper Church Times published in January a review of Sensing God, the latest book by Laurence Freeman OSB. Read a copy of the article below:
Sensing God: Learning to meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman
Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk, and the Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation. As the subtitle of his book Sensing God suggests, he wants us to use Lent to learn how to meditate.
He is not interested in more faddish types of “mindfulness”, but in persuading the reader of the benefits of entering deeply in the mysteries of the Christian faith through a twice-daily regimen of silent meditation, focused not on looking into oneself, but on looking out, taking attention away from the self to God. As he observes, “this is the simplest and the hardest thing in the world to do and yet also the most transformative and liberating.”
Freeman is good at simplicity: meditation may be a daunting word to some, but it is not meant to be a daunting thing to do.
Although this discipline can and should be practised all the time, Lent is as good a time as any for beginners (or those who need a bit of a refresher course). Freeman’s Sensing God is a very good guide: each day of Lent is given a short passage from the Gospels, and a brief phrase from the passage is then highlighted, both for use as a kind of mantra to settle the mind, and as a basis for a brief reflection. As far as possible, the passages selected are those appointed to be read in the eucharist for each day in Lent.
The readings for Sunday in Year B are printed in the book (although there are references for the other years’ reading in an appendix), and non-Roman Catholic readers may notice a slight divergence from what is now the “common” lectionary, but this should in no way deter potential reader. This is the very best sort of book on meditation: it has done its job when the reader has put it down and is actually meditating, and noise and language have been transfigured by silence.
- Reviewed by Revd. Peter McGeary in The Church Times on 15/1/16
Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk, and the Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation. As the subtitle of his book Sensing God suggests, he wants us to use Lent to learn how to meditate.
He is not interested in more faddish types of “mindfulness”, but in persuading the reader of the benefits of entering deeply in the mysteries of the Christian faith through a twice-daily regimen of silent meditation, focused not on looking into oneself, but on looking out, taking attention away from the self to God. As he observes, “this is the simplest and the hardest thing in the world to do and yet also the most transformative and liberating.”
Freeman is good at simplicity: meditation may be a daunting word to some, but it is not meant to be a daunting thing to do.
Although this discipline can and should be practised all the time, Lent is as good a time as any for beginners (or those who need a bit of a refresher course). Freeman’s Sensing God is a very good guide: each day of Lent is given a short passage from the Gospels, and a brief phrase from the passage is then highlighted, both for use as a kind of mantra to settle the mind, and as a basis for a brief reflection. As far as possible, the passages selected are those appointed to be read in the eucharist for each day in Lent.
The readings for Sunday in Year B are printed in the book (although there are references for the other years’ reading in an appendix), and non-Roman Catholic readers may notice a slight divergence from what is now the “common” lectionary, but this should in no way deter potential reader. This is the very best sort of book on meditation: it has done its job when the reader has put it down and is actually meditating, and noise and language have been transfigured by silence.
- Reviewed by Revd. Peter McGeary in The Church Times on 15/1/16
YOU CAN ORDER SENSING DO HERE
- Place: UK
- Date: January 2016