Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B. is a Benedictine who has written prolifically and clearly on spirituality in today’s world.  In Illuminated Life, Sister models the alphabet to present the attributes for spiritual living.  She successfully creates the peace and contemplation of a retreat, not by length of pages, but by depth of inquiry.

Sister Joan repeatedly reminds the reader that the response of a true contemplative is one of community service—serving the world—not escaping its turmoil and confusion.  Once our hearts are free and peaceful, we can live God’s love and bring it into the world.   Sister explains, “We are invited to go inside ourselves to clear out the debris of the heart rather than to concentrate on trying to control the environment and situations around us” (19).

Consider also Sister Joan’s description of “P,” for Prayer.  She writes, “Prayer is a long, slow process.  One prayer at a time, the hard heart melts away, the satiated heart comes newly alive, the mind goes blank with enlightenment” (92-93).  Sister urges us to remember God is always with us, and that the wise seeker recognizes that any “distance between God and me is me” (98).