<DIV><p>The Gloria Patri has been prayed from the beginnings of Christianity. In this one-sentence prayer, time and eternity are combined in a compressed expression of doxology, praise of God. In this brief but comprehensive book, Father Ayo examines the riches in this prayer: the philological, historical, and theological origins of Christian prayer itself, and the profound spiritual implications of the Gloria Patri.<p>At the heart of Christian prayer and at the heart of Christian liturgy we always find worship, honor, and praise of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. In <i>Gloria Patri</i>, Father Ayo examines the lesser doxology word by word, in both its various translations and the history of their combination and controversies. He adds to that an exploration of the boundless meanings of praise of the Triune God it encompasses. After reading <i>Gloria Patri</i>, no one can again take for granted this humble sentence.</p><div>"As always, Nicholas Ayo nourishes the heart and the imagination—not merely the mind. Bookstores are flooded today with works on 'spirituality,' but few of them offer the theological and historical depth that Ayo brings to his work. As I read, I kept encountering passages that made me want to stop and ponder, to find out more, to reread, to linger over an image or phrase." —<B>Nathan D. Mitchell, University of Notre Dame (author of <i>Meeting Mystery: Liturgy, Worship, Sacraments</i></B></div><div> </div><div>“Christians across many traditions pray and sing the Gloria Patri in our liturgical assemblies. Few, however, realize the theological depth compacted into these few words. Nicholas Ayo's masterful little book opens a treasure house of theological and historical insight contained in this 'lesser doxology.' Readers will discover solid scholarship conjoined with mature spiritual reflection in Ayo's pages—a worthy contribution to both Church and academy.” —<B>Don E. Saliers, Wm. R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship, Emory University </B></div><div><B> </B></div><div>“Nicholas Ayo's latest book on prayer reflects both his command of the literature and his profound personal commitment to the patrimony of Catholic spirituality. This work is an exemplary successor to his earlier works on the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Apostle's Creed. <i>Gloria Patri </i>is a work not just to be read but to be savored.” —<B>Lawrence S. Cunningham, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology, The University of Notre Dame</B></div></p></DIV>