Centering prayer is a modern adaptation of the ancient practice of contemplative prayer, a process of inner purification and an opening of the mind and heart to God. In this remarkable book, Jens Soering, an inmate in a Virginia prison, tells how centering prayer and its corollary, centering practice—contemplative prayer in action—enable him to survive the daily pain of prison life. Through a moving true story of personal redemption that shocks and inspires, Soering shows how we can all transform our crosses, our prisons (literal or metaphorical), into the means of our salvation.
“Following the journey of this prisoner from chains to inner freedom, the reader is inspired, engaged, and called to take one’s own inner journey from the prison of one’s own making to spiritual freedom. Through images of transformation and the practice of centering prayer Jens Soering tells his own intriguing story. A very readable book.”—Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, Author, Dead Man Walking
“I believe [this book] is a rare gem among spiritual writings. In terms of substance, [Soering] reveals a depth of spiritual understanding that I believe reflects the best of the historical spiritual/contemplative tradition.”—Reverend Tilden Edwards, Ph.D., Author, Spiritual Director, Spiritual Companion; Living in the Presence, and others; Founder, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
“If you would like to be on the most extraordinary of all journeys, The Way of the Prisoner may help you, as it helped me. Sane, balanced, seasoned by hard-earned wisdom and faith, it will surely become a classic on contemplative prayer.”—Reverend N. Gordon Cosby, The Church of the Saviour, Washington, D.C.
“As one who has struggled with centering prayer, I found Soering’s writing to be so encouraging and heartening that I have started the practice anew. Surely others who are either beginners or those who have invested themselves in the discipline over the years will find The Way of the Prisoner equally rewarding. . . . It is rare indeed to find an author with so penetrating a mind, combined with so generous a spirit.”—Reverend Richard A. Busch, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Virginia Theological Seminary
“While in prison Mr. Soering has had a profound spiritual journey and has pierced deeply into the mysteries of Chrisitan contemplation. His obvious suffering and the grace he recieved to transform that suffering (without it having been removed) will speak to many whose own, metaphorical imprisonment continues without hope of release. Christian contemplative prayer, at its most profound, offers healing even without a cure, and it is this difficult area that Mr. Soering explores.”—David Hilfiker, M.D., Author, Healing the Wolds, Not All of Us Are Saints, As If By Design, Urban Injustice
