Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, espoused the ideal of becoming contemplatives in action. He was convinced that contemplation (the deep awareness and appropriation of the unconditional love of God) should affect our actions, and that our actions need to be brought back to contemplation.These five dimensions of the spiritual life: (1) the Holy Eucharist, (2) spontaneous prayer, (3) the Beatitudes, (4) partnership with the Holy Spirit, and (5) the contemplative life itself, generally do not develop simultaneously or even in parallel ways. Some develop very quickly, but do not achieve significant depth; while others develop quite slowly, but seem to be almost unending in the depth of wisdom, trust, hope, virtue, and love they engender. The best way of explaining this is to look at each of the pillars individually.
The publication of Father Spitzers book is a happy coincidence, coming soon after Pope Benedicts Jesus of Nazareth. Both are strong statements of New Testament spirituality and provide an escape from the bleaching of Christs image, caused by the exclusive use of the historical-critical method. Informed Catholic readers are summoned by this book to take the Christ of the Gospels intelligently and seriously.-Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., author of Arise from Darkness