Sr. Eileen Spanier reviews: The Enduring Heart

Written on: March 28, 2019

I’m just a bit curious. How do you select your reading material?

Besides the obvious recommendation of a friend or reading a good book review just how do you select a book from the plethora of materials published today? Usually I find myself basing my book selection on three main unscientific criteria. The title, the author and the chapter headings. So let’s take a look at how this book fits into my style.

The Title: As a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart, who has recently experienced some of the

realities of the aging process, I was drawn to the words “enduring” and “long haul” which mean more to me now than they might have a few years (decades) ago.

The Author: I wasn’t familiar with Wilkie Au and wasn’t aware that he had authored two other good selections, “By Way of the Heart” and “Urgings of the Heart,” but I was curious about a person with such an interesting name.

The Chapter Headings: Chapter headings such as Living with Soul, Potholes and Possibilities, Practicing Crabgrass Contemplation, and The Way of Gratitude and Generosity, all spoke to some aspect of my personal journey.

If you are interested in a book that reveals the generosity of God throughout the various episodes of your life’s journey, I highly recommend “The Enduring Heart.” The format of the book, with its personal reflection questions and spiritual exercises at the end of each chapter, makes it appealing for the individual reader as well as the book club enthusiast. I encourage you to “have at it.”

Oh, and yes, there is actually a fourth criteria that influences my book selection at times: Required Reading. The Enduring Heart: Spirituality for the Long Haul by Wilkie Au was required reading during my recent sabbatical experience. It stimulated many conversations with God in my personal prayer life and then again, in my small faith community discussions.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Sister Eileen Spanier has recently changed ministries, completed a sabbatical experience and is looking for ways to be helpful within the Congregation. We are grateful to her for her willingness to share her insights.

This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: aging, author, Book review, Chapter Headings, community, discussions, episodes, Faith, generosity, God, individual, journey, life, personal, prayer life, questions, Required Reading, Sabbatical, Spiritual Exercises, The Enduring Heart: Spirituality for the Long Haul, Title, Wilkie Au