The Contemplative Experience

Written when this Trappist monk was 81-years-old and the prior of St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts, this book addresses questions rarely raised elsewhere: Is monastic eros really the same erotic desire experienced by noncelibates in sexual intimacy? How can something as blatantly sensual as the imagery of the Song of Songs have come to be viewed as the quintessential expression of monastic celibate love? Must flesh-and-blood experience be sublimated or allegorized away before "holy desire" can become a true spiritual path? The answers to which the author leads us are surprising ones but are the fruit of his personal experience of direct immersion in the Christian contemplative tradition. The practices he outlines (the Eucharist and sacred reading of Holy Scripture) are essential companions along the path. And where does this path lead? Joseph Chu-Cong is living proof of a life lived in the company of the Blessed Trinity and in communion with Mary, herself a living model of contemplative experience. Highly recommended for all whose heart's desire is spiritual union in Christ.