On the Nightstand: The Cloud of Unknowing

This is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for a while, but now it’s moved to the top of the pile. The Cloud of Unknowing‘s author (fittingly, unknown) wrote about contemplative prayer in the latter half of the fourteenth century. The introduction includes this rich passage: “One must come to the point of saying, ‘God, I don’t really know a single thing about you or what you are like or anything except that I know there is a ‘you’ and I love you and long to be one with you.”
It’s tempting to try to put God into a little box and “expect” Him to act and react as we think He should. I’m looking forward to learning more about this centuries-old approach to replace some of that thinking.

By Melanie

Melanie Rigney is the author of Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century and other Catholic books. She is a contributor to Living Faith and other Catholic blogs. She lives in Arlington, Virginia. Melanie also owns Editor for You, a publishing consultancy that since 2003 has helped hundreds of writers, publishers, and agents.

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