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The Inner Search
Sometimes real breakthroughs in your spiritual life come about only after searing self-examination. Dom Hubert van Zeller encourages "seeking the face of the Lord always," adding that "the whole of our effort of faith, exercised throughout life, amounts precisely to this." When it is pursued properly and consistently, countless benefits, spiritual and otherwise, soon follow. A Carthusian monk, Dom van Zeller produced works that became exceedingly popular in the 1950s. He had the rare gift of translating monastic spiritual wisdom, developed over centuries, into clear, practical advice for ordinary Catholics seeking to deepen their prayer lives. The Inner Search , one of his most enduring and readable books, takes as its point of departure the psalmist's exhortation to seek the Lord's face continually and Dom van Zeller explores false ideas about God's will that impede our progress toward sanctity and explains how to recognize and correct them. He also explains the root cause of unhappiness and the single issue on which our lives will be judged. (Can you guess?) You will come to understand the relationship between the ascetical life and mystical life and the importance of mental prayer and charity. You will also be consoled by the way the Holy Spirit works to make us contemplatives in the midst of the world. Moreover, you will see what it means to "discover God
present in the soul" (an important step in spiritual progress) and how best to attain this union with the Holy Trinity here on earth. "The saints are those in whom there is least obstacle to the life of Christ within the soul," van Zeller reflects. In this profound and penetrating classic, you will find out how to open your heart more fully to receive all the graces God wants to give you.
present in the soul" (an important step in spiritual progress) and how best to attain this union with the Holy Trinity here on earth. "The saints are those in whom there is least obstacle to the life of Christ within the soul," van Zeller reflects. In this profound and penetrating classic, you will find out how to open your heart more fully to receive all the graces God wants to give you.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
Hubert Van Zeller
84 books10 followersDom Hubert van Zeller lived a life of spiritual adventure and holy renunciation. He was born in Egypt when that nation was a British protectorate, and entered the Benedictine novitiate at age nineteen. His soul thirsted for an austere way of life; at one point he even left the Benedictines to enter a strict Carthusian monastery. However, he soon returned to the Benedictines. A talented sculptor as well as a writer, his artworks adorn churches in Britain and the United States. He was a friend of the great Catholic writers Msgr. Ronald Knox and Evelyn Waugh, and is the author of Holiness: A Guide for Beginners, Holiness for Housewives, and Spirit of Penance, Path to God.
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April 4, 2017
Why this book isn't better known is a sin itself. That I owned it and waited to read it for so long makes me sad, but I also know I wouldn’t have appreciated it before now. Truly do I ‘get’ it now? I’m not sure. When I finished it, I felt the need to run home (from Adoration) and read something light. What does that tell you about me? (sigh)
This book is way above my usual reading level, but of course it’s good to stretch oneself. It is certainly beyond my reviewing abilities. To adequately review it I should have begun taking careful notes from the first chapter ... or anyway tried to.
Dom Hubert van Zeller, a Benedictine writer and sculptor, lived from 1905 to 1984 and was noted for writing about human suffering from a Catholic perspective. He was known to be deeply devout, his sole possessions during his monastic life were a toothbrush and a typewriter. He was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, who came to him for spiritual direction*. Apparently van Zeller suffered most of his life with some illness and yet he ‘maintained an optimistic worldview’.
Despite the title, The Inner Search, isn’t about navel gazing. It is about our singular purpose as Christians—union with Christ and to become as much like Him as is possible. Van Zeller’s primary recommended source (of course) are the Sacred Scriptures, but he also encourages and draws from the Fathers, saints, and papal writings. His own writing flows so uniformly I would often not even realize all his sources until I came to the end of the page or section, although it was nice to scan them and see the breadth and depth of his knowledge.
Van Zeller believes we should strive for the mystical state but first we must be ascetical. He recommends fasting one day a week.
Van Zeller writes about advanced states of spirituality which he clearly knows something about. However, this was where he often lost me and I was the child listening in on an adult’s conversation. Fortunately I hung in there until near the end and was rewarded with three chapters (18-20) about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Soul. Here I found material which was more ‘graspable’ to me. I can see the mystical allusions while I’m reading about them, but they seem to evaporate like the morning fog as soon as I close the book, whereas praying to and thinking about the Holy Spirit is something which stays with me and therefore is more helpful.
Two other things I liked about this book: 1) quotes from the works of St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, someone rather neglected in our times, and 2) two chapters devoted to explaining Mary’s role and relationship to the Holy Spirit.
This is a book I want to return to. I wish it were available as an audiobook. Excellent.
*Van Zeller dedicated this book to Knox.
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This book has been on the shelf f-o-r-e-v-e-r, though I don’t have one specially designated, ‘Patiently waiting its turn’*. I don't even remember when I brought it. But it has been nagging at me especially loudly lately, “READ ME!”
It is indeed wonderful. I only wish I had made notes on every chapter like I did with Growth In Holiness because I like this better. It is simpler and cleaner. Growth was more systematic. Van Zeller seems to assume his readers are in need of an overall approach to their spiritual life rather than a set of rules, that they are already past requiring lists and repetitive disciplinary measures so essential to beginners. I know I would not have grasped what he was talking about—or I would have been scared out of my wits—had I read this book years ago when I first bought it.
Well, I’m only just over ½ through… more thoughts to come.
*My friend, Gold Gato, here on Goodreads has a shelf here with that amusing title. ☺
This book is way above my usual reading level, but of course it’s good to stretch oneself. It is certainly beyond my reviewing abilities. To adequately review it I should have begun taking careful notes from the first chapter ... or anyway tried to.
Dom Hubert van Zeller, a Benedictine writer and sculptor, lived from 1905 to 1984 and was noted for writing about human suffering from a Catholic perspective. He was known to be deeply devout, his sole possessions during his monastic life were a toothbrush and a typewriter. He was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, who came to him for spiritual direction*. Apparently van Zeller suffered most of his life with some illness and yet he ‘maintained an optimistic worldview’.
Despite the title, The Inner Search, isn’t about navel gazing. It is about our singular purpose as Christians—union with Christ and to become as much like Him as is possible. Van Zeller’s primary recommended source (of course) are the Sacred Scriptures, but he also encourages and draws from the Fathers, saints, and papal writings. His own writing flows so uniformly I would often not even realize all his sources until I came to the end of the page or section, although it was nice to scan them and see the breadth and depth of his knowledge.
Van Zeller believes we should strive for the mystical state but first we must be ascetical. He recommends fasting one day a week.
Van Zeller writes about advanced states of spirituality which he clearly knows something about. However, this was where he often lost me and I was the child listening in on an adult’s conversation. Fortunately I hung in there until near the end and was rewarded with three chapters (18-20) about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Soul. Here I found material which was more ‘graspable’ to me. I can see the mystical allusions while I’m reading about them, but they seem to evaporate like the morning fog as soon as I close the book, whereas praying to and thinking about the Holy Spirit is something which stays with me and therefore is more helpful.
Two other things I liked about this book: 1) quotes from the works of St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, someone rather neglected in our times, and 2) two chapters devoted to explaining Mary’s role and relationship to the Holy Spirit.
This is a book I want to return to. I wish it were available as an audiobook. Excellent.
*Van Zeller dedicated this book to Knox.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
This book has been on the shelf f-o-r-e-v-e-r, though I don’t have one specially designated, ‘Patiently waiting its turn’*. I don't even remember when I brought it. But it has been nagging at me especially loudly lately, “READ ME!”
It is indeed wonderful. I only wish I had made notes on every chapter like I did with Growth In Holiness because I like this better. It is simpler and cleaner. Growth was more systematic. Van Zeller seems to assume his readers are in need of an overall approach to their spiritual life rather than a set of rules, that they are already past requiring lists and repetitive disciplinary measures so essential to beginners. I know I would not have grasped what he was talking about—or I would have been scared out of my wits—had I read this book years ago when I first bought it.
Well, I’m only just over ½ through… more thoughts to come.
*My friend, Gold Gato, here on Goodreads has a shelf here with that amusing title. ☺
Displaying 1 of 1 review