One of 28 titles in the Companions for the Journey series published by Saint Mary’s Press, Praying with Teilhard de Chardin by James W. Skehan, SJ, offers both an excellent introductory essay about Teilhard’s life and accomplishments and a way to engage with Teilhard’s spiritual vision. Skehan is particularly suited for showing how Teilhard can be a resource for prayer and meditation. While active as a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics (now the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) at Boston College, he shared Teilhard’s passion for geological research. Both were profoundly shaped by their membership in the Jesuit order, an order that historically was interested in the sciences as a natural outcome of its Ignatian spirituality. Like Teilhard, he found deep connections between faith and science. Asked about any perceived conflict between the two, he responded:

If you look at a beautiful sunset, or how mountains are formed, or observe how continents move, you can view it either as science or as God speaking to you, or both. I do both. What I do as a scientist is no different from what I do listening to the cosmic word of God. It’s nice to have both [science and faith] – in fact, it makes everything so exhilarating. What could be more marvelous?

Unfortunately, the book is out of print, but used copies are available via Amazon and ABEBooks.com.

Citation:
Skehan, James William. Praying with Teilhard De Chardin. Companions for the Journey. Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary’s Press, 2001.