Book Review: Flee, Be Silent, Pray

In the preface of Flee, Be Silent, Pray, Ed Cyzewski lays out how he found himself returning to aspects of the Catholic faith he'd initially tried to distance himself from after recognizing one notable weakness of evangelicalism was how it can lead one to feel full of guilt and anxiety about not doing or being enough: "Long story short: although I was now a committed Protestant, I had to return to my Catholic roots to learn how to pray."

Although our childhood experiences were different, I found myself resonating with how our journeys overlapped. Authors he quotes have been ones I've been drawn to as of late, such as Phyllis Tickle, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and Richard Rohr, and the title comes from a Nouwen quotation, which Cyzewski elaborates on:

"Flee, be silent, pray: all work together as one intentional movement toward God. The pursuit of God in silent, contemplative prayer is the exact opposite of anxious striving, studying, and cultural crusading. Contemplative prayer is the only cure I know for our holy anxiety and perceived alienation from God, because it places all our faith in the love and mercy of God."

Flee, Be Silent, Pray addresses various practices, such as lectio divina, the Examen, and centering prayer, and each chapter concludes with "Practicing the Practice" to offer immediate, practical application.

A younger version of myself, who used to find liturgies and written prayers rote and lacking in emotion may have been surprised to see how I am now drawn to following structured prayers. When I use The Divine Hours, I am regularly impacted by the experience of the closing prayer in the Compline, finding new emotions as I reflect on these words, with different sections standing out to me depending on who or what is heavy on my heart, and I was not surprised to read Cyzewski has had similar experiences:

"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, and all for your love's sake. Amen."

Perhaps the book could have been more succinct, but that's coming from someone who doesn't need to be convinced of the value and practice of contemplative prayer; others interested in contemplative prayers will find this a useful primer.

(I received a digital ARC from Herald Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I've used Amazon Affiliate links here; should you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.)