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CBB Interview with Daniel Burke

CBB Interview with Daniel Burke

Last updated on: May 24, 2015 at 5:30 pm by Pete Socks

CBB Interview with Daniel Burke 2015-05-23T17:35:52-05:00 Pete Socks

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

PETE: What inspired you to work on your Navigating the Interior Life series?

DANIEL BURKE: Well, I didn’t have the series in mind when I wrote the first book, Navigating the Interior Life – Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God. In fact, the first book was a bit of a surprise success. It won the best Catholic book of 2012, beating out Pope emeritus Benedict’s Infancy Narratives. Frankly, anything Pope Benedict writes is far more important than anything I will ever write. However, I was grateful to receive the recognition for a book that I believed in. Because of the success of Navigating, Emmaus Road Publishing (Emmausroad.org) asked if I would be interested in writing more.

As to why the first book emerged, it came about as a result of conversations with the then thousands of subscribers on SpiritualDirection.com (we now have a far larger audience). Many expressed frustration and misunderstanding about the things I focus on in the book, spiritual direction and spiritual growth. The book was an attempt to clear up common confusion about spiritual direction and how we can grow in prayer, virtue, and union with God whether we are in a spiritual direction relationship or not.

PETE: Can you tell us what your long term vision for the series is?

DANIEL BURKE: My vision is to refresh the memory of the Church regarding the profound wisdom of the saints on the interior life. This is material that has been overlooked, lost, or have simply faded into the background for whatever reason. There are many powerful texts that have gone out of print because folks are not aware of them. Some of these texts need better translations and some editing to help the modern reader.

This is what we did with Finding God through Meditation, which was written by St. Peter of Alcantara. I became interested in his work because St. Teresa of Avila praises him so highly and because of the fact that he was one of her spiritual directors. It really is one of the best books ever written on the topic of meditative prayer. Any reader who digs into this book will no doubt see a significant improvement in their prayer life through the wisdom of this great saint.

PETE: How do you go about picking the subject matter you include? Can you tell us about any future volumes beyond Finding God Through Meditation and 30 Days with Teresa of Avila.

DANIEL BURKE: The content I select is based on the needs of the Church as best as we can discern them. Each of these books fulfills a significant lack in the writing of our time. Of course, all of them will be focused on how we can come to deeper union with God. We expect to emerge next year with a devotional treatment of thirty of St. Therese of Lisieux’s letters along with another book on prayer and one on the Rosary (and, God willing, maybe more). Each will have a unique approach that will be encouraging to our readers because they will address life-changing truths that are uncommonly revealed in our time.

PETE: My review this week focused on the second book in the series you edited, Finding God Through Meditation by St. Peter of Alcantara. For those considering this book what can people learn from St. Peter of Alcantara in this book?

DANIEL BURKE: They can learn the most important thing in life, how to commune with God in prayer! Time in meditation is critical to prepare the soul for the deeper work of infused contemplation. St. Peter will give the reader motivation and practical advice for how to pursue meditation and he also provides very moving reflections on the suffering of Christ on our behalf. I have no doubt that any serious reader will come away with insight, perspective, and encouragement that will significantly improve their prayer lives.

PETE: You also head up the Avila Institute. Can you share with my readers what the institute does?

DANIEL BURKE: Fr. Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. once said, “Unless our life is one of intimacy with God… we cannot be His collaborators, docile instruments in His hands; unless we have an intense interior life we cannot have the mind of Christ and be associated with His love and His work for the salvation of souls.”

The mission of the Avila Institute is to serve our students into this intimacy with God so that they are equipped to participate in the New Evangelization. We do this through two programs. The first is a graduate program in spiritual theology. This program is a rigorous exploration of the wisdom of the saints across all major spiritualities of the Church. The second is through the School of Spiritual Formation, which is a program designed for those who are seeking a more personal formation that is less academic and more oriented to the day-to-day challenges of spiritual growth and prayer. Both programs serve people from all walks of life, ages 20 to 80, and includes priests, deacons, religious, and laity.

PETE: Time for my signature ending question. This is a blog about books. What is currently on your bookshelf to read?

DANIEL BURKE: I doubt you would believe me if I told you how many open books I have on my desk and nightstand. That said, my primary attention is in the works of St. John of the Cross. Right now I am slowly and prayerfully reading through the Living Flame of Love.

You didn’t ask, but, if I may, I have a special offer for your readers! I will be providing a webinar on Saturday the 30th of May on spiritual reading and a recommended multi-year reading list for growth in the interior life. They can click on this link to learn more.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other titles by Daniel Burke
30 Days with Teresa of Avila

Navigating the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God

Journey to God

Interview

Daniel Burke

Emmaus Road Publishing

Finding God Through Meditation

interview

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