The experience of crisis, especially midlife crisis, is universal. In this inspirational book Rosemarie Cafagna takes a new approach to crisis by exploring it from the human perspective, in connection to contemplative prayer. She explores the experience of contemplation using descriptions from the field of spirituality and from classical spiritual literature. In particular she shows the correlation between the two experiences by highlighting critical moments in the lives of historical figures such as Augustine, Ignatius. Josh of the Cross and Teresa of Avila as well as contemporary figures such as Henri Nouwen, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Kathleen Norris, C. S. Lewis, Sue Monk Kidd and Gerald May. This book is especially encouraging to thoes who are in midlife crisis and who fear that God is absent by showing compassion between the critical moment and the contemplative moment, and by offering an affirmative way of responding to the multiple crises that beset the middle years of life. It works toward alleviating anxiety, and gives ground for hope to faithful people who are in medlife crisis by providing a spiritual context in which to understand their experience. In recognizing the university of crisis, and the possibility of its positive resolution, readers will see the hand of the loving God who sustains us through absolutely everything.
