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Preface by Pope Francis
In this fourth of eight booklets on prayer, Fr Paul Brendan Murray, OP gives an account of how four great saints of the Church learned to pray – St Augustine of Hippo, St Teresa of Avila, St Thomas Aquinas and St Thérèse of Lisieux – with the aim ‘to discover what help the great saints can offer those of us who desire to make progress in the life of prayer, but who find ourselves being constantly deflected from our purpose, our tentative efforts undermined perhaps most of all by human weakness.’
‘The saints, it soon becomes clear, are human beings like us. That’s why they can offer people still struggling with weakness such great compassion and encouragement. However, the remarkable sanctity of their lives remains a stark, unignorable challenge to our mediocrity. In their daring, prayerful, dedicated surrender to God, they have allowed their lives to be transformed by grace, and allowed the radiance, strength, power, and beauty of Christ to shine through their human weakness.’
Fr Paul Brendan Murray OP
Fr Paul Brendan Murray is an Irish Dominican, theologian, and professor of mystical literature at the Angelicum Pontifical University in Rome.
Notes on Prayer Series
In the year dedicated by Pope Francis to praying, the Notes on Prayer series features 8 books by international authors who explore how to dialogue with God.
