Recollection: the Catholic Art of Stilling Mind and Finding God

You want to pray, but your mind will not remain where your body is.You begin the Rosary, attend Mass, open Scripture, or sit quietly before God, only to find your attention pulled toward unfinished work, old conversations, anxious thoughts, and constant interior noise.The Catholic tradition has a name for the discipline that gathers the scattered soul and turns it back toward God: recollection.In Recollection, Gerard W. Sasso recovers the Church's classical wisdom for Catholics who desire a quieter, steadier, and more faithful interior life. Drawing from St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis de Sales, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Alphonsus Liguori, Brother Lawrence, and other masters of prayer, this book explains both the theology and the daily practice of living attentively in God's presence.You will learn how to: - understand the spiritual causes of distraction and restlessness - practice the presence of God throughout the day - develop custody of the senses and imagination without becoming anxious or scrupulous - establish a stable life of mental prayer - use the examination of conscience as a school of self-knowledge - approach the Rosary, lectio divina, and the Liturgy of the Hours with greater attention - carry recollection into work, family life, conversation, and suffering - persevere through dryness and spiritual desolation - understand the prayer of simplicity and the beginnings of contemplative prayer with humility and discernmentThis is not a promise of instant calm or perfect concentration. It is a serious and practical guide to gathering your attention, governing your interior life, and becoming more available to the God who is already present.The scattered soul can learn to return.The restless heart can learn to remain.