This is NOT a book on prayer for those who have never learned to pray! Rather there is a stage in the spiritual journey when the person that has enjoyed prayer for a long period of time, gradually loses the comfort and satisfaction that came with prayer. This comes despite that fact there is no new sin in the person's life! Despite having the desire to stay close to God... Many of us experience this from time to time but in some this is a persistent state that can last for years or for the rest of their lives. This is a stage of the journey that some have called the 'dark night'. The dark night is simply a stage of the spiritual journey where there are no consolations/comfortable feelings from/toward God and one just goes on with FAITH alone. What Fr Green does is give an explanation of what is happening and how to deal with it, based on the works of 2 well know saints: Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The answers are surprising but comforting and will lead you into new ways of relating to the Lord.

This book is very well written considering the subject matter and especially in comparision to the style in which Teresa and John have written. If you are experiencing the dark night as noted above this is the best book you will find. If the description of the dark night is something you have never experienced, this book may well lead you to confusion and it is probably best to wait till you experience such a state before trying to read this book.

-Amazon.com reviewer "Dss"

St. Margaret of Cortona. May 16. 1247 - 1297.