Why would anyone call a book of prayers， tutions and libelated ~ aptive nli))( h， )r icI h( ， i)l~<br >GUERRILLAS OF GRACE? The two images， with his words and his lile A pr~mewe， lp~l~ rll<br >"guerrillas" and "grace，" seem to be an unlikely， his effort was prayer， and it i~ lillle wc~rlde; Ill. iI<br >if not contradictory， conjunction. And yet ... are he taught his disciples to pr，~y.<br >they really? The early Christians (llldel xt( )( I~l .It I~1 r， IIIic ~1<br > Somewhere I read a description of poets as to Paul s battle cry: "For we are ~ot c()nl(，nc Iil I(I<br >"guerrillas of beauty." I suppose it is fitting that I against flesh and blood， bul again~l prirlc ip， ~lilic ，~，<br >can t find the article， or even identify it， but the against powers， against the world ~uler~ (~I It li~<br >phrase struck me and took captive a piece of my present darkness..." they， aloH~j with Chri ~l i. ~s ~<br >imagination， as if demonstrating the power of across the ages， confirmed the klea flint w~!， ire<br >the image. Or maybe it would be more accurate guerrillas.<br >to say the phrase liberated a piece of my imag- There are two or three chara~lerhti~:s ~)1<br >ination. I began to see "guerrillas of beauty" guerrillas that give particular relewlr~(:e tr~ Ih~ <br >as applying to the riskyand exciting struggles of use of that image to describe Christians. l~y~rly<br >people attempting to live out their faith in more of our usual measures， guerrillas are a wc ak~ r<br >free and joyful ways in the midst of difficult， force set against a superior and more organl/f!d<br >resistant， often even oppressive circumstances. I power， a power which exerts b(~l.h subtl~， ，~d<br >began to understand the phrase as applying well blatant pressures to conform. Such pr~.ssures ar~，<br >to people who pray and to the prayers they utter， not commonly or quickly perceiw~d or int~，fpret~.d<br > Yet， as important as I believe beauty is， and as oppressive， but frequently something in ffl~，m<br >as powerful as I have experienced it to be， I think is experienced as， at least， vaguely stifling to fl ~， <br >it is even more provocative to call those who spirit.<br >pray， and the prayers themselves， "guerrillas of Guerrillas， then， are engaged In the: ba~t!e<br >grace." to reclaim some territory， or som(~ part of life， l~r<br > The notion of guerrillas seems to be rooted a higher purpose， a truer cause， 1o wed guerrilla<br >in the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition. The Old w~th grace suggests that the truer cause is God"~<br >Testament prophets can easily be conceived of kingdom. Since the "principalities and powers"<br >as guerrillas doing battle with the established are never completely "ou~ there，" bu~ also<br >powers of their day; and their thundering， poetic stomp and rumble "within，" a signili~.ant piece<br >words and images surelycan be read as forms of of the life to be reclaimed or liberated is the pray-<br >prayer， Certainly Jesus was the pre-eminent er himself or herself， In an unavoidable way the<br >guerrilla ofgrace; he confronted repressive insti- struggle begins--and begir~s again ar~l again<br >