"When God called us into life, he called us to embark upon a very special journey. This journey began at the moment of our conception and continues until the moment of our death. It is a journey with a sacred purpose, exquisitely designed to foster our full human growth and spiritual development," writes Nicholas Harnan in The Heart's Journey Home.
In this handy paperback, the priest/psychologist/author proclaims that the back roads of life offer us the most bountiful experiences, memories, and points of renewal in our spiritual education. The main roads and the super highways may get us where we want to go much faster but something basic is lost in rushing.
God is with us on our journey in a variety of ways — in the presence and concern of helpful traveling companions, in the wrong roads which take us into new territory, and when we muster the courage to travel under strange skies into unknown places. On the backroads of life, one must dispense with unhelpful traveling companions or maps formed in childhood.
The author sees self-acceptance and reflective living as two necessary preparations for the interior journey. Qualities which will serve us well on the trip are kindness, openness to truth, patience, and healthy self-discipline. Harnan warns: "Do not let structures, institutions, or the false prophets of doom inhibit you." The Heart's Journey Home maps the spiritual adventure of purposeful living in a winning way.