Book review: Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, by Anthony DeStephano
I must admit, I groaned when I saw the title to this book. I really dislike books of spirituality that try and be too “homey”, especially when they seem to be appealing to elements of our culture that I personally feel need to be evangelized, not embraced. The title of this book, to me, seemed to appeal too much to the consumerism rampant in our society — the idea that a person can “close the deal” with God simply by applying certain techniques, without a radical turning to God.
Then again, I also remembered a book I had previously reviewed: Saints Behaving Badly, which had a terrible title but turned out to be really quite delightful. So I decided to give this one a chance. I am glad I did, because this book is really about having a healthy relationship with God *as a Person* rather than as some sort of celestial vending machine. To be honest, as much as there are “10 prayers” that God always says yes to, this book is really about the person who says those prayers, more than anything else, as it tries to guide people into a greater vision of how God acts in the world.
The book is not perfect, of course. The structure is a bit forced, as though the author tried a bit too hard to find “10″ actual prayers so that the number 10 could become part of the marketing effort. But the content is generally spot on. The book is aimed at beginners and is very easy to read, without losing any of its message. It is broadly ecumenical in tone in content, such that a reader from any religious background will find it accessible, while at the same time presenting nothing that I found contrary to the Catholic faith. What I found best about the book, however, is that the author does not shy away from the tough stuff, particularly the issue of finding God in the midst of suffering. He comes back to this theme regularly, trying to bring consolation, understanding and peace to those going through tough times. Personally I might have phrased some of his explanations differently, but then again I do not claim to have a “perfect answer” to the grand issues of trials and suffering in life. I am sure there will be people who will appreciate his approach and find it helpful.
As an aside, I did have a mini-epiphany as I read the book, at least on the theological level. According to the Christian tradition, the Son (in order to truly become one of us) “emptied himself”, a process we call “kenosis”. Now my question is, how does the kenosis of the Son become as well the kenosis of the Father and the Holy Spirit? After all, the three are united in the Trinity, and so the other two divine Persons must have experienced some sort of kenosis as well — each in their own way, of course, but united to the kenosis of the Son such that there was really only one Trinitarian kenosis. Might this be an avenue to understand how God can be infinite in power and knowledge and yet, at the same time, so often seem as though he were “powerless”? Something to meditate on.
Doubleday has set up a website for the book, and there is even a Yes prayer song with video over at YouTube. My rating: B+
