Now available from Ignatius Press:
Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoning Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us
by Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen
In the spiritual life, we need a central idea: something so basic and comprehensive that it encompasses everything else. According to Carmelite Father Wilfrid Stinissen, surrender to God, abandonment to the One who loves us completely, is that central reality. The life of Jesus shows us the centrality of abandonment, for it is truly the beginning and the end of his mission on earth.
In this simple but profound book, Father Stinissen distinguishes three degrees or stages in abandonment. The first stage consists of accepting and assenting to God's will as it manifests itself in all circumstances of life. The second is actively doing God's will at every moment of one's life. In the third stage, abandonment to God is so complete that one has become a tool in God's hands. At this stage it is no longer I who do God's will, but God who accomplishes his will through me.
Father Wilfrid Stinissen was born in Antwerp, Belgium, where he entered the Carmelite Order in 1944. He was sent to Sweden in 1967 to cofound a small contemplative community. His many books on the spiritual life have been translated into multiple languages. Among his works available in English are Nourished by the Word: Reading the Bible Contemplatively, This Is the Day the Lord Has Made: 365 Daily Meditations and The Gift of Spiritual Direction: On Spiritual Guidance and Care for the Soul.
From the Foreword:
The Gospels and the spiritual literature point out various practices of importance on the journey to God. We are told to deny ourselves, forgive one another, carry our cross, fast, and give alms. We must also love our neighbor, pray with others and in private, bring our troubles to the Lord, and be peacemakers. All of these things have their place, and nothing may be overlooked, but they may cause us to feel confused and divided, and we might even ask ourselves where we will find the strength to do all that is required. In spiritual reading we are instructed about balanced asceticism, the Mass readings of the day tell of prayer, and the retreat master speaks about love. We are pulled in different directions, and, instead of finding peace, we become restless. What we need most is a central idea, something so basic and comprehensive that it encompasses everything else.
In my opinion, that central idea is surrender.
This has been done (but hasn't everything?) Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade (d. 1751) in SELF-ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
Posted by: Dena Hunt | Monday, February 21, 2011 at 03:00 AM