Living a Gentle, Passionate Life

Wicks, a psychologist on the faculty of Loyola College who specializes in treating physicians, nurses, priests and ministers, offers a persuasive guide to strengthening one's inner life, based on a combination of his two specialties: psychology and religion. Drawing on his experiences with patients as well as episodes from his own life, Wicks (Touching the Holy) shares the principles he has learned for creating a meaningful life in a world that he acknowledges may be filled with pain and negativity. His guidelines for developing a spiritually rich internal voice include finding time for daily self-reflection and prayer, living in the here and now, reaching out to others while accepting them for who they are and adhering to a personal philosophy based on simplicity and ordinariness. All of the author's advice is based on his conviction that the foundation of a meaningful life lies in the interaction between mindful prayer and compassionate behavior. Although devotees of the literature on simple-mindful living are unlikely to find new insights here, Wicks's book is accessible and leavened by gentle self-deprecating humor. (Sept.)