Christianity slips easily into a sweeping rhetoric of the universal. ‘All things have been created through him and for him’ (Colossians 1:16); ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’ (Romans 8:28). But these grand teachings come to life only when we let them draw us down to tiny particulars. Such insight as we have into Christianity’s universal truths depends on our acknowledging that the full view will never be ours. We receive only glimpses, in a succession of present moments. That it all somehow fits together is, in the end, a matter of pure, naked faith.
Andrew Ryder, ‘The Sacrament of Now’, 7–19
The German-born spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle has become something of a vogue figure. Andrew Ryder explores the convergences between Tolle’s teaching and the tradition of self-abandonment to divine providence associated with de Caussade.
Dominique Salin, ‘The Treatise on Abandonment to Divine Providence’, 21–36
Abandonment to Divine Providence has been a much-loved spiritual text ever since its publication in 1861. A noted French scholar sets the treatise in its cultural and theological context, and reports on recent studies discrediting the claim of Jean-Pierre de Caussade SJ to be its author.
Dennid H. van Lier, ‘Praying Differently’, 37–47
Many people find that they began praying to a God whom they imagined as ‘out there’, only to discover later a God who is working more powerfully and mysteriously within themselves. Dennis van Lier tells us about how this kind of change has happened for him.
Gerald O’Collins, ‘The Second Journey of John Henry Newman’, 49–57
The wisdom that enables us to see the present moment as a sacrament of God is often hard won. For many, it comes only through the ‘second journey’, or mid-life crisis. Gerald O’Collins explores this maturing process in John Henry Newman.
Monika Renz, ‘The Experience of God in Suffering and Dying’, 59–74
How do people cope spiritually with the onset of death? An experienced and sensitive music therapist reports on what she has learnt from her work with cancer patients.
Gavin D’Costa, ‘Theology, Prayer and the Divine Office’, 75–88
People often think of theology as a detached, cerebral activity. Here a practising theologian argues for a different vision: theology needs to be schooled by prayer, perhaps especially by the prayer of The Divine Office.
Ama Samy, ‘Zen and Christians’, 89–102
Zen attracts some Christians because it seems to offer a religion of pure immanence, free of doctrines, and not subject to ecclesiastical constraints. A Jesuit who is also a Zen master suggests a rather different account of how Zen Buddhism and Christianity might enrich each other.