The Gardens of God By Archbishop Arthur Roche

Great to meditate with

This is a great book to meditate on when reading. It is also great book to reread each year or two! The Gardens of God The Gardens of God is such a thought-provoking book—I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for some short reflections on cultivating an interior garden fit for the Lord. It pointed out a few ways that I have been misguided in my thinking about the spiritual life and was scarily relevant to some of the struggles I have been having in my prayer life. Using scripture, quotes from Saints and theologians, and his own words, Cardinal Arthur Roche especially emphasized the importance of prayer and turning away from self-reflection and more towards reflecting on God Himself:

- “We should really try to face God rather than succumb to self-reflection. In reality, it is more important to think “Whose am I?” than “Who am I?”
- “When we concentrate on ourselves in His presence rather than on Him, our smallness can give way to distrust.”
- “And when you are thus turned towards God, above all do not turn back to yourself at all. Don’t ask where you stand with God. The sadness of not being perfect and finding yourself a sinner is still a human sentiment.”

“Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you, you cannot begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him.”

I would especially recommend this book to anyone who tends to be too introspective for their own good. The Gardens of God

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Gen. 2:8). From the very beginning of Scripture, key moments in God’s plan of salvation have played out in gardens, from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of the Resurrection.

In The Gardens of God, Cardinal Arthur Roche reflects on these gardens as images of the spiritual life. The sorrow of Gethsemane, the joy of the empty tomb, the intimacy of the enclosed garden, and the hope of paradise all speak to different moments in the journey of faith. Initially developed as retreat talks for bishops and priests, The Gardens of God will also appeal to all the faithful, inviting them to again walk with God in the garden of the soul. The Gardens of God

Archbishop Arthur Roche ¹ 7 Free download