Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer [Paperback]

Michael Casey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

In clear and often delightful prose, Casey brings out the personal techniques and practicalities involved in transforming prayer from an "activity" to a way of life. The freshness of his language reinforces the basic premise of this book that spiritual communion with God must be lived, not merely studied or repeated ritualistically.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books; Revised edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892438908
• ISBN-13: 978-0892438907
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One book to definitely read on prayer, April 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer (Paperback)

Michael Casey, an Australian Trappist monk, has written a wonderful primer on prayer in clear language. TOWARD GOD is an enlightening reflection based on personal experience, touching all the major aspects of the subject of prayer from the Western Christian tradition. I have read many books on prayer, including the great classics, but this is the one I have read over and over.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book on prayer worth rereading....., April 28, 2005

By 

Michael D. Mullen "mdmullenofsocal" (adelanto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer (Paperback)

Michael Casey has writeen several books on the practice of spiritual disciplines and spirituality. All are worthwhaile, but this is perhaps his best. It is certainly the starting place for beginning to read his work. As a protestant / neo-pentecostal / evangelical, I found that I was drawn to his way of emphasizing that prayer is a relationship, not an activity or duty per se. This perspective helps me understand the fundamnetals of prayer, and this is what this book is about. Although I have read many books on prayer, from Catherine Marshall to Jack Hayford, from Pope John Paul to the classics, few are more helpful than this book. I find myself rereading certain passages over and over. The only book I have read recently that has had the same impact might be Nouwen's "The Only Necessary Thing." These two books are made out of the same cloth.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent and Readable Book on Prayer, October 19, 2005

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer (Paperback)

Sometimes when I purchase a book on methods of prayer, I wonder if I should be reading about prayer or should I just get down to the act of praying itself. I can say to myself "well, I need to read these books for professional reasons" but more often than not, I read them for myself, and when I read books such as Michael Casey's TOWARD GOD, I find new insights about prayer that help me in the discipline of prayer and hopefully, draw me closer to God.

For Casey, prayer is both communication with God and being in the presence of God, the latter being the more important. This is in keeping with the traditions of the Trappist order to which he belongs, traditions which stem from a literal interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict. For Casey, prayer is not so much something we do as much as a response to the deepest desires of our hearts to be in communion with God. He introduces readers to some of the great spiritual writers on prayer. He also introduces readers to Christian meditation and contemplation as well as Lectio Divina, a topic he further develops in his book SACRED READING. TOWARD GOD is not so much a how to or a dictionary of prayer, but a description of the way a spiritual life can be ordered and an invitation to use the methods that Casey himself has found helpful, as have so many over the centuries. He also writes his book in a way that makes readers realize that Benedictine methods of prayer are not reserved for monks in monasteries alone and just about anyone who wishes can us these methods daily and not just on rare retreat moments.

The book will be helpful for anyone interested in prayer and hoping to develop a deeper relationship with God. Casey also has unique insights so it will also be interesting for people who may already have a regular routine of prayer and wish to enrich it or revitalize it. For me, I have found the book most helpful at times when my prayer is a bit dry. The book has a way of reminding the reader what prayer is all about and at times this is what we need to continue to grow in our relationship with God.