Coming Home to Your True Self: Leaving the Emptiness of False Attractions

“Home is where the heart is” would be a good tag line for this collection of sage, prayerful advice from Franciscan author Haase. Our true home, posits the author, is with God, and yet Christians continually ramble off to unhealthy environs, much like the Prodigal Son in the New Testament. To counter this tendency, Haase prescribes a “contemplative approach to life” as a way to reclaim the grace of the present moment. He sprinkles examples through the book of people who have sought his spiritual counsel in desperate moments. These help bring his simple but wise spiritual maxims to life. Human beings have the potential to act out of anger and self-centeredness, but also hold a profound capacity for forgiveness, love and compassion. This is Haase’s main point—that we can always return home to a loving God who desires us, and that we need not stay on a path of poor choices and dead ends. Especially helpful are the practical suggestions he compiles about modes of prayer and spiritual direction. (June)