A celebration of men’s voices in prayer—through the ages from many faiths, cultures and traditions.
’If men like us don’t pray, where will emerging generations get a window into the soul of a good man, an image of the kind of man they can aspire to be—or be with—when they grow up? If men don’t pray, who will model for them the practices of soul care—of gratitude, confession, compassion, humility, petition, repentance, grief, faith, hope and love? If men don’t pray, what will men become, and what will become of our world and our future?’
—from the Introduction by Brian D. Mc Laren
This collection celebrates the profound variety of ways men around the world have called out to the Divine—with words of joy, praise, gratitude, wonder, petition and even anger—from the ancient world up to our own day.
The prayers come from a broad spectrum of spiritual traditions—both East and West—including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more. Together they provide an eloquent expression of men’s inner lives, and of the practical, mysterious, painful and joyous endeavor that prayer is. Men Pray will challenge your preconceived ideas about prayer. It will inspire you to explore new ways of prayerful expression and new possibilities for your own spiritual journey. This is a book to treasure and to share.
Includes prayers from: Marcus Aurelius • Daniel Berrigan • Rebbe Nachman of Breslov • Walter Brueggemann • Bernard of Clairvaux • St. Francis of Assisi • Robert Frost • George Herbert • Gerard Manley Hopkins • St. Ignatius Loyola • Fr. Thomas Keating • Thomas à Kempis • Chief Yellow Lark • Brother Lawrence • C. S. Lewis • Ted Loder • Nelson Mandela • General Douglas Mac Arthur • Thomas Merton • D. L. Moody • John Henry Newman • John Philip Newell • John O’Donohue • Rumi • Rabindranath • Tagore • Walt Whitman • many others
Spis treści
Introduction xi
Faith 1
Courage 35
Healing 59
Strength 89
Hope 115
Acknowledgments 152
About the Contributors 153
Credits 159
Index of First Lines 164
O autorze
Born in 1819 in Long Island, New York, Walt Whitman was a poet, essayist, and journalist best known for Leaves of Grass (first published in 1855) and the poems 'Song of Myself ’ and 'I Sing the Body Electric.’ In the early years of the Civil War, Whitman traveled to Washington, D.C., to search for his brother, who was reported missing in action. Whitman stayed in Washington and volunteered as an aide in the hospitals, tending to sick and wounded soldiers. One of the first American poets to gain international attention, Whitman died in 1862 in Camden, New Jersey.