This small book about contemplative experience is a jewel and not to be missed. It is not meant to be a scholarly or theoretical treatise. Here Fr. Joseph presents his own valuable insights in simple and direct language.

He begins by remembering a meeting of Trappist Novice Masters at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. It was June of 1968 and Thomas Merton spoke of his concerns to them about the role of contemplatives in the Church. “Why,” he queried, “are there so few true contemplatives in our communities today? . . . So very few really seemed to be deeply contemplative, or if they were, it was something they were absolutely unable to articulate, something they were not even aware of.”

Today, Fr. Joseph notes a changed situation, much of it due to the influence of Merton himself—but also to the efforts of promoting “Centering prayer,” “ Mantra Prayer” and Thomas Keating’s “Contemplative Outreach” program. Moreover, the Cistercian Order itself [Trappists] is listening to the monks and nuns who live in the more recent foundations of the Third World and who are expressing their way of contemplative life. Fr. Joseph is one of these persons who has masterfully articulated his thoughts on the matter for Asians and for the whole Order.

The focus of his thought is on four points of view: Sacred Scripture, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Asian non-Christian Masters, and the Virgin Mary. This sums up his contemplative identity in “the experiential realization of the Word of God as Spirit and Life.” Indeed, this is a choice essay to ponder over and over in one’s heart-mind. It is all substance, no frills; sound and very practical.