This is a book about how, on a cosmic and a personal level, darkness gives way to light. It does not sugar-coat the reality of darkness but is full of hope, reminding voyagers that `light shines in the darkness', that darkness is required to perceive light - and that Easter means the light has come, life triumphs, and the promised Holy Spirit will empower us for growth: `eastering' ... These reflective, prayerful poems are `a ticket and passport for a spiritual journey' and can be used in a daily discipline or with groups. `For each traveller I pray journeying mercies,' Bonnie Thurston writes. `And I remind pilgrims: Take heart. He will come.' Having resigned a professorship and chair in New Testament studies, Bonnie Thurston now lives quietly as a solitary near Wheeling, West Virginia, USA, working as a spiritual director and retreat leader and volunteering in a food bank. She is the author of over 20 books. `You are in skilled hands here, so let yourself be carried along, ready to experience delight, or be jarred into discomfort. Above all ponder, weigh, take time. For each poem comes out of the quiet depths of a person who is a fellow pilgrim, illuminating the familiar with her own God-given insight.' - Esther de Waal

Thomas Merton recognized the value and possibility of contemplative dialogue between monastics and contemplatives of other religious traditions and hoped that, through such dialogue, monastics would strive for 'inter-monastic communion' and a bonding of the broader 'spiritual family.' He held out hope that this bond would demonstrate the fundamental unity of humanity to a world that was becoming ever more materialistic and divided. Among other themes and topics, this book explores Thomas Merton's role as a pioneer of Buddhist-Christian dialogue and monastic interreligious dialogue. It delves into the process of Merton's self-transformation through contemplative experiences, explores his encounter with Zen and Tibetan Buddhists and his pioneering engagements in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and presents and responds to the criticisms of those who raise questions about Merton's understanding of Buddhism. Fr. Jaechan Anselmo Park, OSB, articulates and analyzes the influences of Buddhist theory and practice on Thomas Merton's contemplative spirituality and shows how Merton's legacy has influenced and continues to inspire interreligious and inter-monastic dialogue, particularly in an Asian monastic context.

Although relatively brief, Philippians is one of the most interesting and beloved of Paul's undisputed epistles. In Philippians and Philemon, Bonnie Thurston makes a convincing case that canonical Philippians is as Paul wrote it, one letter. Although there is not enough specific evidence to "name names," she suggests a number of possible audiences. A translation conforming as closely as possible to the original Greek is provided, along with a careful analysis of the language of the letter that yields insights into the context and theological underpinning of this epistle. The apostle's very brief letter to Philemon stands solidly within the Pauline collection of authentic and canonical letters. In this volume, Judith Ryan argues that Philemon makes two specific appeals. The first seeks to elicit Philemon's partnership and his community's support in welcoming Onesimus back as both beloved brother and honored guest. The second requests that Onesimus be allowed to use the freedom he already has to serve Christ and his Gospel. In this commentary Ryan provides a fresh translation, critical notes for each verse, and interpretation on defined sections. She situates the letter in the historical context of slavery in the ancient world and shows how Paul combined his theology with contemporary rhetorical strategies to produce an effective challenge to his audience. Bonnie B. Thurston, PhD, lives in West Virginia in solitude. She is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the author of several books, including The Spiritual Landscape of Mark and Religious Vows, the Sermon on the Mount, and Christian Living (Liturgical Press) and Preaching Mark (Fortress Press). Judith M. Ryan, PhD,STL, is associate professor of New Testament at the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary, Houston, Texas. Previously she taught at Catholic University of America, Fordham University, the University of Scranton, College Misericordia, and St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland.

"2009 Catholic Press Association Award Winner "
To read the Gospel of Mark is to embark on a journey that begins in a desert and ends with a boulder rolled away from the tomb. In between, Jesus teaches his disciples, calls them to journey and learn what it means to follow him, and guides them to Jerusalem, the scene of the Passion.

In "The Spiritual Landscape of Mark, " Bonnie Thurston has adapted a retreat that she gave to the Society of the Sacred Cross at Tymawr Convent in Wales, thereby inviting all of us to embark on this spiritual journey. Mark's gospel is full of places' desert, house, sea, valley, mountain, city, cross, garden and the winding roads between them. Thurston's prose invites us to go away to a quiet place and reflect awhile on what it means to be Jesus's disciple, to follow him across the hard landscape. Along the way there will be glimpses of his glory when he stills the storm and is transfigured on the mountain, when he heals the sick and feeds the hungry. Still, the primary lesson is the difficult way to which we are called, along with the great joy of knowing that Jesus has initiated the journey and leads us exactly where we need to go.

"Bonnie B. Thurston, PhD, lives in West Virginia in solitude. She is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the author of several books, including "Philippians" in the "Sacra Pagina" series and "Religious Vows, the Sermon on the Mount, and Christian Living" (Liturgical Press), and "Preaching Mark" (Fortress Press)."

The Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew's Gospel is a good summary of Jesus' teaching and the Beatitudes summarize the Sermon on the Mount. In Religious Vows, the Sermon on the Mount, and Christian Living Bonnie Thurston reflects on the Beatitudes and their focus on the Kingdom of Heaven. She shows how the Sermon on the Mount deepens understanding of the spiritual virtues the vows are intended to nurture and how the spiritual values embodied in the vows are central to all Christian living. Thurston begins with a study of the Beatitudes that introduces what Jesus might have meant by "Kingdom of Heaven." She then looks at passages from the Sermon on the Mount and discusses their implications for religious vows. The book closes with a discussion of how monastic vows might enrich the spirituality of marriage.