It’s not uncommon for young people to look outside of the Christian tradition for a deeper spiritual experience. Fully Alive: The Daily Path of Christian Meditation by Fr. John Main is a reminder that this is not necessary. Meditation and contemplation have a home in the Catholic tradition, albeit one that is too often overlooked by the average Catholic. The search for peace—for the transcendent—does not require an embrace of Buddhism, Taoism, or other Eastern traditions or philosophies (though, of course, exploring the wisdom found in other religions can enrich one’s own faith). There is a long, rich tradition within the Church of meditation and contemplative prayer, and greater awareness of this would strengthen the Church and the spiritual lives of its people. In particular, for those young people feeling some isolation or alienation from the Church, who are perhaps feeling some spiritual emptiness or unease, introducing them to Christian meditation might be particularly helpful. It can show them a different side of the Christian faith, one that they may not have experienced growing up, but might enrich their spiritual lives as they grow older.

Fully Alive, a new release from Orbis Books, is a collection of talks given by the Benedictine priest and monk Fr. John Main, as edited by Fr. Laurence Freeman. I was unfamiliar with Fr. Main prior to reading the book and came away deeply impressed. His words reveal a deep devotion to the Christian faith and profound wisdom on the subject of meditation, prayer, and spirituality.

Fr. Main spends a good amount of time describing the basic approach to meditation that he favors. This includes picking a mantra and repeating it throughout the course of each session; finding a good posture, which may not happen right away; and, ideally, meditating for half an hour at a time, but at least 20 minutes. The mantra he recommends is maranatha, which in Aramaic roughly translates as “O Lord, come.” This word is to be said with simplicity and humility. Overall, the approach demands stillness, awareness, simplicity, commitment, and discipline.

For Fr. Main, meditation is not a practical technique to achieve immediate, limited goals, such as relaxation. Instead, “the essence and the purpose of meditation is the Kingdom of God; that is, God’s power released and having full sway in our hearts.” It helps us to achieve real freedom, peace and joy—liberation from possessiveness and selfishness. Meditation is not for a special group of extraordinarily holy mystics. Fr. Main says that it is the ordinary destiny of every man and woman “to be filled with the light of Christ and to learn to see everything by that light.” He sees the task of the Christian life as being open to the gifts of God, including the gift of knowing and experiencing the God that is Love.

Fr. Main describes the numerous ways that meditation can enrich our lives. One aspect revolves around unity. Meditation can be seen as “the way to harmony, the way to transcend the divisions that we encounter within ourselves.” So often a disconnect can develop between our thoughts and emotions, or what we think intellectually and how we physically act. Meditation can be a way of reestablishing the integral unity of ourselves as persons. In silence, we escape the superficial, the ephemeral, the unreal. As Fr. Main explains, “we discover, we experience, our unique personhood and we make this discovery because we lose our false ego.” In looking beyond ourselves toward communion with God, which inspires the desire for communion with others, we can become less fragmented. This exposure to love reveals that “we are not just autonomous, isolated individuals.” Our true identity is revealed “in this mystery of Christ dwelling in our hearts,” by which we see that we are called to love and be loved beyond all division. We experience our authentic personalities and experience unity as persons.

This embrace of stillness is an alternative to the chaos of materialism and consumerism, of ordering one’s life around fleeting pleasures and prideful competition with one’s neighbors. Meditation can help us by shifting our attention away from the past and future to the present moment. By embracing the present moment, we can embrace “the eternal now of God,” “the now of God’s infinite love.” It is the answer to the emptiness of nihilistic living, the middle class malaise, and affluenza. It is an alternative to the use of substances to bring the illusion of peace and happiness. Instead of trying to distract oneself from despair, one embraces reality—the reality of God, their own personality, and life’s ultimate meaning. By experiencing the transcendent, each person is able to see more clearly the true nature of what is present all around them in their everyday lives. This book has already helped me to find more time for silence—more time for escaping the blurred chaos swirling around me to experience the presence of God’s love. For anyone else looking to deepen their spiritual lives and find greater peace, I recommend picking up this brief but valuable collection of talks.