Marilyn McEntyre
Eerdmans, 128 pages
This is a beautiful book that might have been a disaster were it not written by Marilyn McEntyre. She is one of our more accomplished poets and essayists of the contemplative life, whose meditations on language never fail to astonish.
In this collection of reflections for Lent, she writes about “whatever has come to mind in the quiet of early morning.” Very few would be so bold as to venture into this early morning terrain and share what emerges. Yet, McEntyre practices a form of lectio divina, listening deeply, always attentive to the voice of the Spirit guiding one into the insights needed for the moment.
These 40 reflections beginning with Ash Wednesday are the fruit of her deep listening for the Spirit. It is common for Christians to enter Lent with a fresh discipline and a hope for something: renewal, repentance, obedience, courage, communion. It can also be a spiritually perilous season of shame and false religiosity, an occasion for what is known as “virtue signaling.” McEntyre is one of the wise ones among us. Always honest, attentive to the deeper moves of Spirit, always attentive to the wonders of being human, especially the wonders of language with its capacity to share in God’s revelation.
This is a guide for Lent that you can trust will usher you into prayer of the finest kind that leads you to God. In these simple phrases, each day you’ll sense a shimmering presence, a holy invitation, a possible path. An added gift for book lovers is the beautiful design, with an added ribbon.
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