From the Library of Deacon Mike:
"One of the most important – and most neglected – elements in the beginnings of the interior life is the ability to respond to reality, to see the value and beauty in ordinary things, to come alive to the splendor that is all around us."A book that belongs in every God seeker's home is a book entitled "Spiritual Literacy" which tries to answer the universal question, "How can I live a spiritual life every day?" Frederic and Many Ann Brussat, who have been covering contemporary culture and the spiritual renaissance for more than twenty-five years, believe that by examining our personal life's experiences and looking at the world around us we can discover sacred meaning. All we need is spiritual literacy.
Thomas Merton
To illustrate their point, the Brussats present more than 650 "readings" about daily life from present-day authors – spiritual teachers, essayists, novelists, filmmakers, poets, naturalists, and social activists. This collection is unprecedented – an enthralling treasury of brief passages from such writers as Maya Angelou, Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Robert Fulghum, Kathleen Norris, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Anne Tyler, and many more. In addition, the Brussats include demonstrations of spiritual literacy based on their personal experiences and their interpretations of contemporary movies, songs, and television dramas.
These remarkable readings tutor us in the art of lingering with our experiences and seeing the world with fresh eyes. They offer spiritual perspectives on things, places, nature, animals, leisure activities, creative pursuits, work, body, illness, death, relationships, and community. Woven throughout the book are references to the "Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy", the "letters" which, according to the Brussats, are needed to read the world. Key spiritual practices such as attention, beauty, devotion, hospitality, imagination, listening, play, silence, wonder and other practices are defined which enable us to see the Divine in the mundane and help us to appreciate the magic moments of grace in everyday life.
Spiritual literacy does not require that we become masters of certain religious texts or that we climb to a high rung on the ladder of enlightenment. Indeed, it is the very opposite of such elitism. At the end of each chapter, the Brussats invite their readers to practice spiritual literacy themselves through journal exercises, household projects, and rituals.
You will want to create a place in your home for this profound resource, whether you plan to read it cover to cover or to dip into its riches from time to time. It is one book you can share with children, family and friends as you explore together the beauty of the spiritual life.
Enjoy !!!