April 2018—Book Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat on Spirituality and Practice
Original prayers, blessings, and meditations for the practice of compassion.
This wonderful book of prayers, blessings, and meditations is a companion to Joyce Rupp’s Boundless Compassion: Creating a Way of Life. The author is co-director of the Servite Center of Compassionate Presence and has developed a six-week Christian guide to the practice of compassion for self, others, and the world. These prayers can be used as you go through the program, or at any time when you feel the need to boost your compassionate presence.
Rupp has never been one to shy away from pain, suffering, and grief. As her books reveal, she often uses prayers to express her heart’s yearning and address common concerns in everyday life.
March 2018—NetGalley Review by Debbie Kerch, Reviewer
Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars
Prayers of Boundless Compassion by Joyce Rupp is a beautiful companion to
her book Boundless Compassion. It can be used in conjunction with her book, as the prayers correspond to the subject material in her book, or they can be used alone to pray for the gift of compassion for ourselves and others. This book of prayers can be used every day to lift our hearts and minds to God in regards to those who are suffering. There is no greater gift we can give each other than to offer intercessory prayers.
In addition to the beautiful prayers with insight into the suffering of others and sometimes ourselves, Prayers of Boundless Compassion is a wonderful way of praying, especially for those who have a difficult time putting their intentions into words. When you don’t know what to say or are having a difficult time praying, this book can help you meditate individually or as a group. A wonderful aid for those on their journey of compassion for it offers insight to the suffering of others as well as those who are their caregivers or suffering themselves. There are so many prayers in this little book, it can offer something for everyone.
I want to thank Ave Maria Press via NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Prayers of Boundless Compassion for a fair and honest review.
December 2017—NetGalley Review by Anne Marie B, Reviewer
Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars
This is a most beautiful book of prayers and poems reflecting various aspects of compassion by one of my favorite spiritual authors. I particularly love that she has granted permission for people to copy and use these as part of a group gathering or liturgy, with attribution to the author (as described in the introduction). I am a workshop and retreat leader in the field of SoulCollage® and will use many of these poems in my classes and during my online teaching as well. There are seven sections or categories: Compassion as a Way of Life, Self-Compassion, Compassion and Suffering, Compassion and Marginalization, Compassion for Creation, Compassionate Presence, and Other Prayers of Compassion. From what I am seeing now on the news, our society (and the world) could use a healthy healing dose of compassion and this book sets us on the right path to bringing that about. Highly, highly recommend.
