Enclosed nuns top bestsellers list with simple words of wisdom
Calm the Soul: A Book of Simple Wisdom and Prayer by the Poor Clares in Galway provides prayers for people in financial difficulty, the unemployed, for those in need of improved self-esteem, and those suffering anxiety.
Sister Colette said the nuns are “so delighted that the book and its message has reached so many people”.
“We’ve received numerous letters of heartfelt thanks from people telling us that they’ve been helped by the book, and that they felt it had been written for them at a particular moment in time to give them a sense of hope,” she said.
The book has been in the top five on the chart since its publication in mid-October.
“During these difficult times, times of anxiety and restlessness, many of us have lost the sense of God’s presence in our lives,” she said. “And Calm the Soul, I think, taps into the longing for inner peace that only God can give, and gives people the sense that, in our everyday life, calm and serenity is possible.”
One section of the book deals with the times “when our fears overwhelm us”. The nuns write: “We will all experience times when the fear within seems to engulf us. When this happens, it seems that we cannot see the way forward. We are often paralysed by these fears and anxieties. It is part of the human condition... We need only entrust ourselves to Him and we can claim is strength, which comes from the Holy Spirit.”
The book suggests: “Do not be afraid” (Isaiah 43:1) and “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1) as scripture that makes references to our ongoing need to overcome anxiety. It also quotes from the writings of St Clare as she tries to comfort St Agnes of Prague during personal difficulties.
On self-fulfilment, readers are urged not to look outside themselves. “If our focus is concentrated on ourselves, we will never find contentment, because a life that is self-centred is not a happy one,” they write.
The Poor Clares are an enclosed order of nuns whose lives are devoted to prayer, contemplation, and reflection.
Even though they don’t have broadband or internet access, they operate an active website and Facebook page as a way to keep in touch with people.
* The order can be contacted at www.poorclares.ie or facebook.com/poorclaresgalway
