[.ca] The Contemplative Heart (ISBN 189373210X)

an admirer of good writing & thinking:
This book is so well written that the act of reading is in itself contemplative. It is not so much difficult to read, but rather each sentence resonates with a depth that requires stillness & presence of mind. So one stops and revels in the moment that each line strips bare. It may take a life time to absorb. In the meantime it may wake you up to all that surrounds you and is within you. What more could one ask of a book?

Mindful Guidance from a Gentle Soul:
James Finley's book, "The Contemplative Heart," recommended to me by a friend, is a gentle, melodious and profound treatise on connecting with God and spirit through the practice of mindfulness and contemplation. Though Finley comes from a Catholic tradition--and in fact spent many years studying under the great Thomas Merton--the book is pleasingly devoid of religious dogma or rhetoric, stripping from God the millenia of human-created trappings and faces we have hung on Her and returning her to us, naked and relevant. The premise rests in a mystical and vaguely Buddhist notion that we can have a direct experience of the the presence and creativity of God when we are contemplatively aware of our present moment, whether sitting on a hill looking over the ocean, or stuck in traffic. He presents to us the availability of contemplative experience through meditation, and gives us a practical roadmap to assist us with our inevitable distraction and resistance. Finley's language itself helps take us there, creating in its repetitious, poetic cadence a mantra of sorts which soothes and readies us for contemplative awareness. But Finley cautions us too against the trappings of "mystical thought," as his contemplative path is practical and unromantic. You won't suddenly be "awakened," God will not appear magically to you in a burning bush or a plate of spaghetti. But if you commit yourself to simply being in the present moment, you may find yourself awakened to the divine creative wonder and mystery inherent in our very existence at any given moment of our lives. That is the true beauty and gift James Finley gives us with "The Contemplative Heart"--access to our own "contemplative heart," and through that, access in turn to the heart and soul of God.

Finding tranquility and spirituality within a secular life.:
The Contemplative Heart shows us how to find breathing room in our cluttered daily lives. For five years James Finley lived at the cloistered Trappist monastery where he studied with Thomas Merton. Finley's meditations relate directly to our everyday experience of the hectic, modern world and the necessity to remain grounded in the meaning and value of our lives beyond what we produce, consume, and achieve. Finley offers guidelines for meditative practices that promote self-reflection, and shows how to include contemplative influences in our lives, while rooting out those that hinder the process. The Contemplative Heart is highly recommended reading for anyone needing to find tranquility in the midst of confusion, silence in the noise of the world, and personal spirituality within the framework of a secular life.

A journey into grace.:
The Contemplative Heart, from the first page on, is a book that really had an impact on me. Jim Finley communicates gently and without arrogance, speaking to the heart through his own observations, experiences and journey. His writes about how we can know God and experience God through anything and everything...that all of life is speaking to us...that we can experience a deep sense of grace and peace even through the mundane, through pain, through silence, through all of the things that we encounter in our daily lives. I especially was touched by his emphasis on "the divinity of what just is." I've been raised all my life with the concept of grace, but this book expressed grace in a way i never have heard before. It has helped renew my belief that God's heart is full of grace, that all of life is speaking about this grace.

A journey into grace.:
The Contemplative Heart, from the first page on, is a book that really had an impact on me. Jim Finley communicates gently and without arrogance, speaking to the heart through his own observations, experiences and journey. His writes about how we can know God and experience God through anything and everything...that all of life is speaking to us...that we can experience a deep sense of grace and peace even through the mundane, through pain, through silence, through all of the things that we encounter in our daily lives. I especially was touched by his emphasis on "the divinity of what just is." I've been raised all my life with the concept of grace, but this book expressed grace in a way i never have heard before. It has helped renew my belief that God's heart is full of grace, that all of life is speaking about this grace.