Swift, Lord, You Are Not

by Kilian McDonnell

Some poets begin very early to write great poetry. Arthur Rimbaud wrote one of his best poems at 15, Percy Shelley published his first book of poetry at 18. But Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B., did not start until he was 75, after decades of writing as a professional theologian. Now 82 he gives us Swift, Lord, You Are Not , poems of the struggle to find God - waiting for the silence of God to break. He does not write pious verse, or inspirational poetry, but of wrestling with the illusive God. His themes are mostly biblical and monastic. He closes with an essay Can You Start at Seventy-Five?" in which he describes the literary decisions he makes within the monastic context - decisions he needs to make with some dispatch. At 75 he does not have decades to mature. He writes with a new language.Kilian McDonnell, OSB, STD, is a priest and monk of St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota. He is author of John Calvin, The Church, and the Eucharist (Princeton and Oxford University Presses) and The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan , and the forthcoming The Other Hand of The Holy Spirit as the Universal Touch and Goal , published by Liturgical Press. He served as the Consultor to the Vatican Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and is the founder and president of the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, Minnesota. He is the recipient of the John Courtney Murray Award for Significant Contributions to Theology, given by the Catholic Theological Society of America, the James Fitzgerald Award for Ecumenism, and was the recipient of the papal award for ecumenism from Pope John Paul Pro Pontifice et Eccelesia. "

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Debra Waites · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have intuitively lived my life with monastic practices incorporated into my daily life for many years. At age 54, I had the privilege of living in a monastery with a community of Benedictine sisters who introduced me to Kilian McDonnell. I am not conversant about poetry or poets, but I immediately enthusiastically embraced Swift, Lord, You Are Not and Kilian McDonnell (what a lovely and lyrical name!). An accomplished and highly respected theologian who had already authored tomes of writing, he turns to churning out poetry at the mature age of 75. I will probably not ready his other works, but his poetry touches me in a way that brings a sense of delight and contemplation and a smile to my face.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poetry was well written, and I enjoyed most of the poems in the book, which is very rare for me.

That said, I'm not sure what I think about the meaning of some of the poetry. I get the impression that this monk's Roman Catholic theology makes parts of his faith an unnecessarily hard struggle for him, and sometimes I can't tell if he's just acknowledging the struggles we all have, or if he's almost glorifying them.

[Barbara Melosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of poems by a monk who began writing poetry at age 75. This is his first published collection; the others are even better! Also includes an essay on his reflections about poetry and becoming a poet later in life.

[Matt Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend, this is a remarkable and insightful little bit of poetry. It was recommended to me; I gladly pass that recommendation along to you.

[VeeInNY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sacred in the ordinary....
Simplicity/profundity