Say it to God: In Search of Prayer: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2018

by Luigi Gioia

In Say it to God Luigi Gioia provides a welcome encouragement to all those who feel the need to freshen their practice of prayer. For Gioia, prayer is not about methods or techniques, but trusting that God is truly interested in everything that happens to us and wants to hear about it. The book leads the reader into the theological aspects of prayer and how it relates to Christ, to the Holy Spirit and to the Church. This is done without using complex theological concepts but simply through scriptural quotations. Chapters are kept brief intentionally to make the book suitable for daily reading over the Lenten period. With a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Say it to God demonstrates that the everyday, even the most mundane of tasks and situations, can be applied in deepening our practice of prayer.

Genres: Spirituality, Christian, Christianity

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 16, 2018

Reviews

[Andrew Carnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on prayer I’ve ever read!

[Chelsea Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent contemplative book, good not only for Lent but for any occasion. It seems slow going at first and picks up as you go through, but there are some beautiful and unique points made in this book and a new look at well known scriptures. The author is knowledgeable but not pompous with it, teaching without overloading. You can see his caring and gentle attitude weaved through the book, and his ideas stand on the solid ground of theology and scripture. Unlike a lot of other authors, Gioia makes it clear that prayer isn't a formula or a ritual, but something that comes from our heart. It isn't about following a pattern or using many words but about pouring out our hearts in true authenticity to a God that loves and cares about us, even in our worst states.
A really great book, worth the read. Only a star less because it took me a while to get into it properly.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

This is a beautiful and thoughtful book. It spoke to my heart and soul. I believe reading this will enrich my life of prayer.

[Julia Alberino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2018 Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent book. It really is a near-perfect Lent book. The chapters are short, and one a day can be easily incorporated into your Lenten practices. The only "problem" is that at the rate of a chapter a day, you run out of book by today, so you'll need a second Lent book to take you through the final three weeks of Lent. The author provides an in-depth exegesis of the Our Father, and gives thoughts on the nature of prayer. There are no rules, but toward the end, he does give a few simple directions: keep it simple, short, frequent, and real.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meaningful daily meditation on prayer, perfect for Lent. "And thus prayer becomes a matter of learning to wait in faith and in hope for the risen Lord to enter into our locked selves, just as he entered the locked room where the apostles waited in discouragement and fear."

I appreciated that this book encouraged bringing true emotions to God, not just love and gratitude, but anger, fear, despair, and questions, to be our humans selves with God and build a relationship that will bring trust.

[Kate Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book for lent.

We all struggle with prayer, thinking that what we say is not good enough for God, but this book shows us that nothing said in prayer to God is wasted, everything is relevant, we just need to speak to God as the friend that he is.

[Arjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een prachtig boek over gebed, over praten met God. Elke hoofdstuk verrast je met parels van inzichten over het 'Onze Vader' en de kracht van gebed. Een aanrader en motivatie om te gaan bidden, en tegelijk een geruststelling dat bidden makkelijk is.

[Juliette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gioia uses a lot of words and pages to say what Thérèse of Lisieux did: "I say very simply to God what I want to say, and He always understands me."

[Diane Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

This book helped me to thin inwardly about god present within my own body and to focus more deeply on prayer.

[Annemarie Hoogland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly liked the final chapter

[Mary Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to say I was so inspired by this book, but somehow it did not connect with me. His explanations of spirituality, of connecting with God left me struggling to relate to his metaphors and explanations. I read about half of the book and then decided to put my efforts elsewhere. For some people, this is probably an earth-shaking help, but unfortunately not for me.

[Allison]

A good reminder of the power of prayer. I liked the conversational style, the scriptural references, and the analysis of the Lord's Prayer.