Book Review: Spiritual Excellence by Alban Goodier

Spiritual Excellence: How to Make Progress in Prayer and Love by Alban Goodier, S.J.

This book has seventeen short essays of practical advice to improve one's spiritual life. Goodier covers a wide range of topics, from our attitudes towards God and others to how best to pray and act in daily life.

Even though it was written a century ago, the advice is surprisingly timely and fresh. At one point, he talks about the need to judge others in truth rather than assumptions. Often we judge others by appearances which don't always reflect the whole person. Goodier describes how we often fear strangers but when we get to know them, nine times out of ten they are much better than we imagined. The much worse assumption is thinking someone is saintly just judging by their outward appearance. A more close examination often brings disappointment. "When, then, we make up our minds about a person, let us give both ourselves and our victim a fair start. The chances are that every man we meet is a human being and not a portent; and every human being has his weaknesses as well as his good points. No one is wholly bad; very few are wholly good." [p. 161] It's an attitude that is sorely needed in our political realm. Probably in our personal realms as well.

The advice on prayer is also eye-opening. Rather than focus solely on lots of rote prayer or solely on spontaneous, "from the heart" prayer, Goodier teaches the value of balancing the two in order to make progress. Both are required for attaining a rich spiritual life. Each has its problems, which he describes and gives guidance on how to handle such situations.

Highly recommended--it's a quick read and has lots of profound and useful insights.