"I am very happy with the publication of this timely, necessary, and urgently needed book. A magnificent work by my brother and friend Daniel Chowning, who not only offers a wise and profound reflection on the healing power of contemplation in John of the Cross, but does so as the fruit of a lifetime of experience and as an authentic and faithful witness with his life to what his writing conveys. It is a very necessary and recommendable reading in order to heal the wounds of our times with the most effective medicine distilled in the writings of John of the Cross: contemplation as a way to learn to love and to let oneself be loved."
Father Miguel Márquez, Superior General of the Discalced Carmelite Order
"Fr. Daniel Chowning, OCD’s
Healed by Love is a masterpiece of the integration of our Lord’s healing ministry captured in Catholic biblical theology, St. John of the Cross’ Carmelite mysticism, and solid contemporary psychology grounded in the truths of Catholic anthropology. A seasoned Catholic Carmelite spiritual theologian with a wide range of international evangelizing pastoral experiences, Fr. Chowning’s ecclesial mission expressed in this book is to open people to the integration of deep contemplation, deep spiritual progress, deep internal and holistic healing and deep commitment to Catholic global worldwide contemplative mission all in the context of the realities of living in a fallen world."
Bishop John O. Barres, STD, JCL, Diocese of Rockville Centre (Long Island, New York)
"Chowning's writing is the fruit of many years of studying and teaching the Carmelite saints. Be enthused, inspired, and challenged to make the journey of contemplative love a way of life 'costing not less than everything.' It's never too late to set out."
Julian Meetings Book Review
"This is a book which will rightly take its place amid the contemporary reception of John's teaching, while leaving us eager to hear more from an author who so clearly has John not only at his fingertips but in his heart."
Teresianum
"In this beautiful and very readable book, Fr. Daniel Chowning has distilled the teaching of St. John of the Cross for a new generation, linking it with his own personal, pastoral, and psychological insights. Under St. John's guidance all are encouraged to surrender to the process of healing and transformation in Christ. It is a contemplative journey that leads to freedom and the integration of the whole person. Chowning's writing is the fruit of many years of studying and teaching the Carmelite saints and I was hooked from page one. Be enthused, inspired, and challenged to make the journey of contemplative love a way of life 'costing not less than everything.' It's never too late to set out."
Sr. Elizabeth Obbard is a Carmelite nun of Quidenham Monastery, UK and a spiritual writer
"Healed by Love is a clear presentation of a frequently misinterpreted spiritual master. It is an insightful interpretation of the spirituality of St. John of the Cross regarding spiritual healing. Chowning provides both an in-depth diagnosis of our spiritual sickness and an analysis of the process of healing and transformation according to the great Spanish Carmelite mystic. It will find an eager reception among both scholars and the general audience alike."
Marc Foley, OCD, author of The Dark Night: Psychological Experience and Spiritual Reality
"Coming from decades of careful study of the texts and the living out of their meaning, the author offers a comprehensive, eminently accessible, and reliable interpretation of John of the Cross’s teaching. He opens a contemplative pathway to understanding and entering into the challenging, transformative, lifelong process of growing union with God that gradually breaks our enslavement to disordered desire. Fr. Chowning makes noteworthy use of John’s texts. For example, he interweaves the wonderful theology present in the
Romances into the flow of his major writings. While the insights of contemporary psychology illuminate this study, the author rightly stresses John’s emphasis on God’s faithful, self-communicating, healing love."
Constance FitzGerald, OCD, Carmelite Monastery, Baltimore
"Because sin, both original and personal, causes all our human brokenness, only God can truly heal us and restore us to our lost wholeness. As St. John of the Cross teaches, God heals and restores us through contemplation as He communicates Himself directly to our souls when we dispose ourselves to receive this divine grace by daily living the Gospel. Drawing on his years of extensive research into the life and writings of the sixteenth-century doctor of the Church and of providing spiritual guidance for numerous persons within the Carmelite tradition, Fr. Chowning clearly explains the divine psychotherapy by which God purifies us of our sins, unites us with His will, and transforms us into new persons in Christ Jesus. All who long for their own healing and especially those in healing ministries—physicians, psychotherapists, confessors, spiritual guides—will welcome
Healed by Love."
Kevin Culligan, OCD, charter member of the Institute of Carmelite Studies and the Carmelite Forum
"Today it seems as if all creation is crying out for healing. In this new work, the author explores in depth the central message of St. John of the Cross that 'healing and transformation come from opening ourselves more and more to God self-communicating love through prayer and contemplation.' In the process, Fr. Chowning also provides us with a very accessible and engaging introduction to the mystical doctor himself. At a moment when our world and our hearts often feel so broken, this book is especially timely."
Steven Payne, OCD, The Catholic University of America
"Remarkable for its depth and clarity,
Healed by Love is a carefully crafted guide to John of the Cross’s spiritual path toward healing through contemplation: God’s gift, our response. In the unfolding of the journey, the book makes John’s writings accessible to today’s searching hearts. Fr. Chowning demonstrates that John of the Cross knew the human heart well: its longings, its challenges, and its graced capacity for transformation into the love for which it was created."
Patricia Kieler, SDS, Spiritual Director
"There is a longing in every human person to be loved, healed and restored. For centuries the wisdom of St. John of the Cross has enlightened our path on this journey of transformation in love. Yet, in our own day, we need masters to once again teach us how fundamental St. John’s teachings are for our times. This book is a masterpiece of Fr. Daniel Chowning's scholarship, prayer and integration of this mystical doctor's teaching. Anyone seeking God's healing and transformation will find in this book an abundant source of wisdom and encouragement leading them to greater freedom and love in Christ."
Mother Gloria Therese Laven, OCD, Superior General, Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
"Chowning's teaching on the awakening of a contemplative life open to God's self-communicating love and the integral healing that comes in its wake will serve as healing balm for many readers."
Catholic Books Review
