Many people today have a deep spiritual thirst and hunger that in many ways is as urgent as the material needs of developing nations. Unless affluent societies escape the addiction to materialism, they will be unable to feel the depth of compassion from which works of mercy and justice spring. ááLaurence Freeman teaches a way to spiritual health that is both ancient and new. The desert fathers practiced silent prayer and the church in our own day has rediscovered its liberating power. To sit down before God in silence does more than empty our minds of our own concerns. It opens us to the mystery of life, to seeing thing from God's perspective rather than our own limited viewpoint, to the power of faith that heals and raises us to love God and our neighbour.