This book of prayer exercises, inspired by "The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola," seeks to "occasion a conversion of heart and mind so that a person may follow Jesus with greater faith, love and freedom." Each "moment" is intended to offer an intense experience that will bring the soul closer to God. At the same time, the authors are far from narrow scholastics; every exercise is designed to offer an opportunity for deep personal reflection.

The prayer exercises are structured in terms of a specific spiritual "desire," leading to an interrogation of Scripture, as well as of the self, about the best way to attain that desire (for example, the desire to "grow in the inner freedom needed to commit my life to God" or "to hear God's call when it comes and to be willing to respond generously.") What differentiates this lovely book from so many prayer guides is its attention to the difficulty of prayer, its understanding that to pray requires discipline and structure, that ecstatic communion only follows after long, hard concentration and labor, the readying of the soul for God.