I cannot think of a book by Jim Forest that I did not enjoy, leran from and then recommend to others, even making gifts of several of them to freinds and family. I think here, to name just a few of his wonderful biography of Thomas Merton, Living with Wisdom, his books on praying with icons and on the Beatitudes, his book on confession and his new one Silent as a Stone, on St. Mother Maria Skobtsova's resuce of children during the roundup and imprisoning of French Jews during the Occupation in 1942. In many ways, The Road to Emmaus: pilgrimage as a way of life, brings together holy women and men Jim Forest has revered, learned from and written about. But in this lovely and lucid text, he also brings some of the most important of his subjects such as prayer, liturgy, sacred images, holy places. He assembles all these in the framework of that venerable project of seeting out and making the pilgrimage journey. This could be an excellent book to take along on a retreat, to use for spiritual reading during a season such as Advent or Lent, to gather a study group. The images within support Jim Forest's always accessible prose. He has also included his own pilgrimage through sickness towards healing. You will be in for adventure in reading this, just as much as any of Chaucer's pilgrims on the road to canterbury, or for that matter, thousands of others journeying to Compostella, Rome, Jerusalem or other holy places.

This book is one that I plan to add to the short list that I read regularly. I have been looking for material that will help break up the hard soil of my heart so that I can hear the unexpected messages God has for me on the road of life. I mean, whether one is an intentional pilgrim, a traveler, one who makes his or her rounds, or even a person limited by illness, Jim Forest addresses you with stories, words of Saints, and sage advice. He's been these all these persons, and he illustrates how God is there in these situations, speaking. If you're longing for those ears to hear the saving messages you fear you're missing, this book will help.