John Dear’s New Book:
Universal Love:
Surrendering to the God of Peace
By John Dear
Available from Orbis Books, Feb. 17, 2026
In his latest book, John Dear proposes total surrender to God into the fullness of universal love and peace as a daily spiritual practice for these terrible times—along with the full embrace of the social, economic, political, racial, and environmental implications of living into universal love.
When a young friend asks for spiritual guidance, Fr. John Dear teaches a way of meditation and daily surrender of all concerns, issues, worries, issues, struggles, fears, and resentments to God—so that God is now in complete control of our lives. As struggles arises, he coaches the young person to live out this new spiritual practice in the day to day life of nonviolence, patience, compassion, and surrender.
In the final section, he teaches how to give our lives over to God’s will of universal love, compassion, peace, and justice in the world that we might do our part to welcome God’s reign of universal love, nonviolence, and peace on earth. Using examples from his own life and friends like Dr. Paul Farmer and Philip Berrigan, John Dear guides his friend along a new journey of spiritual transformation, selfless service, meaning and mission. As we listen in to these spiritual conversations and teachings, we too will be swept up into the life of surrender to the God of universal love, selfless service toward humanity and a new world of peace and nonviolence.
Available from www.orbisbooks.com or call 1-800-258-5838, or Amazon.com
“One of the people I respect most on this Earth and whose winsome company I enjoy most is Fr. John Dear. In this short, valuable, and practical book, John shares his conversations with a young spiritual seeker named Will who came to him seeking spiritual guidance. As I read each chapter, I felt like I was meeting with John for coffee, sharing my struggles, and receiving his wisdom and encouragement. This book is a treasure.”
— Brian McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt and The Last Voyage
“In these moving meditations, Fr. John Dear shows how Universal Love meets us right where we are — even in doubt — and gently calls us into prayer, nonviolence, and service. Fr. John Dear’s latest book testifies to love’s power to transform lives.”
—Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Center
“Surrendering our lives to God is the heart of the spiritual life. In this delightful book, we are invited to listen in as Fr. John Dear guides a young friend on a journey of surrender to God, and the possibilities of Universal Love.”
—Rev. Cyprian Consiglio, author of Epiphanies of Nature and Grace, New Camaldoli Hermitage, Big Sur, CA
“This conversational book nourishes the spirit in the process of embracing and surrendering to the God of Peace. Through conversations over coffee, John and his friend explore the mystery and challenge of the beatitude mandate: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” In turbulent times this is nourishment for staying engaged.”
—Sr. Simone Campbell, author of Nun on the Bus and Hunger for Hope, and recipient of the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom
“John Dear has a rare gift for clarifying what is at the heart of the message of Jesus, and Universal Love carries that gift in a very real way. This book feels like a call that brings us back to our hearts and to what actually matters. It speaks just as clearly to those who are new to the spiritual life as to those who have been trying to live it for decades. John invites us into silence, into the presence of the One who loves us, and who alone can take our wounds, our anxieties, and our longings and slowly transform them into our unique gift to the world. Over time, as our hearts are gently disarmed, we begin to look and love more like Jesus, and to trust the peace he promised. This is the kind of book you keep close, return to often, and find yourself wanting to place in the hands of a friend you care about.”
—Rev. Adam Bucko, author of Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide”