The search for ecstatic union in God is hardly a new phenomenon. Pilgrims from the Desert Fathers to St. Teresa of Avila and Meister Eckhart have trod the paths of prayer and devotion in quest of mystical unity with the All-Encompassing. Petit, a pseudonymous French priest, joins this long and distinguished line of seekers after God. Entries from Petit's journals, his prayers and some of his notes and meditations on St. Thérèse of Lisieux are collected in this abridged edition of his Le Feu Qui Descend, translated for the first time into English by Sister Mary Grace, C.S.E. As expected, Petit declares his unworthiness before God and emphasizes that one must annihilate self in order to receive God. The soul looks continually for ways to please, and the all-consuming fire of divine grace burnishes the soul. The priest proclaims that, above all else, the soul is disposed to holiness and purity. But we can only achieve such a state by "abandoning ourselves to the flames of love that overflow from the heart of God." God is the agent of our redemption, and we are receptacles of God's cleansing fire. Those unfamiliar with the writings of Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and other Christian mystics might find this little book illuminating and appealing. It is, however, a minor addition to an already burgeoning literature of Western spirituality. (Aug.)
