Out of a lifetime of familiarity with the great biblical narratives, Kilian McDonnell draws a portrait of the biblical God charged with vitality, at once prodigal in mercy and ruthless, thunderous, and painfully silent. It is dangerous to love this God, who exacts of "the God-mad Abraham" a faithfulness beyond sanity: "If God makes a covenant in blood with you, why are you surprised to see your flesh upon the altar?" Despite our longing, such apparent capriciousness can be reconciled only in the mysterium tremendum invisible to human eyes; for Father Kilian, such is "fire’s absolute autonomy that scolds me / for putting dirty sandals on glowing cinders, / but invites me to approach barefoot." Equally compelling is the character of Jesus Christ as a true son of God hungry for human contact, who likes hanging out with a fallible humankind and often happens to drop by at mealtime. The children of God who people these poems have God's own murderous prodigality in their genes. They are jealous, weak, and proud. They compete, lie, steal, cheat, betray, repent, and despair; and God loves them. Conscious of their dignity as children of God, they are quick to take exception. Father Kilian says of the poems themselves, "I am contending with God." In God Drops and Loses Things, his third collection, the poems are by turns edgy, affectionate, gentle, deeply moving, and always compassionate.
Product Preview
| Format: | Paperback book |
|---|---|
| Product code: | LP9924 |
| Dimensions: | 6" x 9" |
| Length: | 88 pages |
| Publisher: |
Liturgical Press
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| ISBN: | 9780974099248 |
| 1-2 copies | $10.51 each |
|---|---|
| 3-9 copies | $10.03 each |
| 10-49 copies | $9.56 each |
| 50-99 copies | $9.32 each |
| 100+ copies | $8.96 each |
Praise
Biblical characters, including Jesus, are modernized and portrayed very humanly in the poetry book by Benedictine monk, Kilian McDonnell. Those who know the Bible and want another view of its characters, as well as other faithful people, may appreciate this work.
. . . the author has fun with words. . . . It is no surprise that a late poem suggests the poet draws inspiration from Seamus Heaney, Emily Dickinson and Robert Hass. They would welcome him as a brother on the road.
If you've ever wondered what the experts mean when they say that the Bible in so many ways is about you, the title poem in Benedictine Father Kilian McDonnell's God Drops and Loses Things should clarify the matter completely-even more so if you happen to be a parent.
This is religious poetry in its highest form.
God's 'desperate love' strides through McDonnell's work; reading it becomes another reason to get up in the morning. McDonnell has heard the Scripture's female voice and, like a faithful scribe, responded 'Here am I' by writing down her intimacies. You'll love the sweet nectar in these poems, their earthy details, the humanness of the women and men who inhabit their rooms. You'll want to sit at Levi's table for his feast, and by the power in McDonnell's words and images, you can.
Author
Kilian McDonnell, OSB, is a monk/theologian of Saint John’s Abbey. He is author of Swift, Lord, You Are Not and Yahweh’s Other Shoe (Saint John’s University Press).
