"Sensing God" (Laurence Freeman)

TITLE: Sensing God: Learning to Meditate Through Lent
AUTHOR: Laurence Freeman
PUBLISHER: Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 2016, (120 pages).

One of the most important periods of the calendar year is Lent. Beginning Ash Wednesday, it is a forty days period of focused meditation and spiritual awareness for Christians to remember how Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. According to Laurence Freeman, a Benedictine monk and Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, a contemporary, ecumenical contemplative community:

"The forty days and nights of Lent are about simplification, purification, getting priorities reestablished and remembering that God, not my ego, is the centre of reality."

For each day, there is a specific verse from the Bible. There are instructions on how to meditate, notes on postures, tips on time and place, and practical examples of how to go about preparing our hearts for Lent. Simple steps are given to help us get into the flow of meditation. This includes breathing techniques, mind awareness, formation of habits, daily meditations, and brevity that suggests the need for moments of silence. At the end of each week, Freeman repeats the mantra to remind us that meditation is a continuous learning exercise.

Any devotional on Lent ought to be brief. It ought to be Word centered and prayer filled. It also needs to supply lots of space for individuals to be quiet and reflective. This devotional meets all of these aspects and for that reason, I recommend this for the use this Lent and for every Lent. Let this book guide you in praying and a deeper seeking after the heart of God.

For 2016, Ash Wednesday begins February 10th and Easter is on March 27th, 2016.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Franciscan Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.