The Art of Praying

Perhaps this is one of the best books on prayer ever written. Romano Guardini discusses various kinds of prayer--praise, intercession, adoration, requests--and speaks about why each one is necessary. He describes the attitude of heart one should have when approaching God. I found especially illuminating his discussion of the fact that God has created us with dignity; thus, we should approach Him with honor and dignity. Included also are expositions on contemplative prayer, prayer to the saints, and difficulties with prayer. The best part of the book is its grounding in reality and in orthodox theology. This is no promotion of a vague kind of spirituality designed simply to make a person feel good. Prayer as Guardini speaks of it is to be always centered on Christ and his work of salvation for us. This is a compassionate book. Guardini warns that prayer is almost always difficult, that we have an innate tendency to resist it, and that we should simply persevere. However, he also speaks with sympathy regarding times of darkness and depression, and he urges honesty before God. At all times, the focus of the book is about how prayer draws us closer to Christ and better fits us to dwell with Him eternally; it is not a "how-to" book on demanding wealth, fame and riches from a God whom we conceive to be a great Santa Claus. One of the most helpful and practical books on the Christian life I've ever read.

The Art of Praying, formerly Prayer in Practice, is one of Guardini's best books. It is a primer on prayer, and covers all types of prayer, from liturgy, to oral, to contemplative, to all varieties. It is a book to strengthen one in the necessity and possibility of building one's life around prayer (or at the very least including it in daily actions) and, like all of Father Guardini's books, profoundly touches on all aspects of the spiritual life in the world - how to seek guidance, the proper deportment in spiritual matters, how to discern God's voice, the ebbs and flows of our spiritual life, the nature of man, God, and the right relationship of man to God. It is a book of comfort, acceptance, and the dignity of man. In an age that runs roughshod over the slow, the delicate and the organic, it celebrates the natural rhythms of our lives, and of God's dealings with us. It is a book that is an experience in prayer itself to read. This is what marked all of Guardini's actions - to be in his presence OR to hear him speak OR to read one of his books was to come to an experience of the living presence of God, in itself, such was the power of this man. This is not a book of details about technique - Guardini was not a technician - it is a book of spirituality and philosophy that, by its own holiness, takes one into the presence of God and elucidates timeless, God-given principles on the nature of prayer. Highly recommended.