Fire From Above: Christian Contemplation and Mystical Wisdom

by Anthony Lilles

Overview

A humble prayer calls down fire from above, and as we learn to live a life rooted in prayer, this heavenly fire grows into a profound awareness of the presence of God. This is the deepest purpose of prayer, and making this journey is essential for reaching the heights of holiness for which we were made.

In Fire From Above, Dr. Anthony Lilles, Academic Dean at St. John's Seminary in California, shows you how to put your whole life in conversation with the Risen Lord within the Catholic tradition of spirituality. The wisdom of great saints and mystics will help you discover how to surrender your pride and appeal to God with humble trust, and how prayer addresses your deepest human needs.

Dr. Lilles then shows you how the mystery of prayer unfolds, and how God provides heroic levels of courage and deep internal resolve through humble and persevering devotion. You'll examine how spiritual battles and dryness in prayer are essential to reaching communion with God, including the dark night of the soul. In these remarkable pages, you'll also explore:

• Why finding time to pray is always possible and necessary even when life is busy
• How the proper use of sacramentals can render the heart more vulnerable to God's saving power while protecting it from evil.
• Practical ways to confront self-deception and other challenges to contemplative prayer.
• How forgiveness and bearing hardships are means for spiritual maturity
• The indispensible role of Our Lady in the life of faith

Read these pages, and you'll soon embark on the epic adventure which is the life of prayer, and you'll find encouragement to desire neither the goods nor the experiences of this world, but instead to pursue alone the Lord and His divine plan for your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781622823352
Publisher:	Sophia Institute Press
Publication date:	05/16/2016
Pages:	231
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Anthony Lilles is co-founder and Academic Dean of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and also serves as the Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Theology at St. John’s Seminary. He is a founding faculty member of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary where he was Academic Dean for nine years. Dr. Lilles has provided graduate level courses on a variety of topics including the Eucharist, the Sacraments of Healing, Church History, Spiritual Theology, Spiritual Direction and on various classics of Catholic Spirituality.

Table of Contents

Foreword Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez ix

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction: Christian Prayer and Fire from Above 1

1 Fire in the Garden of the Lord 11

2 The Holy Trinity: Furnace of Love 33

3 Elizabeth of the Trinity 47

4 The Energy of Christian Prayer 59

5 De Signaculo Sanctae Crucis 69

6 The Sign of the Cross and Our Baptism 77

7 The Primacy of Grace 85

8 Faith and Trust 97

9 Hope and Compunction 105

10 Love and Obedience 113

11 The Battle for Peace 119

12 Crossing the Frontier 133

13 The Need for Merciful Love 145

14 Forgiveness and Contemplation 155

15 Mental Prayer and Spiritual Exercises 161

16 Reason Lifted Up in Prayer 167

17 A Kneeling Theology 181

18 The Confrontation of Prayer and Doubt 187

19 Mystical Wisdom-Fire from Above 199

20 The Role of Mary in Mental Prayer 209

Conclusion: Spiritual Revolution and the New Evangelization 219

About the Author: Anthony Lilies 231