Sister Clare-Louise introduces the spiritual teaching of the sixteenth-century Franciscan mystic Francisco de Osuna, whose Third Spiritual Alphabet profoundly influenced St Teresa of Ávila and her understanding of contemplative prayer. At the heart of Osuna’s teaching lies the practice of recollection: the gathering together of the whole self — body, mind, and spirit — in loving attentiveness to the presence of God. Recollection is presented not simply as a method of prayer but as a way of living in continual awareness of Divine love amid the ordinary events of daily life.
Drawing connections between Osuna’s teaching and contemporary practices of mindfulness, watchfulness, silence, and self-knowledge, Sister Clare-Louise shows how this deeply traditional spirituality is strikingly relevant today. Guarding the heart, the discipline of attention, interior stillness, temptation, love, and contemplative friendship with God are all explored. Clear, practical, and spiritually rich throughout, this offers an accessible introduction to one of the great formative voices of Carmelite spirituality and the wider contemplative tradition.