This is the last book John wrote before his death. Characteristically, he turns to the source and focus of all his inspiring teaching about prayer – the presence of Christ in our heart. He writes, ‘The central message of the New Testament is that there is really only one prayer and that this prayer is the prayer of Christ. It is a prayer that continues in our heart day and night’. If we enter into the prayer of Christ, the stream of love that flows between Jesus and his Father, we can find fullness of life. The way is silence, stillness, and simplicity.
A striking feature of the book is its emphasis on simplicity and moving beyond ‘techniques’ of prayer. Learning to meditate, he says, is the most practical thing in the world. You require only one quality when you begin, and that is seriously to want to learn.