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A life-professed solitary and mystic under vows to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Ross writes with the wonder and energy of
a spiritual poet. In this new edition of a spiritual classic, she
shares one year of her solitude in seasonal meditations that
include encounters with lynxes and coyotes, reflections on the
summer solstice, and desire for union with God. An excellent source
of sermon ideas.
In one essay, Ross reveals the two comments she receives most
are "You don't look like a hermit," followed by "What do you do in
solitude?" She answers, "I don't do, I be." Only an experienced
mystic could put the emphasis on being and not doing. Being in
solitude, Ross has plenty of time to savor the beauties and the
bounties of the natural world and animals. She does both here. We
were also impressed with pieces on the importance of an informing
vision, the value of chastity, and the difficulty of intercessory
prayer. We are always on the lookout for passages on unity and here
is one we liked:
"It is that my sin and your sin consists not in isolated small
or gross acts committed or omitted by our choices and actions, or
in some vague, isolated theoretical attitude, but instead that we,
you and I, by virtue of our common humanity, and in the solitude
from which true relationship springs, come to realize that we are
implicated in every sin.
"I am the pimp on 42nd Street, dealing in bodies. I am the
pusher, selling drugs to an addict nodding and drooling in Needle
Park. I am the employee ripping off my corporation. I am the
industrialist pouring poison into the bodies and, by advertising,
into the souls of my sisters and brothers. I am the driver of the
military juggernaut, careening wildly out of control. I struggle
impotently to express who I really am."
Is the priesthood a power to be exercised, or a call to share in
the broken Christ? Ross sets modern questions about ordained
ministry in the Church within a much wider context, encouraging us
to reflect anew on the relationship between administrative power
and spiritual authority within the Church, and to redefine the
priesthood.
She minces no words in her critique of the contemporary Church,
and goes on to propose changes so sweeping and fundamental that we
sense what a truly Christian Church would be.
To learn to read a text for the portals of silence that are
implicit in it is to gain a powerful tool for supporting and
expanding one's silence, and to open the reader to the insight that
ensues. The sort of reading proposed in this volume is both costly
and rewarding. These pages invite readers once again to look at
their own minds, to reflect on what is happening there, and to
understand the essential role of silence for being human, and for
living our own truth with one another. This second volume of Maggie
Ross's Silence: A User's Guide offers application to support the
process set out in volume one.
Morgan Perincall's marriage is already disintegrating when her
husband volunteers for service in France. Dazed by his desertion,
she sends their children west to safety, and leaves London for the
dubious sanctuary of her childhood home, the Villa Rouge. Situated
on the East coast, it is vulnerable to German attack. Caught
between the open hostility of her father's housekeeper and the
suffocating affection of Charlie, who for all his enthusiasm is not
fit for service, Morgan's days are brightened by the arrival of an
R.A.F. squadron - a chance to relive the romances of her wilder
youth. But the fall of Dunkirk brings a sobering taste of defeat,
and the Battle of Britain soon sees the once-carefree pilots
fighting for their lives, their country. With danger drawing ever
closer, and the secrets of her past beginning to unravel, Morgan
discovers that sometimes the best intentions can leave the darkest
legacies.
Synopsis: The subtitle of Maggie Ross's new book captures its
essence, for it is about silence and our need to behold God.
Beholding is a notion that we are in danger of losing. It is often
lost in translation, even by the NRSV and the Jerusalem Bible.
Beholding needs to be recovered both in theology and practice. Ross
is very aware of "poor talkative Christianity." There is a twofold
plea to enter into silence--for lack of silence erodes our
humanity--and to behold the radiance of God. This is a book full of
deep questioning and the testing of our assumptions. Throughout
there is a great love for the world and for our humanity,
accompanied by sadness that we are so easily distracted . . . We
are invited into a silence that is not necessarily an absence of
noise, but is a limitless interior space. Ancient texts are used in
new and exciting ways, and many of our worship practices are
challenged. She is in no doubt that "the glory of the human being
is the beholding of God." --adapted from a review in The Church
Times (London) by Canon David Adam. Endorsements: "Maggie Ross has
established a very distinctive voice in writing about the life of
the spirit. Richly resourced from the historic tradition, but
constantly pressing the most radical question of all, the question
of how we can speak of a reality that requires us to let go of
controls, images, systems, even--or especially--'spiritual
experiences, ' this book is a welcome addition to a series of
deeply focused and challenging works from a very serious and
substantial thinker." --Rowan Williams, Cambridge University "I
knew for years that silence would nourish my soul, but I never
understood why until I actually made room for it. I still feel like
a novice, but Writing the Icon of the Heart has injected passion
into my heart as I behold the Lord in faithful silence. This is a
beautiful book." --John H. Armstrong, President, ACT3 Network "This
book in particular, and Maggie Ross in general, represent a
much-needed locus and focus for spirituality: deep insight and
living practice over mere theology, living fire more than sweet
piety, naked seeking of God and love unhindered by churchiness or
smallness." --Fr. Richard Rohr, Founding Director, Center for
Action and Contemplation "I have often thought of Jesus as the
Undistracted One who was always aware of his Father's presence in a
way we seldom are. Maggie Ross lives that undistracted life better
than anyone I know, and the eloquence of her words allows us a
glimpse into that beholding that is the awareness of his presence."
--James P. Danaher, author of Contemplative Prayer: A Theology for
the Twenty-first Century "This collection of essays by Maggie Ross
spirals around the themes of silence, beholding, and letting go.
Examples are drawn from Ross's own life and from her extensive
reading, including excerpts from seldom-quoted Syriac spiritual
masters. For Ross, beholding is more than seeing. It is inward
vision springing from the 'deep mind': non-linear, non-controlling,
and self-emptying." --Fr. Charles Cummings, author of Monastic
Practices Author Biography: Maggie Ross is the pseudonym of a
professed Anglican solitary responsible to the Archbishop of
Canterbury. After many years in Alaska, she is now based full-time
in Oxford, England, where she researches and writes books, papers,
and liturgies. She also preaches, lectures, leads retreats, and
engages in pastoral care. Among her other books are The Fire of
Your Life, Pillars of Flame, and The Fountain and the Furnace. She
blogs at ravenwilderness.blogspot.com.
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