Time for God

by Jacques Philippe

Are you too busy to pray? What if you could actually gain time and be more productive by praying? Would you pray more?

We often forget the real secret to gaining time and being productive is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness , and all these things shall be yours as well (Mt 6:33). If we make time for God through prayer, He multiplies our time and makes it fruitful and productive in all areas of our life. But have you ever felt unsure about how to pray? For that matter, what exactly is prayer and who is it for? And where, when and how should you pray?

These questions find an answer in this latest book from Scepter, Time for God. Written in a simple and modern style, author Jacques Philippe draws on years of experience as a spiritual guide to illuminate the fundamental principles of true prayer and describes some common mistakes and misconceptions that can lead it astray. This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to make better use of their time with God.

Genres: Catholic, Faith, Religion, Spirituality, Prayer, Christian, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jacques Philippe was born into a Christian family on March 12, 1947 in Lorraine, France. After studying mathematics in college, he spent several years teaching and doing scientific research. In 1976, he met the then recently-founded Community of the Beatitudes and answered the Lord’s call to follow Him through this vocation (see below for more information on the Community of the Beatitudes). He then spent several years in Jerusalem and Nazareth immersing himself in the study of Hebrew and the Jewish roots of Christianity. In 1981, he traveled to Rome to study theology and canon law and also began his work as a spiritual director, working in the formation of priests and seminarians of the Community. In 1994, he returned to France, where he assumed various responsibilities including spiritual direction, the development of training in the Community, and participation in its General Council. He has also preached retreats regularly in France and abroad and has consolidated his principal retreat themes into five books on spirituality. In recent years, he has devoted himself primarily to spiritual direction, preaching retreats, and working for the development of the Community in Asia and Oceania, where he travels frequently.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable little resource. I can't imagine why I've waited so long to read this. It's short but packed with references to the spiritual giants whose words Fr. Philippe quotes to explain the intricacies of prayer. Could and probably should be re-read every few years, like most of Philippe's little gems.

Highly recommended!

[Joseph Heaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Fr. Jacques Philippe! Such a banger. Not sure I have anything to say what hasn’t been said already. Gotta end this review because I’ll spontaneously combust if I keep thinking about how awesome it is that God desires my heart.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t already read this then just skip the “Want to Read” shelf and skip straight to “Currently Reading” because this should be required for anyone seeking a prayer life. So good. Jacques Phillipe does it again.

[Hayden F.]

If there was Spotify Wrapped for spiritual books read over the years I think Jacques Philippe will probably take the top spot, if not top five for my life (tbd). Every single book I've read of his has been simple in style and gentle in tone, but filled to the brim with practical lessons and wisdom for my life, especially my prayer life.
Honestly, I was misled by the title. I thought this book would be mostly about practical advice for time management in the Christian life. It is not. It is a primer on mental prayer, which, in retrospect, is much more helpful than just advice for time management with a spiritual tone. This book is all about Christian meditation, and the attitudes and habits to cultivate in order to better receive this gift of communion given as a grace.
It starts off by drawing a fantastic distinction between what the Church has traditionally called "meditation" and the Eastern mystic practices (yoga, Zen, etc) -- being that Christian prayer is not a making of the self into the absolute or being absorbed into the All, but a loving communion of persons. Additionally, it hits on the fact that Christian meditation is not a "technique" that depends on our competence and aptitude, but that it is instead a grace freely given (that must still be cooperated with).
Fr. Jacques emphasizes simplicity in a way that I really appreciated. I can often get bogged down in how my prayer "looks" or "feels", forgetting that it is nothing more than "sitting" with Someone, which takes a lot of pressure off that I shouldn't have when I pray regardless.
I wasn't as interested in his brief dive into the development of the life of prayer, but that might just be a reflection of where I currently am.
Overall yet another amazing, short, and punchy book from Fr. Jacques. Good stuff.

[Noah Calcagno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to contemplative prayer. Would recommend.

[Sam Harder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up when the Community of the Beatitudes were visiting St. Lawrence and were giving out free books. Very good. Clear, calming advice. “The life of prayer is not the result of a technique, but a gift we receive.”

[Tom LA · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good 100-pages booklet about mental / contemplative prayer. A lot of great insight, especially from the saints. However, my warning is: if you took away all the references and quotes from the major works of St Teresa of Avila, St Therese of Lisieux and St John of the Cross, very little would be left of this book. Personally, I would prefer to read the original works (which I plan to do).

[Holly Walling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a book study. Jacque Philippe definitely said “many things and very little.” Some of this content felt all over the place, but a lot of it was spot on. A good, mostly practical guide for how to pray. 3/5 stars because while he gives good practical advice, the practicality is kinda buried in everything else.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful hints on how to quietly spend time in prayer. The Catechism tells us that prayer is a struggle. This book doesn't give any technique but it does offer sound advice.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book by Father Jacques Philippe that I have read. It is just as good as the first and I must state that it is a must read for growth in the spiritual life.
Father Philippe writes a wonderful little book about the life of prayer and how to pray, and he goes through a number of the Saints of the church and their writings on prayer. He gives some amazing advice. First and foremost, he states that all forms and types of prayers in the Christian life should not become so ritualistic that they lose their spiritual benefits. He tells us that most spiritual practices in our lives are for a season, and what is fruitful and amazing now, may need to be changed in the future.

Philippe tells us that we are responsible for 5 attitudes in our approach to prayer. We must have faith, fidelity, purity of intention, humility and perseverance. If we are persistent in pursuing these 5 things, we will grow in the spiritual life.

Fr. Jacques also gives us 4 principles to remember in our practice of prayer: the primacy of God's action, the primacy of God's love, the humanity of Jesus, and God's indwelling in our heart.
Fr. Philippe is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors for spiritual reading. He touches upon that practice in this book as a tool for prayer. Spiritual reading is different from other forms of reading; rather than reading for the purpose of reviewing, or academic reading, spiritual reading is slowly digesting a book, stopping to pray when inspired, or stopping to meditate - reading something again and again if it really catches your attention. Its main purpose is to grow deeper.

Some samples of the gems in this book are:
"Prayer, no matter how brief, is very pleasing to God. Far from causing us to lose courage in perilous situations, prayer strengthens us." P.125"The truth is everyone who sets off on the spiritual journey seeks God, but also in part, herself or himself." P.22"It follows that all we have to do in prayer is to seek love and to strengthen it. This is the only criterion for judging whether we are doing badly or well in prayer." P.61
"There is no doubt that if we give God our time, we will be able to find time for others, too. By paying attention to God, we learn to pay attention to others." P.30

"Therefore, we do not pray because of the pleasure or benefits drawn from it - even if these are immense - but primarily because we want to please God, who asks us to pray. We pray not for our own delight, but for God's." P.21

"Moreover, the Mass in itself is more important than personal prayer. This may be true, but without a prayer life, the sacraments would have a limited effect." P.27

[Melanie Rigney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slight book in page count--just 108--but is profound and helpful in its approach to mental prayer. It's not totally prescriptive, though it includes the recommendation that one establish a regular time (no less than 20 minutes) and place for mental prayer. So much pithy, marvelous advice from Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, John of the Cross... and the author himself, including gems like this: "If your prayer consists of nothing more than that--holding ourselves before God without doing anything or thinking of anything special, without any particular feelings, but with a heartfelt attitude of availability and trusting abandonment--then we could not do any better."

[Aimee Ecuyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always love the simplicity of Fr. Jacques Philippe which packs a punch. Some points made in the book were some very good challenges for particular struggles that I’ve experienced in the spiritual life. It does leave me wanting a little more, but perhaps the more that I want is actually what can only be found in prayer, so…mission accomplished.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both times I read this, I was reading it in order to help others, but inevitably, I found insights that helped my own prayer life immensely.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Will be revisiting in a year or so and probably the year after that and so on. A beautiful read that is practical and reassuring. Short little book but jam-packed with tips on how to pray and how to give time for God and why you should!

[Kathleen Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book about the importance of prioritizing mental prayer…would recommend if struggling with praying everyday!

[Lauren Dirnberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small group with the Sisters- winter read 2025

[Pietro Zambelli Villanueva · Rating 5 out of 5]

El inicio es un poco repetitivo pero el resto del libro es una joya, sin duda un excelente recurso para quien busca crecer en su vida de oración.

[Jordan Monson · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy smokes that was powerful

[Peter Medley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book!

[ST. JOSEPH'S DISCIPLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, great book. I definitely learned a lot more of what prayer could be in my life; and it's more than just the usual routine I'm used to. I hope to someday revisit this book and see how far I have gone into "the Interior Castle". But most of all what I took away was to PERSEVERE. It is something that for many people (including myself) is difficult to do in times when God has witheld himself. But I always have to remind myself that it's for the best, because a tried and true relationship isn't absolute ecstasy every time you're with them. What matters is that YOU'RE WITH HIM. Discpline is really part of that virtue and I long for it!!!

[Annalise Rome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fr. Jacques never misses! Very good.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very insightful book. I picked it up right when I needed it. If you’ve struggled with worrying about a right or wrong way to pray like I have this book is for you bc quite simply it teaches there isn’t and the only guideline is to love, even if that means through distractions or difficulties that come up in prayer. As Jacque says, “Do not be discouraged. Persevere. Our Lord, who sees our goodwill, will turn everything to our advantage”. It did leave me with some follow up questions but more so answered questions I had.

[Shelby Poinikiewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was actually life changing for me. I picked it up for Lent to try and get my life properly ordered and it was just truth bomb after truth bomb, insight after insight. I will probably have to read it again to absorb more wisdom. There was too much for my untrained mind to grasp but I tried to read it slowly and take notes and make changes to my approach to mental prayer. Thanks for the recommendation, Blessed is She podcast!

[Sophie Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the answer to every single excuse we make to ignore the practice of prayer. If you want to hear the truth about companionship with the Lord and how that fits into your life, this is the book. A must read for every busy college student who thinks they don't have time or emotional capacity to connect with the Lord through prayer (aka me).

[Thadeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book on mental prayer. My first in Kindle format other than the Bible, and I'm sure I'll come back to it time and again.

Recommended.

[Serviam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, but has a lot to say. I always go back to this book when I need to be reminded what prayer really is: a heart speaking to heart.

[Caleb FitzGerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd time = best time

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fr. Jacques crushin it as always

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philippe’s strength is as a compiler or an editor. I’ve read two of his books and neither is an attempt at anything courageous or new. He simply presents, and presents simply, what others before him have written. Given the rich intellectual and spiritual tradition of the Church, though, such an informant or aggregator is invaluable. While I could - and should - read Story of a Soul, having Philippe highlight some points beforehand can help me learn more from Therese. He has sifted through the material for some nuggets pertaining, in this case, to contemplative prayer. Now when I read Therese, I can focus on her points on contemplation or her style of prayer more easily than if I were just exploring by myself. Reading Philippe is like having a tour guide for Rome: you could wander aimlessly and you would see beautiful sights; you could look for those gems yourself and find some, but spend more time in doing so; or you could listen to this guide who has explored Rome and has selected certain churches or squares for a designed purpose.

[Zachary Flessert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the kitsch title and cover image, this is a wonderfully sincere and short book giving guidelines and pointers about the practice of mental prayer.

Philippe scorns eastern meditation at the beginning, but then the whole thing is pretty zen throughout.

Of course, the difference is the accessibility of Eastern meditation to the secular, agnostic, and atheist. Mental prayer is pointless to someone without the prerequisite faith in the Trinity.