'Unseen Power of Prayer' introduces an indwelling Christ

"The Unseen Power of Prayer: A Catholic Perspective," by Michael McDevitt, Our Sunday Visitor, 158 pages, softcover, $14.95.

SALT LAKE CITY — Michael McDevitt, retreat master and executive director of The Mystical Humanity of Christ, Inc., has given us, in his first book, an intimate look into his own prayer life, the deep well from which his retreats come, and he introduces us to an indwelling Christ; a Jesus who is in us and with us every moment of every day. This book won’t show you the dry, arid spiritual experiences of Mother Teresa, but the prayer life of a modern man whose life has had its ups, downs, and troubles, but he is never tempted to lose faith or stop praying.

Inspired by the American mystic, Cora Evans, whose writings McDevitt is the custodian for, the book tells how praying always has impacted McDevitt’s life and the lives of his family.

"This is the Mystical Humanity of Christ," McDevitt writes. "It is Eucharistic spirituality, and it recognizes that the work of the Incarnation continues through people who are willing to incorporate Jesus into their daily lives. This is why daily prayer and communion with God – sacramental and spiritual – are so important. Essential really."

Within the pages of the book, one sees how McDevitt has become the powerful speaker and retreat master. He shares his fears when he suffered a stroke, and how a serious eye condition nearly left him blind in one eye, but his devotion to Jesus and the prayers of people from all over the United States, most of whom don’t know each other, help him through the struggles.

"The closer we come to Our Lord, the more clarity we have about how we can best participate in His mission. Before long, we take ownership and realize that His mission is accomplished through us. Then we move forward with confidence."

"The Unseen Power of Prayer is not a little book to be breezed through. It’s a book to be read with pencil and ruler in hand so the reader can underline the passages that mean a lot to him or her. It’s a book that, as you read it, you hope McDevitt’s hope stays with you.

Cora Evans, an American Catholic mystic, is mentioned a few times in the book and I wanted to know more about her. I had hoped McDevitt would have written a chapter on this women who is such an inspiration to him, but there is very little about Cora in this book.

McDevitt has powerful chapters on the Mass and on praying with Mary and Joseph.

"At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Henceforth, the Mass would be the only perfect form of worship. The sacrifice of Jesus is perfect: no mere lamb, His is the all-perfect Lamb of God, McDevitt writes. "Jesus offered Himself as the new Lamb to be sacrificed on the altar. He said it would not be necessary to offer a lamb at all – ‘Do this in memory of me!’" (Luke 22: 19)

His sub-chapter, "How to Pray the Mass," is a good introduction to the Mass. He takes it for granted that he is writing for people who are familiar with both the Mass and the Last Supper, so he is not writing down to anyone. He then moves on to the specific parts of the Mass, writing: "From the very beginning, you are making yourself ready to receive Jesus. You are a temple, and Jesus is about to enter. This is the time to prepare your temple."

"Surrender yourself," fully to the Mass, he writes. And in "The Magnitude of His Love, He (Jesus) loves each one of you so much that he would have died for you alone. He would have climbed up the cross of Calvary and died for you, and he dies in the mystical, unbloody manner in the Mass that we might continue His life through our humanities. "We become His Mystical Humanity."

In "Praying with Mary and Joseph," McDevitt reveals his own relationship with Mary. As for Joseph, about whom little is written, he says: " It is precisely because we do not have all the details of his life and are left to fill in the blanks, that Joseph becomes the ideal model of contemplative and imaginative prayer."

McDevitt’s idea of Joseph, formed largely from "movies and artists’ rendering" is of a much younger man than I have imagined. But his devotion to St. Joseph is real. "...ask through the intercession of St. Joseph that you have the courage to cooperate with the graces God gives to you."

This book is peppered with information about McDevitt’s life – his physical struggles, his marriage and his children, his correspondence with his friends. Bravely, he adds a good splash of his own poetry. Some people write poetically. McDevitt writes poetry, and it is gentle, like the waves on a quiet sea.

As good as this book is, there is something missing. That is any comprehension that the reader is not on the same spiritual plane as McDevitt. There is nothing here for those who are struggling with their faith or fighting their way out of the darkness and aridity that even some saints experienced. Therefore, some readers will put the book down before they finish it, feeling somewhat intimidated by it.

"The Unseen Power of Prayer: A Catholic Perspective" can be purchased at Catholic book stores or through Our Sunday Visitor. Call 1-800-348-2440, extension 3.