God's Love sets us Free - free from anxiety and fear, free to become our true selves. In a warm, personal style Fr. Max Oliva guides us on a journey that leads to our true selves, that part of us where we encounter the unconditional love of God. "Each of us is called to be free. Each of us is invited to be a mystic," he reminds us. Oliva blends the spirituality of St. Ignatius, John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila with the wisdom of the East as he describes various forms of prayer: meditation on the scriptures, prayer of the imagination, centering prayer/ and quiet prayer. In addition, he shares a form of prayer developed out of his own experience which he calls the "Freedom Prayer," a way of rooting out the fears and compulsions that enslave us.
Oliva shows how the progress we make toward unity with God brings about changes in our consciousness so that we learn to live in the present moment with Christ as our center, even during the "dark nights." He offers practical advice and personal experience to show how our prayer does not take us away from concern for what is happening in the world, but rather leads us to a deeper compassion for the oppressed and for the earth. Pilgrims at every stage of the journey will find that Max Oliva is a helpful guide and an encourging mentor.