It would be hard to overemphasize the importance of Psalm 51 in the history of Christian spirituality. In Dante’s Divine Comedy it is referred to by simply citing its first word, miserere (“have mercy on me”).[1] Or consider its place in the Liturgy of Hours. This is the cycle of
Reflection on the problem of suffering and mercy played an important role both in the teaching of John Paul II and in the philosophy of Józef Tischner. The thought of both centered on the human being: John Paul II focused on man and his acts, Tischner on man in the
Recently, a friend shared with me that during a Sunday church meeting, their instructor suggested God’s love was not unconditional. That did not land well for many of those in attendance and led to some rather animated discussion about God’s love. It reminded me that we are accustomed to speaking
Setting the Scene: Plague as Context and Text Julian of Norwich (1342-1429) is one of those remarkable medieval women mystics like Hildegaard of Bingen (1095-1179), Hadewijch of Antwerp (thirteenth century), Marguerite Porete (1250-1310), Angela of Foligno (1248-1309), and Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380), all instructors in the mystical life, speaking of and