God's Works in Us through Prayer

Deanna Bartalini highly recommends Fr. Wayne Sattler’s new book, And YOU Will Find Rest: What God Does In Prayer, for those interested in  a deeper prayer life and learning about the work of Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. 

And YOU Will Find Rest: What God Does in Prayer

by Father Wayne Sattler

Published by Sophia Institute Press (November 19, 2024)

It has been some time that a book has engaged and taught me as much as And YOU Will Find Rest has. Father Sattler explains the work of Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross in a way that allows us to access it in our life today. What do mystics from the 16th century have to teach us today? How can we enter the mystery of contemplative prayer? That is what is answered in this book published by Sophia Institute Press.  

Two concepts drew me in immediately, finding rest and what does God do in prayer. Honestly, I do not know if I ever thought God did much while I was praying except listen and maybe shake his head in exasperation at times. From the very beginning of the book, I could sense my prayer time would change.  

Active and Passive Purification 

Father Sattler begins with the “Active Purification of Our Senses and Spirit,” and then moves in the “Passive Purification of the Senses.”  First, we learn to be still and trust God. He says this about stillness, “to be still requires a committed effort to place our trust in the ordinary way God desires to lead our soul into his rest.” He goes onto to say, “the organ with which we see God best is not our eye; it is our heart. For the heart to see anything worth noting, the heart must be pure. Purity of heart requires an ongoing two-part process of purification. The first part is our own efforts to be pure. The second is the activity of God, which is able to purify us at a level we alone are not capable of doing. Without this activity of God, our heart could never hope to be led to the purity necessary to see him.” 

We want to be pure, we want to be still, we want to see God – we often forget that we must allow God to work in us to have those things happen. The first section of the book explains what and how we need to be purified. He explains why our hearts are not pure, how we experience God through our senses, and what brings order to our senses. 

The way in which Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the works of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross are woven together is well done. But Father Sattler also uses examples from his own life and the people he has taught. He takes a topic which could be difficult and huge and breaks it down to be more manageable to understand and implement. 

In the second part of the book, he takes The Interior Castle, the 1st through 5th Dwelling Places and The Dark Night: Book One and explains the passive purification of the senses. Each chapter leads to a greater understanding of how to enter into God’s rest. Some other topics he covers are surrender, pride, attitude, spiritual gluttony, humility, and suffering.  

Who Is this Book For? 

I have taken extensive notes on this book and will continue to read different sections, both for myself and to help those who are in spiritual direction. One of my most important take-a-ways is this: “The experience of God’s activity in our soul can only happen through His mercy.”   It has also inspired me to pick up The Interior Castle again. 
 

If you have an interest in Carmelite spirituality, contemplation, mystics, or deepening your prayer life, I highly recommend And You Will Find Rest: What God Does In Prayer. Read it slowly, use it in prayer, and learn how God moves in your soul.  

And pray that Fr. Sattler can write the next book, which will focus on the sixth and seventh dwelling and the second night of the soul. 

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Copyright 2025 Deanna Bartalini
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