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The Fire and the Silence

Spirituality and Religion

,

The Fire and the Silence

Prayer, Thought, and the Battle for Inner StillnessBy Fr. John Henry HansonRecorded Track

The Fire and the Silence

Length3h 51m

About this audiobook

Why is it so hard to pray without distraction? Why does our mind wander to everything except God when we kneel to speak with him? And what do we do with the flood of thoughts that seem to overtake us in the very act of prayer? In this deeply contemplative yet practical book, Fr. John Henry Hanson takes us on a journey through the battleground of the mind, where attention, memory, and imagination often seem like saboteurs to prayer. Drawing on Scripture, the Desert Fathers, saints like Teresa of Avila and Augustine, and insights from modern psychology, this book offers not a quick fix, but something far better: a quiet revolution against wayward thoughts, a spiritual reorientation toward God. Fr. Hanson helps readers understand how God meets us even in mental chaos: how he works not despite our distractions, but sometimes through them. Along the way, readers will discover the role of grace in thought-life, how to respond to distraction, and what it means to have "the mind of Christ."

Gods & Mortals Journey Supernatural Psychological Healing Redemption Identity

Audiobook details

GenreSpirituality and Religion, Self-Help

Length3 hrs 51 mins

Narrated byRecorded Track

FormatAudiobook

Publish dateJun 15, 2026

LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Opening

9Chapter 6: Répondez s’il vous plaît

2Foreword

10Chapter 7: Of Mind and Monastery: Guarding the Senses

3Author's Preface

11Chapter 8: Love and War: Distractions

4Chapter 1: A Fire in the Head

12Chapter 9: The Enemy Within: The Problem of Self-Sabotage

5Chapter 2: Confessions and Possibilities

13Chapter 10: Fighting for Love

Show all chaptersShow less

6Chapter 3: Listening to Spies

14Chapter 11: Mind Over Matter: The Ghosts of Shame

7Chapter 4: Why Your Mind Doesn't Work

15Chapter 12: "Do Not Be Anxious"

8Chapter 5: Cleaning Our Glasses

16Closing

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