DESCRIPTION
In the book, Father Maria-Eugénio addresses how to protect spiritual life from the main temptation: self-centered utilitarianism. He emphasizes that meditation should not be practiced solely for the purpose of achieving inner peace, harmony, or other personal benefits. The true motivation for prayer is to encounter the Holy Spirit and submit to His action. Through prayer, we seek to create intimacy with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to become a “dominant presence” in our lives. In this way, we become instruments of the Holy Spirit and, consequently, true children of God.
Father Maria-Eugénio broadens the perspective by relating prayer to the great divine project of the Church, a grandiose work in which God wishes to associate us as creative and courageous collaborators. He points to Jesus as the perfect model, who unifies action (as a missionary) and contemplation in his life, with the sole purpose of fulfilling the will of the Father and being guided by the Spirit. Jesus, according to the priest, does not have a complicated piety; he loves his Father and offers himself to him. This is the essence of Christ's piety and spiritual life.
