Preface
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

And in the name of love, I ask you, whoever you are, however this book came into your hands—maybe you own it, have borrowed it, are delivering it to someone else, or are safekeeping it for others—regardless, I beg you in the powerful name of love, if at all possible don’t read it to anyone or copy it or quote from it, and don’t let anyone else read it, copy it, or quote from it, unless, in your opinion, that person is sincere in their intentions to follow Christ. They must be ready to go to the next level, advancing beyond the active life to the highest contemplative life. Grace takes us there in this present world through purity of soul, even though our bodies are mortal. Entrust this book only to those who for a long time have been doing everything possible in prayer and virtuous living to prepare themselves for the contemplative journey; otherwise, this book is not for them.

I also ask in the name of love that you accept some advice from me and please pass this advice on to others who read, copy, quote, or listen to this book. Promise me that you’ll take the time to read it all the way through, and ask them to do this, too. Here’s why. What if you find something at the beginning of the book, or halfway through that makes you question why a point was left hanging or wasn’t clarified in more detail? But in later chapters the point is completely explained, if only you had read the very next chapter or one at the end of the book. That’s how a person who reads one section but not another could be led into error. It would be so easy. To avoid this spiritual misstep and to help others avoid it, too, I’m asking you—please do what I say, for love.

I hope that habitual gossips, boasters, flatterers, fault-finders, busybodies, whisperers, liars, and character assassinators never see this book. I never meant to write anything for them. I don’t want them meddling in these matters, nor do I want the merely curious, educated or uneducated, prying into this subject. Even if they’re good people with active lives, it will mean nothing to them, unless they’re also inwardly stirred by God’s mysterious Spirit, allowing them to participate in contemplation at the highest level from time to time. Then, through God’s grace, even if they can’t do this work unceasingly, as true contemplatives can, they’ll find that this book will go a long way in strengthening and comforting them in all they do.

This book has seventy-five chapters. The last one discusses what signs to look for if you want to know whether or not God has called you to do the work of contemplation.

Dear spiritual friend in God, examine your life. Pay careful attention to the way you live out your calling. With all your heart, thank God for your blessings, and his grace will help you stand strong in the face of subtle attacks from within and without, until you win the everlasting crown of life. Amen.

Chapter 1: The four stages of the Christian life, and how the disciple for whom this book was written advanced in this calling
Dear spiritual friend in God, I want to tell you what my humble searching has found true about growing as a Christian. You’ll experience four stages of maturity that I call the ordinary, the special, the singular, and the perfect.  You can begin and complete the first three stages in this earthly life. Grace will help you start the fourth here also, but it will last forever in the heavenly joy of eternity. You will notice these stages are listed in this order: first, the ordinary, then the special, next the singular, and last, the perfect. Our Lord in his profound mercy has called you to progress through them in this order, leading you by the desires of your heart.

You remember the first stage. You lived the ordinaryChristian life with your friends out in the world, until God’s eternal love could no longer stand your being so far from him, because first he created you from nothing and later he paid his priceless blood for you when you followed Adam and got lost. So, with an irresistible kindness, he nudged your desire awake, fastened it to a leash of longing, and led you to the next level, so you could be his servant, serving those he loves. At this speciallevel, he knew you would learn to live more abundantly and more spiritually than you had before.

What else did he do? He didn’t abandon you at that stage, because he loves you with all of his heart. He’s loved you since you began. So what did he do next? See how forcefully and how gently he pulled you to the third level, the singular? Along this solitary way, you’ll learn to lift up the foot of your love and walk in kindness toward purity. This fourth, perfect level is the final one.