Wednesday, July 4, 2012



Esther de Waal, the well-known writer and retreat conductor, is an Anglican lay woman who lives on the borders of England and Wales. Her best known book is probably Seeking God, The Way of St. Benedict. I came across the following quotes from a range of her writings on the Prayer Diary Blog. (In fact, that blog is a gold-mine of profound quotes from many different authors, and well worth bookmarking!) 


I like to take the word reorientation and remind myself that it implies the turning towards the rising sun or towards the new light. 

* * * * * 

Prayer will remind me all the time that whatever I do is a matter of grace. Perseverance itself is a special grace, and to receive it we have to pray constantly. 

* * * * * 

To follow a God who moves and who expects us to move with him is a risky undertaking. It means not playing safe, and it asks for confidence in God’s hidden purposes. 

* * * * * 

In the end it is prayer which allows me to hold everything else in place and which prevents me from being pulled apart, fragmented. The sense of the presence of God is the anchor, the linchpin, the rock, by which all the varied elements of daily life are brought into perspective. Everything flows in and out of prayer: it is as simple as that. 


1 comments:

Alice C. Linsley said...

Thanks so much for calling her to my attention. More books to put on my reading list!

Post a Comment