quote

I've been reading a book called "The Practice of Spiritual Direction" by Wms Barry & Connolly.
There are a number of good quotes to be found in it, but I thought I'd just share this one.

The Old and New Testaments demonstrate the aptness of the comparison [of prayer being no more difficult than the formation of any deep, enduring, trustworthy relationship, and no easier]. They are a record of God's expression of his attitudes toward us. We see how he lives out his love, his concern, his willingness to be involved with us. These attempts to communicate with us are not the efforts of an academician to make himself clear. Yahweh speaks with tenderness, dismay, anger, concern. Jesus addresses people invitingly, angrily, sadly, ardently, compassionately. God's desire to enter a mutual relationship with us leads to direct confrontations with people that call for a response from them. He calls people by name. He helps them in times of trouble, rescues them from oppression, forgives them their obtuseness and recalcitrance, shows them a mother's love. Jesus weeps for people, struggles to help them understand him, patiently tells them about the Father, warns them, urges them, takes them to task.