Anthony de Mello (1931 - 1987) was the director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling in Pune, India. A Jesuit priest in the province of Bombay, he was known throughout the world for his writing and speaking at spiritual conferences. De Mello pioneered a post-denominational Christianity and proclaimed a lyrical mysticism rooted in story and imagination. He is best known for his books Awareness and Sadhana.
This spiritually illuminating paperback is based on a course de Mello gave in 1975 on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. A religious classic, it is divided into four parts and can be used for a four-week retreat. The first week focuses on sin and repentance; the second on the life of Jesus Christ; the third on Christ's passion and death; and the fourth on his resurrection and risen life. Written 450 years ago, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are given a fresh interpretation by de Mello.
He begins with a meditation on the importance of silence in drawing closer to God: it enables us to develop a home to ourselves, a place to touch the wellsprings of life inside of us. De Mello believes that falling in love with the Absolute is possible while on the path of adoration. This is the natural outgrowth of the spiritual practice of reverence. Although most believers are still imprisoned in a view of sin as acts, deeds, laws, and obligations, Jesus linked it to a refusal to grow, to love, to take the leap of faith. De Mello addresses the feelings of worthlessness among so many who have taken the traditional concept of sin to heart: "We have to communicate to people their goodness," he writes.
Whether talking about the spiritual senses, the gravity of the heart that rests in God, finding peace, getting rid of inordinate attachments, the challenges of finding out what God wants of us, the difficulties in unselfing the self, and the many spiritual teachings given by Mahatma Gandhi, de Mello opens new doors for us to see more clearly the process of spiritual maturation. As would be expected, this creative Jesuit teacher hits high stride while discussing the meaning of St. Ignatius' admonition to "Seek the presence of the Lord in all things." To feel and to contemplate this presence is the essence of devotion.
