Catholic Review of: Time For God

I picked up Time for God by Jacques Philippe at a local Catholic bookstore the day before I would be flying. It was a nice, short book that I figured I could read on the eight-hour flight cross-country. This book became more than just a “plane” book for me; it changed my prayer life. The subtitle on the title page is ‘A Guide to Mental Prayer.’ Philippe explains mental prayer simply for “a world that is overwhelmed with activity.”

This 108-page book starts with an introduction that defines prayer -particularly mental prayer- and states the purpose of Philippe: “to provide advice and orientation and do that as simply and specifically as possible.” I believe that Philippe has done just what he set out to do.

Approaching this book, I had only a vague idea of what mental prayer was and is. I was thinking that if I just learned a method I would be great at it. Philippe dispelled that thought on the first page of the first chapter with one simple sentence: “the life of prayer… is not the result of a technique, but a gift we receive.” Philippe explained prayer to me in a way I had never before heard it stated. He said prayer starts with faith and becomes a “total self-giving to God.”

Besides an introduction into what prayer is, Philippe gives concrete ideas of how to begin mental prayer, how to progress with mental prayer, and how to “tackle” some difficulties with mental prayer.
I recommend this book to everyone, whether they know of mental prayer or not.

The book is divided into five sections and two appendices demonstrating a method of meditation:
-    I. Mental Prayer is not a Technique by a Grace
-    II. How to Use this Time of Mental Prayer
-    III. The Development of the Life of Prayer
-    IV. Material Conditions for Mental Prayer
-    V. Some Methods of Mental Prayer

 You can purchase this book here.