Seeking God In All Things

Book excerpt: The practice of spiritual direction assumes a theology of the Holy Spirit, a theology of revelation and of the Church, and a theology of prayer. Seeking God in All Things explores each of these themes as the underpinnings of spiritual direction and examines what makes the Christian religious experience distinctive. Since not every experience of God bears a Christian imprint, William Reiser, SJ, asks whether and in what way a Christian might be ale to assist someone who is not Christian in developing his or her interior life. This question looks beyond suggesting the concrete steps a person might take in initiating, nurturing, and solidifying a way of praying. It looks, rather, toward the fundamental issue of helping others as they discover and deepen their relationship to the mystery of God. Chapters are It Is God Who Directs," *Imagining Divine Action in Human Lives, - *Where Do Holy Desires Come From? - *What's Distinctive About the Christian Religious Experience? - *Further Elements of Christian Distinctiveness, - *The Incarnation as a Starting Point for Spiritual Direction, - and *Should Christian Spirituality Move Beyond Jesus? - William Reiser, SJ, PhD, is a professor of theology in the religious studies department at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts. Over the past twelve years, he has also served as an associate staff member at the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge. He is the author of Jesus in Solidarity with His People, published by Liturgical Press. "