Wilke Au is professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University where he teaches in the areas of spirituality and pastoral ministry. Noreen Cannon Au is a practicing Jungian analyst and a faculty member of both the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles and the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. Together they authored The Discerning Heart: Exploring the Christian Path.
In this richly developed new work, they take on a popular spiritual practice that already has been written about from a wide variety of different perspectives. They are to be commended for their fresh insights on the subject, which are clearly due to their ambitious and multidimensional approach.
The Aus see in Jesus a serious practitioner of gratitude who charted for all who encountered him a path of focusing on gifts and blessings. They are convinced that gratitude is "a life-giving practice that benefits both individuals and society." For them, this capacious term points to an emotion, a virtue, and an attitude. That is why they set out to discuss ways of expanding the gratitude factor and being alert to attitudes that mitigate against a thankful way of living. Next, they cover gratitude as "the echo grace" and as a central theme in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.
The Aus access Scriptural passages dealing with the nexus of grace and gratitude before dealing with the obstacles to this practice including envy, narcissistic entitlement, and consumerism. They conclude with musings on gateways to gratitude (wonder, appreciation, silent reflection, memory) and lines from the hymn "Now Thank We All Our God."
