Gateways to the Divine
Transformative Pathways of Prayer from the Holy City of Jerusalem
Imprint: Cascade Books
Step across the threshold and enter different spiritual worlds! Discover riches from the treasury of Jerusalem's religious traditions. Meet ordinary people of the holy city becoming extraordinary as they explore pathways to the Divine: practitioners of Kabbalah and Sufi traditions, Armenian and Syriac prayer, Franciscan and Orthodox spiritualities. Listen to those who actually live on the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross--their hopes and heartaches. Experience for yourself the transformative and life-changing potential of their spiritualities in a way that will enrich and empower you in your own situation and equip you for a greater engagement with spiritual traditions. This is the invitation of this book and the lure of the gateways of Jerusalem.
This resource embraces a kaleidoscope and mosaic of nationalities and ethnicities and spiritual traditions. Chapters include a short extract from classic spiritual writers of each tradition so we can engage firsthand with their spiritual riches. Suggested prayer exercises encourage us to make this an experiential reading, while questions in each chapter trigger reflection in individual readers or in groups using this as a course. Two concluding chapters identify commonalities and shared threads amongst the tapestry of religious traditions, and help us to relate the experience of this book to our own everyday environment.
Andrew D. Mayes has served as spirituality adviser to the Diocese of Chichester and to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He has lived several years in Jerusalem, firstly as a theological researcher and later as director of courses of St George’s College, of which he is an associate professor. He is the author of ten spirituality books, including the award-winning Learning the Language of the Soul and Beyond the Edge: Spiritual Transitions for Adventurous Souls.
“This moving and inspirational resource is an encouragement to those seeking interfaith understanding. At a time when we often hear only of negativity coming out of Jerusalem, this book introduces us to some lovely individuals in the city who share with us in a personal way their own spiritual practice. It is beautifully balanced between the different faiths, and also between different groups and cultures within those faiths. An emerging theme is the interplay between spirituality and action, and how these cannot be separated in today’s world. Challenging questions in each chapter lead readers to prayer, making the resource useful for individuals and study groups alike.”
—Andrew Wingate, interfaith adviser and author of Celebrating Difference, Staying Faithful: How to Live in a Multi-faith World
“As I read Gateways to the Divine, I sensed that this is going to be a useful and educative resource for anyone seeking a greater appreciation of the diversity of religious experience today. This is an excellent and unusual book in the way it brings together historic resources and contemporary unheard voices in the search for authentic spirituality. In today’s polarized and divided world, this resource breaks barriers and literally opens up gateways of fresh encounter and understanding. It calls us to attentive listening to the Other.”
—Michael Lewis, Archbishop of Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East; Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf
“This profound book takes the reader deep into the center and the soul of the holy city of Jerusalem. It goes far beneath the surface of things and will enrich all those who delve into the riches. The description of the city which the author knows so well will resonate with those who have visited and will enchant those who have not known its treasures and its complexities. We are drawn into fresh encounters with diverse spiritual traditions which will help build interfaith relationships, whatever our context.”
—Richard Sewell, Dean of St. George’s College, Jerusalem
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