3 Review(s)

Those who were familiar with Tony de Mello in his lifetime, know and still remember that his ministry went through several distinct stages, corresponding partly to the needs of the people he served but also to the demands of an inner development. Externally, one could perceive successively the spiritual, the therapist, the guru; internally, a close friend has spoken of “the progression of values from holiness through love to freedom.” And so we come to this posthumous publication; a transcript of his retreat conferences, which he himself carefully edited but never released. There is no answer to why he did not make them available; nor to what he would think of the present venture. The incontestable fact is that many people of all sorts will be very happy to have these notes. The text is reproduced just as Tony left it; only a title has been provided, and some slips were corrected – though there was a suggestion favouring revision. The style is somewhat old-Fashioned, the content not altogether post conciliar. The subject of the talks can be summed up in the classical Three Fundamental Principles; prayer, penance and the love of Christ. The style is typical of Tony; forceful.