Prayers

THIS BOOK, THOUGH WRITTEN IN 1954, HAS SOME OF THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING, SOUL SEARCHING,CONTEMPORARY PRAYERS I HAVE EVER READ. IE., THE EXAMPLE OF A BRICK AS EACH BRICK IS IMPORTANT AS TO WHERE IT IS IN A BUILDING, RELATING TO WHERE I STAND IN THE WORLD,? FAITHFULLY IN THE RIGHT PLACE.....DIFFERENT THAN THE PRAYERS WE MEMORIZE, IT MAKES YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT THE WORLD AND THE PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS IN OUR DAILY LIVES....THIS BOOK COULD CHANGE THE WORLD......

My copy of this book is dated 1963. Over the years I've used it constantly not only for my own inspiration but to use in worship services. Quoist takes common things like subways and doors and tractors, even a pornographic magazine, and through prayer sanctifies them. We must do more than imagine that God is talking to us, he says, we must listen. "God addresses us through every event, even the most insignificant." Through these prayers we come to know what it means to "pray without ceasing," and we learn that it's not such an effort after all, but a privilege that blesses us beyond our wildest dreams.Here's a sample of what he's about:"I went out, Lord.Men were coming and going,Walking and running."Everything was rushing: cars, trucks, the street, the whole town.Men were rushing not to waste time.They were rushing after time,To catch time,To gain time...."...You understand, Lord, they simply haven't the time.The child is playing, he hasn't the time right now...later on..The schoolboy has his homework to do, he hasn't time...later on..The young man is at his sports, he hasn't the time...later on..The young married man has his new house; he has to fix it up. He hasn't time...later on...The grandparents have their grandchildren. They haven't time...Later on...They are ill, they have their treatments, they haven't time...Later on...They are dying...they have no...Too late!...They have no more time!"And so all men run after time, Lord.They pass through life running -- hurried, jostled, overburdened, frantic, and they never get there. They haven't time...."There's much more to the poem, of course, but you see his style and some of his message. These poetic prayers speak to the world and life as we live it today."This is a very special book for all generations; it is uplifting, comforting and sustaining. Put this on your bedside table and let it wake you and ready you for sleep and it will give your soul rest and consolation all the days of your life.

I first read this prayer book as a sophmore in college over twenty-five years ago. This French abbe had a touch of reality, which was uncommon amongst spiritualists at that time. I found the book again in a bookstore in London and passed it on to a friend who was terminally ill with cancer. It encouraged her. I passed my own copy on to my daughter who began college this year, it has been a source of finding words to express the feelings of many life situations for her this past year. Michel Quoist writes that "all life should become a prayer", and this he accomplishes in this book. From the fence to the telephone, the subway to the ocean, he finds the voice of God for those who want to listen. His expressions of Christ on the road to the cross leave a deep impression on all who read the prayers.