Thomas Keating has spent over fifty years in sustained practice and devotion to the spiritual life. The results of this creative, humble activity are summarized in his remarkable book Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit.

As Father Keating says, the spiritual journey is a gradual process of enlarging our emotional, mental, and physical relationship with the divine reality that is present in us, but one not ordinarily accessible to our emotions or concepts. The spiritual journey teaches us: firstly, to believe in the Divine Indwelling within us, fully present and energizing every level of our being; secondly, to recognize that this energy is benign, healing, and transforming; and thirdly, to enjoy its gradual unfolding step-by-step both in prayer and action.