I’m not willing or able to let go of a relationship as transformative as a relationship between mother and daughter. So for anyone to suggest that is a healthy thing to do, I dispute that. I also have to admit that it’s just not in my nature to do so. … More Grief and the land
I find myself repeating a prayer cribbed from Flannery O’Connor’s A Prayer Journal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): “Oh Lord, I am saying, at present I am a cheese, make me a mystic, immediately. But then God can do that—make mystics out of cheeses.” I wonder if a pandemic might also do the trick. Evelyn Underhill, one of … More Covid Mystics
In my writing about faith, I’m always trying to keep my footing on the highwire. I hope that struggle speaks to people. Thanks to Sister Julia Walsh for inviting me to be her guest on Messy Jesus Business. We talked about the arts, the usual suspects (Greene and O’Connor), and the Roman Catholic Church as … More The Church as Muse
In the wake of the latest revelations of abuse in the Catholic Church, I’ve struggled with the theological writing that once inspired me and mended the tears in my fabric of faith. But I find it’s not the theologians who persuade me now. It’s the artists. They remind me why I can’t just walk away—even … More I’m with the artists
Books by revered white Christian men haven’t been much comfort to me lately. A Grief Observed is the only Lewis book I can stand to read anymore. Here we see the great apologist, one of our finest and most beloved spiritual writers, stripped of his convictions and openly, viciously angry at God. The Oxford don is confused, … More “Deeper Into Mystery” in America Mag’s Spring Literary Issue
Jessica Mesman 