Invitation to Love:  The Way of Christian Contemplation
by Thomas Keating

From the Publisher.  The practice of Centering Prayer, which Father Keating presented in his best-selling Open Mind, Open Heart, is the beginning of a process of spiritual growth. In this present work he outlines and explains the actual stages of this process. In the course of numerous workshops and retreats Father Keating is asked many questions regarding contemplative practice. How will it affect my life? Where does it lead us spiritually? What obstacles will I encounter along the way? Why is it necessary? How does it work?

Review.  Having been to a retreat led by Father Keating, I find a seamless connection between the man and his books. Invitation to Love follows his typical pattern of treating profound spiritual issues with simplicity of style and great respect for the connection between spiritual and psychological growth. The ostrich can't see with his head in the sand; neither can we "see" spiritually until we have wiped the sand from our eyes and looked at our psychological formation and its effects on us as adults. Keating explains this connection and provides ways to progress from an "I-centered" to a spiritually-centered way of life. Reading this book was a gift to myself!