"It is a well-known paradox of the spiritual life that when we gather together and focus our love and attention outward--on God's goodness and grace--we actually grow closer to one another. That is the secret of praying together as a family. . . ." --Gregory and Suzanne Wolfe
Prayer, it has been said, is the natural language of the heart. Indeed, surveys reveal that Americans overwhelmingly believe in the power and efficacy of prayer. Yet many parents feel uncertain about introducing their children to prayer because they themselves have forgotten--or never learned--how to pray. Consequently, their children too are kept in the dark, uncertain how to start, what to say. Now Circle of Grace gives parents the inspiration, confidence, and practical help they need to begin integrating prayer into the fabric of family life. This compelling book contains more than four hundred prayers from many faiths--as fresh and moving today as when they were first uttered.
Writing from their own experiences with family prayer, the authors answer such questions as: What is the best and most natural way to introduce your children to prayer? What if parents are of different faiths? Are there special times and places for praying? What if your child resists this intimate new family activity? Inside you'll discover prayers of praise and petition; for bedtime, mealtime, and birthdays; for holy days and the seasons; for sickness, death, and times of special need; for family, friends, even pets.
Praying with your children not only passes on a precious gift but also can become a source of spiritual renewal for parents--a chance to rejoin the pilgrim's path. With wisdom and common sense, Circle of Grace sets us on our way.
HIn an eloquent and thoughtful fashion, the Wolfes tackle an important but rarely written-upon subject: praying with one's children. "When your children begin to attend to the divine, they will become more deeply and fully human," the Wolfes, who have four children themselves, explain. They argue that children who "turn outward in prayer" by praying with family members "become far more vibrant individuals" than those who pray alone or with little guidance. The first half of the book is a wonderful treatise on praying with, and for, one's children, including some pointers on how to get started and how to overcome various obstacles (especially kids who don't want to pray). Pointing out that they are neither clergy nor theologians (he is publisher and editor of Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, while she created and edits The Golden Key, a mail-order catalog of outstanding children's books), they call on their own experiences in parenting, friends' stories, and remarks from famous writers, such as child psychologist Robert Coles and poet W.H. Auden, to help parents along. The second part of the book includes prayers from various cultures; while predominantly Christian, the Wolfes also embrace from Native American, Jewish, African and Muslim traditions, mostly addressing rhythms of life, rites of passage, grace and blessings, thankfulness, and mindfulness of others' needs. This is a wonderful book for anyone who wishes to impart strong spiritual values to the children in their lives. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Every member of your family will find a valuable friend and companion in Circle of Grace--a book whose wonderful insights help us realize how much we can learn from one another as we search for life's meaning and fulfillment through prayer." --ROBERT COLES Author of The Spiritual Life of Children
Writer, teacher, publisher, and editor, Gregory Wolfe has been called "one of the most incisive and persuasive voices of our generation" (Ron Hansen). Both as a thinker and institution-builder, Wolfe has been a pioneer in the resurgence of interest in the relationship between art and religion--a resurgence that has had widespread impact both on religious communities and the public square. As an advocate for and exemplar of the tradition of Christian Humanism, Wolfe has established a reputation as an independent, non-ideological thinker--part gadfly, part peacemaker.
In 1989, Wolfe founded Image, which Annie Dillard has called "one of the best journals on the planet." Now one of America's top literary quarterlies, Image is a unique forum for the best writing and artwork that is informed by--or grapples with--religious faith. Material first published in Image has appeared in Harper's, Utne Reader, and the Wilson Quarterly as well as the Pushcart Prize anthology, Best American Essays, Best American Poetry, Best American Spiritual Writing, O. Henry Prize Stories, The Art of the Essay, New Stories from the South, and Best American Movie Writing. Image has also been nominated by Utne Reader for an Alternative Press Award for Spiritual Coverage. Recent, Image's Glen Workshop was featured on the public television program Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
Since 2000, Wolfe has served as Writer in Residence at Seattle Pacific University, where he teaches English literature and creative writing. He is also the founder and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at SPU, the first program of its kind to integrate a studio writing degree with intensive reflection upon the literary and aesthetic riches of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Wolfe has published over 200 essays, reviews, and articles in numerous journals, including Commonweal and First Things. His essays have been anthologized in collections such as The Best Christian Writing and The Best Catholic Writing.
Among his books are Intruding Upon the Timeless: Meditations on Art, Faith, and Mystery (Square Halo, 2003), Malcolm Muggeridge: A Biography (Eerdmans, 1997) and Sacred Passion: The Art of William Schickel (University of Notre Dame Press, 1998). Wolfe is also the editor of Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of IMAGE (Eerdmans, 2009), The New Religious Humanists: A Reader (Free Press, 1997) and the co-author of Books That Build Character (Touchstone, 1994), Climb High, Climb Far (Fireside, 1996), The Family New Media Guide (Touchstone, 1997), Circle of Grace: Praying with--and for--Your Children (Ballantine, 2000), and Bless This House: Prayer for Families and Children (Jossey-Bass, 2004). A collection of Wolfe's essays, tentatively titled Beauty Will Save the World, will be published by ISI Books in 2008. Wolfe is currently researching a book about the Renaissance Christian Humanists who gathered around the great scholar and writer, Desiderius Erasmus.
The working title of that book is The Company of Good Letters: How Erasmus and His Circle of Renaissance Christian Humanists Shaped the Modern World. Wolfe was born in 1959 and grew up in New York City, Long Island, and the south shore of Boston. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Hillsdale College in Michigan and his M.A. in English literature from Oxford University.
A convert to the Roman Catholic Church, Wolfe is a member of the international lay movement Communion and Liberation. He and his family attend St. James Cathedral in Seattle.
His wife, Suzanne, also teaches English literature at Seattle Pacific University. In 2004 her first novel, Unveiling was published to great acclaim by Paraclete Press. The Wolfes have four children--Magdalen, Helena, Charles, and Benedict--and live in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
This review is from: Circle of Grace: Praying with--and for--Your Children (Hardcover)
The Wolfe's have produced a book that is truly a gift for families interested in the spiritual well-being of who they are. Whether families are just beginning to explore the spiritual dimension of their lives connected together or have already begun to journey that path, they will find in "Circle of Grace" a wealth of practical insight and wisdom rooted in faith. The insights offered in part one of the book speak well to the families of our time and the prayer collection found in the second part of the book expresses well the wisdom of faith that knows that prayer is not learned and mastered by reading about it but by doing it....I plan to recommend this book to parents as "homework", in the best sense of the term, for their families. My prayer is that families will learn the lessons found in these pages.
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