Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2005

By Jesuit Communication Centre

A prayer guide for 2005 inspired by the hugely successful interactive website, Sacredspace.ie, which has logged over 9,000,000 visits since 1999. People of all Christian faiths reflect and pray there... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594710309
• ISBN13: 9781594710308
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Ave Maria Pr
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

An inspired, and inspiring prayer guide arising from the increasingly popular website www.sacredspac

Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2006 is an inspired, and inspiring prayer guide arising from the increasingly popular website www.sacredspace.ie. Sacred Space offers a unique and enlightening way for the reader to self-reflect, meditate and pray each day of the year, as well as providing opportunities to quietly connect with God, affording a space in which the reader can become spiritually nourished, involved, healed and enriched. A strong recommendation for Christians seeking a higher sense of spiritual self or contentment.

Discover Sacred Space for Yourself

The website www.sacredspace.ie may be one of the best kept prayer secrets on the web. Started by Alan McGuckian and Peter Scally, two Irish Jesuits, the site offers prayer suggestions based on the daily Mass scriptures used in the Catholic Church and the basic methods of Ignatian prayer. The site also offers seasonal retreats and newsletters to better help people pray. People can sign up to receive newsletters, participate in online retreats, and share feedback. People can also log on to use the daily prayers, but for those of us who do not like sitting at a computer to pray, there is a companion volume: SACRED SPACE THE PRAYER VOLUME 2006. The book is set up in an easy to use format. It follows the liturgical calendar and begins with a monthly reflection. For each week there are reflection questions that vary from week to week to help the person focus on scripture and God's movement in his/her life. The method is rather basic. First the person reminds him/herself that prayer is being in the presence of God and clears the mind. Second, the person asks for God's help in the time of prayer, remembering that while prayer is a free act, it is only fruitful with God's help. Third, we bring ourselves to prayer, bringing our thoughts, feelings, moods, etc. to prayer and sharing them with God. The fourth step involves reading the scripture for the day, the fifth is reflection and conversation with God about the scripture. The prayer ends with the sixth and final step, praising and thanking God. SACRED SPACE is almost the perfect guide for personal prayer. Since it uses the daily Mass gospels, it is a prayer that unites members of the Church throughout the world. It is easy to use so a person beginning a prayer routine will not be intimidated yet since it is based on God's word through the scriptures, it is both simple and sophisticated. It is a method that can be done in a rather short period of time yet can easily be extended to longer periods. It's also a method that can be used at any time of the day. It could easily be something that begins the day (probably the ideal way to use the book), be a refresher for midday, or a good way to conclude the day. P.S.: For people who have to prepare a homily for daily Mass and run out of ideas, the reflection questions in the book can be a wonderful way to sound new and fresh, and since it stems from prayer and reflection, it is what a homily is supposed to be.

Sacred Space: the Prayer Book 2006

Since its inception in 1999, the popular website sacredspace (www.sacredspace.ie) has drawn over 16,000,000 pilgrims to pray through its simple, yet effective, six-stage prayer process. The website is currently translated into twenty different languages and is the most popular online prayer site in the world. The success of sacredspace led its creators, the Jesuit Communication Center in Dublin, Ireland, to develop a book form of the website in conjunction with Ave Maria Press. This year's edition is Sacred Space: the Prayer Book 2006, retail price $12.95. The genius of Sacred Space is the six-stage process that is part Ignatian prayer and part lectio divina. Through simple meditative techniques and imaginative/reflective interaction with Scripture, Sacred Space gently leads you into genuine encounter with the Living God. The first stage of the process is entitled the Presence of God. This stage is designed to gently remind you that God is as present to you as your own breath. The second stage, Freedom, helps to create a space of openness in your heart to hear and receive the gentle voice of the Spirit. Consciousness, the third stage, is essentially an Ignatian Examen of the past day. It is a time to give thanks for blessings received and confess sins committed. Fourth, The Word is a lectio divina reflection on a short Scriptural text. Conversation, the fifth stage, is a period of simple intercessory prayer and conversation with Jesus. The process ends with a benediction or Conclusion. The entire process for each day can be completed in as little as ten minutes. Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2006 covers the entire liturgical (church) year beginning with the first Sunday in Advent, and includes weekly versions of the six-stage process (the wording varies for more variety), a brief meditation for each week, and lectionary based Scripture readings with reflection questions for each day of the week. I highly recommend this excellent resource to anyone interested in a daily devotional process that if faithfully practiced, delivers day after day.

Take Time for the Sacred

Millions of people around the world have benefitted from the experience of praying on a daily basis with the interactive web site "Sacred Space". In my own daily prayer rituals, my reading of the day's scriptures at Sacred Space creates a quiet time for reflection and contemplation. Now, through this new book, the same experience is available without the need for a computer. Organized around weekly themes, the readings for each week actually commence with the new liturgical calendar in November, 2004. A reflection at the beginning of each week supplements the daily readings and questions. Whether you are looking to establish a daily prayer ritual or to enhance your existing spiritual journey, you will benefit from this wonderful book.