Prayer of the Heart - The Contemplative Tradition of the Christian East

 General Description:

A spiritual classic - finally back in print (2008) after many years!

In this comprehensive guide to Christian contemplative prayer, Fr. George Maloney, S.J. a leading exponent of the Eastern Christian spiritual tradition in the decades after Vatican II, opens up this tradition of prayer--in particular the Jesus Prayer of the Eastern Church--to Western Christians in a clear and practical manner. Unmatched as a readable and complete guide to Eastern Christian spirituality during its fifteen-year history of publication, it fills a void in the spirituality market for today's readers as well.

About the Author:  Father George A. Maloney, SJ, was well-known in Roman Catholic and Russian Byzantine Rite circles for his many works on prayer and spirituality. In his life he wrote some 80 books, journal and popular articles on theology, prayer, and Eastern Christian spirituality. His many Alba House titles include: Called to Be Free (2001), The Mystery of Christ in You (1998), Your Sins Are Forgiven You (1994), The Spirit Broods Over the World (1993), God’s Incredible Mercy (1989), Entering the Heart of Jesus (1988) and Called to Intimacy (1983). He has likewise produced a number of audio tapes for Alba House Communications including Broken But Loved, The Presence of Christ Within You, Jesus Our Joy, Transformation into Christ-Consciousness and Impassioned Heart to name but a few.  This new edition of Prayer of the Heart is being re-printed by Ave Maria Press after being our of print for many years. Fr Maloney died in 2005.

Review of this book -

"It is truly a wonderful thing to see the re-issuing of Fr. George Maloney's classic study, Prayer of the Heart. This is a ground-breaking book whose appearance first introduced a generation of Catholic (Western) readers to the riches of the Orthodox (Eastern) spirituality of the Jesus Prayer. Its second edition will teach many more about the ancient church's tradition of Jesus-centered mysticism, and the principles of a peaceful and devoted spiritual life that can be followed not merely in the monastery, but in the day-to-day business of our hectic lives."

 - Fr. John McGuckin, Professor of Byzantine Christian History at Columbia University and Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary, leading Orthodox scholar, and priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in America.

A fine introduction to the contemplative prayer of the Christian East.

Want to know more about the spirituality of Eastern Christianity? This book is a fine introduction to a rich and ancient tradition of Byzantine Christianity, more specifically, the Greek and Slavic, Orthodox and Catholic parts of the greater "Christian East."

The author, Fr. George Maloney, was a Jesuit priest with bi-ritual faculties. That means he was able to practice his priestly ministry within both the Roman Catholic and Byzantine Catholic traditions. Fr. Maloney was a brilliant scholar and an expert on the East. He authored many books on Eastern Christianity - this is his most well-known and widely read. He was esteemed by both Orthodox and Catholics - an uncommon accomplishment.

While the book purports to be more of a survey, it really focuses mostly on the "Jesus Prayer" aspect of Eastern Christian prayer. This is an excellent staring point since the Jesus Prayer is the most common, or most popular, devotional prayer practice among the fai Full Review...

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