A Great Book for Any Season

On Christmas Eve, I started reading In His Spirt: A Guide to Today's Spirituality by Richard J. Hauser, S. J., a Jesuit priest and theologian. I finished the slim little book a few days later. It is outstanding. It was first published in 1982.  It is an oldie, but a goodie! A new and expanded edition was published in 2011.

Here is what I liked:

1. comparison between two models of spirituality, i.e., the Self-in-God (Scriptural model) and the Self-outside-God (Western model);
2. comparison between two common psychological models and implications for trust of self;
3. how prayer and service are mutually reinforcing;
4. references to Mark 12:30-31 where Jesus puts forth the commandments to love God and neighbor;
5. regular mention of the importance of paying attention to the whole person: mind, body, and spirit; and
6. guidelines for contemporary asceticism based on Mark 12:30-31.
7. Hauser's personal testimony.

Hauser's book has given me a language to talk about spirituality in a new way.

Here is the Franciscan connection. The SFO Rule begins with "The First Version of the Letter to the Faithful" from St. Francis and the letter begins with a quote from Mark 12:30-31. The quote from Mark 12:30-31 comes to the fore again in St. Francis' Office of the Passion, which is arranged to be prayed seven times a day. So there is no doubt that Mark 12:30-31 was important to St. Francis and rightfully so, because Jesus says that following the two commandment is what it is all about.

Regarding a Franciscan approach to contemporary asceticism, check out my 2008 blog post: Be All that You Can Be.