The Day God Went Missing - by Gary Jansen (Paperback)

About the Book

An imaginative journey through Christ's descent into hell, his resurrection, and the devotional practice known as the Stations of Light.

Book Synopsis

What happened between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection?

In The Day God Went Missing, Gary Jansen enters the mystery of Holy Saturday, exploring the ancient Christian tradition of Christ's descent into hell and his triumph ove death. Drawing on Scripture, theology, sacred art, and the imaginative traditions of the early Church, Jansen brings this often-overlooked part of the Easter story vividly to life, then guides readers through the Stations of Light, a devotional practice that centers on the joyful events that unfold from the Resurrection to Pentecost. The result is an accessible and inspiring journey through darkness, silence, and loss toward the hope and radiance of new life.

Review Quotes

"A moving, quirky, penetrating, elegiac, questioning, faith-filled meditation on the central mystery of the Christian Creed and a welcome introduction to one of Catholicism's most important new devotions, the Stations of Light." -George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of A Witness to Hope

"Every year, we find ourselves tempted to skip over Holy Saturday as a day when nothing seems to happen. But Gary Jansen adamantly disagrees, for, as he insists, the day holds essential wisdom that can reorient our lives as Christians. Full of spiritual and literary insight, The Day God Went Missing recovers pieces of our tradition that we may have forgotten (or never encountered), and presents them to us with renewed clarity, urgency, and imagination. Jansen's book is a necessary companion that rounds out the Easter Triduum. Praying with this book may very well become your new Holy Saturday tradition." --Eric A. Clayton, author of Where Wonder Leads: Finding God Through Fairy Tales, Myth and Contemplative Prayer

"Gary Jansen gives us a beautiful, imaginative entry into the mystery of Holy Saturday. We know the Harrowing of Hell from Scripture and the creeds, but in these pages it comes vividly alive. This is Ignatian prayer in a familial context -- memoir and meditation in a theological key. I especially appreciate his brief reflections on the Via Lucis, the fourteen stations of Light. You will too. This book is a blessing." --Scott Hahn, professor of biblical theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and bestselling author of The Lamb's Supper

"Gary Jansen takes a line of the Creed we can easily pass over and opens it into a vivid story of Christ's love and victory over death. The Day God Went Missing offers hope to anyone who has waited through grief or silence and wondered where God was." -Danielle Bean, speaker and author of You Are Enough

"This is a very hope-filled book. Gary Jansen makes often overlooked aspects of the Christian tradition come alive. I know that after reading this fascinating book, I will experience Holy Saturday and pray the Easter mysteries in a profoundly new way. I think that after you read it, you will never pray the Creed--he descended into hell--in quite the same way as you did before." -Kevin O'Brien, SJ, author of The Ignatian Adventure and Seeing with the Heart