Reverend Robert Miller has worked for twenty-six years in Chicago's South Side black Catholic community and is pastor of St. Dorothy Catholic Church. Ordained in 1976, he joined the Chicago archdiocese in 1995 after twenty years of Redemptorist religious life, including eight years of full-time preaching. His ministry is wide-ranging: preaching missions and retreats nationally, celebrating healing and charismatic Masses, and teaching Church history in the archdiocese.
Father Bob is also founder of Genesis Housing Development Corporation, a faith-based group building affordable housing and preparing homeowners on Chicago's South Side. He has written six books, including the nationally acclaimed Lectio Divina Scripture reflection and meditation trilogy and a study of Civil War religion: Both Prayed to the Same God: Religion and Faith in the Civil War.
"Robert Miller is a gifted writer, pastor, preacher, and thoughtful commentator on sacred scripture. The ancient discipline of lectio divina comes alive in the pages of this book in a way that compels the reader to want to engage the word of God in new and deeper spirit-filled ways. In our anxious and frenetic times, Miller invites us to abide in the God who is love, through his holy word, as a truly accessible means to find peace and inner healing for our troubled souls and spiritual enrichment in our lives. I highly recommend it!"
--Stephen J. Hrycyniak, priest, spiritual director, and hospital chaplain
"Catholics have rediscovered Lectio Divina--a thoughtful and prayerful reading of the Scriptures. Father Robert Miller has created a wonderful trilogy of meditation books that break open the Word of God in new and fresh ways for every believer! Surprised by Love is a wonderful aid in allowing God to ambush us, His beloved, with unabashed, unexpected Love!"
--Andrew M. Greeley, priest, author, and sociologist
"Surprised by Love is a marvelous book for renewing the ancient practice of praying with Scripture. I keep it close at hand as I prepare sermons and articles for publication. Set up in time sequence, one doesn't have to read it all at once but according to the Liturgical Year. Like Christ using parables, Surprised by Love tells poignant stories that are eminently usable for both the listener and giver. Its meditations truly inspire, console and uplift!"
--Jerome Kowalski, chaplain