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13 opere 393 membri 3 recensioni

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Fonte dell'immagine: Pádraig Ó Tuama, Poetry Reading at Whites Tavern Belfast, 29th April 2014."DSC02904" by Brian O'Neill.

Opere di Pádraig Ó Tuama

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Summary: A book of essays and prayers, including 31 days of readings and prayers, focused on being in communion with God as we seek to live lovingly and justly in our own places.

Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish poet-theologian invited for a writer-in-residence program at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in Manhattan during 2020. The essays, poems, and prayers of this book arose out of the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns of this annus horribilis. The work opens with this prayer that seemed to express the longings of many of us in that year:

Turning to the light
the light turns to us.
Moving toward the source
the source moves toward us.
Holding on to hope
hope holds on to us.

The book opens with asking, “What is Prayer?” and answers “It’s not a passport to heaven. If anything, it’s a way of seeing here, a way, of being here.” After a short essay on the uses of the book, Pádraig Ó Tuama offers a fascinating essay on the Collect, a form he uses through the thirty-one days of prayer to follow. His most succinct summary is:

Address
Say more
Ask one thing
Say more
End

Then he practices that kind of succinctness over the 31 prayers and readings that follow. For each day, there is:

Opening Prayer
Reading (drawn from literature)
Scripture
Silence
Collect of the Day
A Remembering Prayer

The opening prayer and remembering prayer are the same throughout. I found myself centering on different phrases each day. The prayers for generosity, encounter, stories, new beginnings and mutual confession in the opening are gathered up in this wonderful closing: “Because this is a way of living/That’s worth living daily.” Being here. The remembering prayer recalls the glory of our creation as very good as we look about our city and then “pray for our city/and for the cities we are” and that God would breathe renewal into us throughout our days and all their encounters. What a wonderful prayer to pray in the midst of Manhattan or any of our cities! Being here.

Between the opening and remembering prayers were literary and scripture readings, a time for silence, and a collect, often thematically related. For example, from day 18, he pairs Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh, with its tale of dying aspirations and the call of Life, with Matthew 20:32, where Jesus asks the question “What do you want me to do for you?” He follows with this collect:

Questioning Jesus,
we do not always know what we want.
Yet what we want
can drive us
even when we do not know it.
Help us find the moments to come in contact
with those deep drives
so that we can be moved
toward what will
create
and not destroy.
Amen.

The thirty one days follow the course of Jesus’s life from genealogy and birth to death and resurrection.

The book concludes with several brief essays and poems including one on the power of stories during the author’s struggle with vertigo amid our collective disorientation of COVID, and one on the spirituality of conflict. There is also a thought-provoking essay on Mary questioning the ways we shroud her with a kind of saccharine piety when her life, and the life she bears, is a form of resistance to Rome. And he offers a wonderful prayer for times after pandemic, asking, “Help us help us/with the time needed for integration;/with the time needed for risk;/with the time for recovery/and honor and trying old things again/and trying new things again, too.”

What Pádraig Ó Tuama brings us in these prayers is an invitation to be present both to Christ and to our lives, and the lives around us. Indeed, this is praying that opens our eyes to the presence of the unseen kingdom in our midst. Being here.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
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BobonBooks | Mar 11, 2024 |
If you have always been intrigued by the world of poetry but felt a bit lost when trying to unravel its meaning, look no further! "Poetry Unbound" by Padraig Ó Tuama is the book for you.

In this captivating collection, Ó Tuama brings together an array of poems from all walks of life and curates a selection that encompasses a tapestry of human experiences. But what makes this book truly special is that it goes beyond just presenting the poems.

Ó Tuama takes on the role of a gentle guide, offering his own insights and reflections alongside each poem. He artfully unravels the intricate layers of meaning, shedding light on the poet's intentions, background, and the poetic devices employed. This not only helps in understanding the poem's syntax and structure but also brings us closer to the heart of the poet's creation.

He breaks down any barriers that may exist, ensuring that the beauty and power of these poems are within reach for everyone.

Whether you are a seasoned poetry lover or a curious beginner, "Poetry Unbound" serves as the perfect companion on your poetic journey.
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rosienotrose | Jul 11, 2023 |
This is definitely a book I will refer back to as there is much to reflect upon. I found myself marking passages and references to other books throughout my reading of it. Its particular themes of storytelling and continuos change are ones I'm extremely interested in and moved by. Our own stories half told, fully told, always changing, never truly ending. The stories of those close to us and of strangers and how these stories can create such a richness to our daily lives and this world.
 
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rgustafson | Jun 17, 2017 |

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Opere
13
Utenti
393
Popolarità
#61,674
Voto
½ 4.3
Recensioni
3
ISBN
24

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