Touched by God: The way to contemplative prayer

Luigi Gioia's was chosen for the 2018 Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book—no mean feat for a first time author. In this new book, Gioia moves on to show the art of contemplation. But he points out from the start that contemplation is not a more advanced way of praying but a greater awareness of the presence of God. The defining mark of this awareness is that we become more and more aware of God's presence, a unique kind of inner peace and joy which has been described by spiritual authors with a variety of arresting and often poetic images. What Gioia describes is not some kind of spiritual wonderland; for it does not dispense us from struggles and doubts and often the non-evidence of God. It brings a peace which coexists with doubt, a peace which can flourish in the middle of struggles, a joy that we can discover even in suffering.