About this item
Highlights
- This powerful exploration of spiritual longing is the story of two parallel journeys.
- About the Author: John S. Dunne, C.S.C. (d. 2013) was the John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the author of twenty books, including Circle Dance of Time (2010), Deep Rhythm and the Riddle of Eternal Life (2008), and A Vision Quest (2006), all published by the University of Notre Dame Press.
- 194 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christianity
Description
Book Synopsis
This powerful exploration of spiritual longing is the story of two parallel journeys. One is the author's account of his five-day riverboat trip up the Amazon and his discovery of the tiny Church of the Poor Devil, whose members revealed a spiritual wealth in the midst of abject poverty.
The other is Dunne's own spiritual quest and his "passing over" from a personal religion concerned with the satisfaction of his individual needs to the religion of the poor. In sharing the life of the church's people and their transcendence of the misery of their human condition, Dunne experiences a greater awareness of the human essence, which redirects his relation of material needs and brings him to a "oneness" with humanity and himself. The story of this journey becomes a compelling metaphor for Christianity.
At a religious festival, Dunne witnesses the people's rejoicing in a simplicity that encourages them to follow the heart's desire for God. An awareness of God's presence frees them from the complex, material concerns that so soften beget despair. By acknowledging the truth of human misery and the heart's desire, Dunne believes we too can walk vertically through a horizontal world governed by materialism and misunderstanding, and thus, find our place at the intersection of time and eternity.
Review Quotes
"Dunne rightly insists that we cannot discover the light beyond the 'heart of darkness' unless we have a vision of humanity's relation to God that goes beyond the calculation of needs and their satisfaction." --Commonweal
"This book is a sustained reflection upon two interrelated journeys. One is an actual riverboat voyage up the Amazon ... the other is the spiritual and intellectual struggle of the author to 'pass over' from personal religion to the religion of the poor, to move from isolated existence into the lives of others." --Canadian Catholic Review
About the Author
John S. Dunne, C.S.C. (d. 2013) was the John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the author of twenty books, including Circle Dance of Time (2010), Deep Rhythm and the Riddle of Eternal Life (2008), and A Vision Quest (2006), all published by the University of Notre Dame Press.