Contemplation and Freedom: The Liberating Power of Spiritual Practice - Paperback

by Benedict R. Shoup (Editor), Mary Frohlich (Editor)

How does prayer shape action? How does sustained engagement in deep prayer shape our very freedom to act? This volume explores the relationship between Christian contemplative prayer and the exercise of freedom. Over the past half century, the desire for a better integration of spirituality and theology has emerged as a significant theme in theological writing. While the question of freedom has not been absent from this discourse, this volume highlights it by bringing it to the very center of the conversation. Eleven theologians explore the dialectical relationship between contemplation and freedom by engaging with a wide array of sources ranging from Maximus the Confessor to Edith Stein, from Howard Thurman to Bernard Lonergan, from the Tibhirine martyrs to M. Shawn Copeland. This symphony of voices unveils the methodological fruitfulness of placing contemplative prayer at the center of life, theory, and practice.

Author Biography

Benedict R. Shoup is a doctoral candidate in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame with a subspecialty in historical theology. He is currently completing his dissertation, "The Breath of the Word: John of the Cross's Theology of the Holy Spirit."



Mary Frohlich is professor emerita of spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Currently she is a visiting scholar at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. She is noted for her work on methodology for the study of spirituality and on Carmelite spirituality. Her most recent book is The Heart at the Heart of the World: Re-Visioning the Sacred Heart for an Ecozoic Era (2024).