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In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World
There's an old Irish proverb: 'It is in the shelter of each other that the people live'. In this book much-loved poet, storyteller, theologian, and speaker Pádraig Ó Tuama applies ideas of shelter and welcome to journeys of life, using poetry, story, biblical reflection and prose to open up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world.
The fourth gospel tells of Jesus arriving in the room where the disciples are gathered, full of fear, on Easter Sunday. He does not chide or admonish; instead he says 'Peace be with you', which, in the Aramaic of his day, was simply a greeting. 'Hello,' he said, welcoming people locked in a room of fear to a place of deep encounter; encounter with themselves, with their fear, with each other and with the incarnate one in their midst.
Interweaving everyday stories with analysis, gospel reflections with mindfulness and Celtic spirituality with poetry, this book explores the practice of welcoming as a spiritual discipline. In particular, Pádraig tells careful stories of welcoming parts of life that are often unwelcome.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2015
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3783 people want to read
About the author
Pádraig Ó Tuama
27 books439 followersPádraig Ó Tuama’s poetry and prose centre around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. His work has won acclaim in circles of poetry, politics, psychotherapy and conflict analysis. His formal qualifications (PhD, MTh and BA) cover creative writing, literary criticism and theology. Alongside this, he pursued vocational training in conflict analysis, specialising in groupwork.
His published work is in the fields of poetry, anthology, essay, memoir, theology and conflict. A new volume of poetry — Kitchen Hymns — is forthcoming from CHEERIO in mid 2024.
Profiled in The New Yorker, Pádraig’s poems have been featured in Poetry Ireland Review, Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, New England Review, Raidió Teilifís Éireann’s Poem of the Week, and the Kenyon Review.
Pádraig has told stories at The Moth, has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, has presented programmes on poetry and language for BBC Radio 4; and has extended interviews with On Being, with Kim Hill on Radio NZ, and Soul Search on Radio National (Australia). In addition, he has interviewed poets and public figures including former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Hanif Abdurraqib, The Edge, Sarah Perry, Joy Harjo, Billy Collins and Martin Hayes.
His published work is in the fields of poetry, anthology, essay, memoir, theology and conflict. A new volume of poetry — Kitchen Hymns — is forthcoming from CHEERIO in mid 2024.
Profiled in The New Yorker, Pádraig’s poems have been featured in Poetry Ireland Review, Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, New England Review, Raidió Teilifís Éireann’s Poem of the Week, and the Kenyon Review.
Pádraig has told stories at The Moth, has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, has presented programmes on poetry and language for BBC Radio 4; and has extended interviews with On Being, with Kim Hill on Radio NZ, and Soul Search on Radio National (Australia). In addition, he has interviewed poets and public figures including former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Hanif Abdurraqib, The Edge, Sarah Perry, Joy Harjo, Billy Collins and Martin Hayes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
June 20, 2017
I first heard of Pádraig Ó Tuama through Krista Tippet's podcast, On Being. Her conversation with him came at a time when, i felt, i most needed to hear it. Especially the beginning snippet, where Ó Tuama states that people who love each other very much can still disagree deeply on things. Listening to him tell stories and read his poetry in his gentle Irish accent made me want to look this book up and read it.
First off, if you're looking for a very linear book, with a distinct begging-middle-end, this is not the book for you. The topics range all over the place, through time and space. There is no real conclusion, except the continuance of life, and living.
Ó Tuama's writing is as honest and clear as his speaking voice. The book, i found, was very calming. Sometimes i had difficulty following exactly what he meant, but on the whole, the book is readable. It's all about life, and he references things constantly, whether they be his life experiences, other poetry, books, or history. (The fact that he frequently references The Lord of the Rings has endeared him to me, to be completely honest.)
In a way, it's more like reading a public journal than anything, and i enjoyed it for what it was. It's full of insights on life and people and how we feel, think, interact, etc. It's simple in its own way, and rich at the same time. It feels light and deep all at once, both profound and quiet.
First off, if you're looking for a very linear book, with a distinct begging-middle-end, this is not the book for you. The topics range all over the place, through time and space. There is no real conclusion, except the continuance of life, and living.
Ó Tuama's writing is as honest and clear as his speaking voice. The book, i found, was very calming. Sometimes i had difficulty following exactly what he meant, but on the whole, the book is readable. It's all about life, and he references things constantly, whether they be his life experiences, other poetry, books, or history. (The fact that he frequently references The Lord of the Rings has endeared him to me, to be completely honest.)
In a way, it's more like reading a public journal than anything, and i enjoyed it for what it was. It's full of insights on life and people and how we feel, think, interact, etc. It's simple in its own way, and rich at the same time. It feels light and deep all at once, both profound and quiet.
June 17, 2017
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.
December 28, 2015
This quiet, graceful book connects a variety of everyday topics with deeper insights about what makes for a meaningful life. I imagine that the thing I like best about it is Ó Tuama's simple honesty. In these pages, there is no artifice, no need to try to sound wise or make a mark. I couldn't put it down, and I hated to finish reading it for the first time. What a lovely, lovely book!
November 15, 2022
this man has such a way with words. i swear he breathes poetry
it's a pleasure to read him. and an even greater one to listen to him. i might leave a link to a speech of his at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on this very book. the speech that actually convinced me to buy the book
In the Shelter is, in the author's own words,
"a long essay in the art of trying to greet your life without fear, or even with fear, and to greet your fear with which you greet your life. to find a way to say: here is what’s happening [...] an essay in the art and spirituality of language and its power to save or to destroy, to create or desecrate."
it is a book about finding one's place and telling the truth about it; whether or not it's a place one wishes to be in, because this is the first step to changing it, would one wish to do it. to name and greet the place one finds one's self at
"hello to here."
and hello to my silly attempts. hello to my obsessions. hello to the little things that make me smile. hello to wanting something different.
hello to all the new places.
for me, it's one of those books that, when finished, the first thought i have is 'i don't know what just happened but i know something great did. and i need to re-read it as soon as possible'
i am still new to poetry. this year i decided to read more of it and the few poems at the end of each chapter were a great start. i even have a few favourites and i’ll definitely check out more of Pádraig’s poetry
February 22, 2022
If I didn’t belong to an Irish book club, I would never have picked up this book, or even run across it, for that matter. It’s a thoughtful book but my preferred spiritual reading would be Louise Hay or Wayne Dyer.
October 8, 2017
to use Pádraig's words, this book read me, not the other way around. rarely have i encountered words so thoughtful & honest that ring so deeply in my heart. Pádraig weaves the narrative of his spiritual journey with stories of various people he has encountered in the many, varied stages of his life. he tells his own unfinished story by saying hello the things we know and love and fear.
there are too many things to say about this feast of beautiful words, but this book is one of those that i'll return to whenever my spirit feels weary--if only to remember that i'm not alone.
there are too many things to say about this feast of beautiful words, but this book is one of those that i'll return to whenever my spirit feels weary--if only to remember that i'm not alone.
May 23, 2016
Favorite book of 2016! This deep and gentle read took me to places of reflection I've not been before. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a poetry recital and couldn't resist buying this book that evening, I was not disappointed!
August 23, 2017
What a joy to read such an honest book that inspires me to consider my own journey through the minefield of faith and sexuality and challenges me to think of those who are excluded because they are different. We all need shelter and this a great place to start
February 28, 2024
I really looked forward to the time I had to read this book. There’s a humility to the voice that I found to be…..Christlike
August 14, 2016
This is such a beautiful book, full of integrity, authenticity and humility. Part of why it was such a pleasure to read is that you really get the sense that for Padraig it was an absolute pleasure to write. The pleasure he takes in reading, writing, poetry, people, and place and deep listening . . . really listening to other people’s stories is palpable.
Padraig’s wonderful sense of openness to ‘the other’ is as refreshing as it is expansive and allows space for his deep sense of compassion and humanity to flourish.
Through stories, whether they be his own, the stories of the Gospels or other people’s; Padraig offers us stories as a vehicle to go places, to move through experiences and encounters with ourselves, and others whomever they may be, through the stories Padraig invites us to ‘see people noticing people. We see people moving from their story to validate the experience of another story. We see how someone can use their own small tools of surviving a difficult day and help create a sense of shelter for someone whose day is crumbling. The tone with which these gestures happen is a humble tone – nobody thinks that one small kindness is going to change a life. But it might change a moment, and in that moment something small can grow’.
The power of Padraig’s writing is in his subtle yet searing insightful perspective and interpretation; for example when talking about the Gospels and the story of original sin he tells us the story of God asking Adam in the garden of Eden ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ to which Adam replies ‘The woman you gave me gave me something to eat’. Padraig wonder’s ‘if this is the original sin, the capacity to blame, to avoid responsibility, to throw another into the fire so that we don’t burn. But then we burn with shame and the fire just gets bigger’.
I came to this book seeking shelter following the Brexit result in the UK where I currently live I felt unwanted and began to question once again my own sense of belonging and the threat of having to look for another home. This book couldn’t have come at a better time, affirming me that ‘Life needs to be lived, with all its complications, and that we need an avenue to incorporate hope into our lives.’ This book, these stories provided me with shelter, with hope and opened new avenues, new possibilities which I am grateful for. A beautiful book, beautifully written by a beautiful human being. I highly recommend it.
Padraig’s wonderful sense of openness to ‘the other’ is as refreshing as it is expansive and allows space for his deep sense of compassion and humanity to flourish.
Through stories, whether they be his own, the stories of the Gospels or other people’s; Padraig offers us stories as a vehicle to go places, to move through experiences and encounters with ourselves, and others whomever they may be, through the stories Padraig invites us to ‘see people noticing people. We see people moving from their story to validate the experience of another story. We see how someone can use their own small tools of surviving a difficult day and help create a sense of shelter for someone whose day is crumbling. The tone with which these gestures happen is a humble tone – nobody thinks that one small kindness is going to change a life. But it might change a moment, and in that moment something small can grow’.
The power of Padraig’s writing is in his subtle yet searing insightful perspective and interpretation; for example when talking about the Gospels and the story of original sin he tells us the story of God asking Adam in the garden of Eden ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ to which Adam replies ‘The woman you gave me gave me something to eat’. Padraig wonder’s ‘if this is the original sin, the capacity to blame, to avoid responsibility, to throw another into the fire so that we don’t burn. But then we burn with shame and the fire just gets bigger’.
I came to this book seeking shelter following the Brexit result in the UK where I currently live I felt unwanted and began to question once again my own sense of belonging and the threat of having to look for another home. This book couldn’t have come at a better time, affirming me that ‘Life needs to be lived, with all its complications, and that we need an avenue to incorporate hope into our lives.’ This book, these stories provided me with shelter, with hope and opened new avenues, new possibilities which I am grateful for. A beautiful book, beautifully written by a beautiful human being. I highly recommend it.
December 20, 2024
I’ve read this book more times than I remembered to log it here, it’s a constant background book for me - and then when I NEED it, I devour it all at once.
I have a difficult time even putting into words what this book means to me, why I love it so much. Pádraig is a master of words and language- he’s created one long poem interspersed with other lovely poems, gentle theology, and his own magnificent storytelling.
His repeating phrase, “hello to…” creates a beautiful poem which tells its own story. On one recent read through, I wrote down the entire “Hello to” phrases. Every time I found those lines, I copied them down. I can’t believe the layers upon layers he weaves.
My next tattoo will be a line from this book because I want those words on me permanently. A gentle reminder that there is good in this world.
I have a difficult time even putting into words what this book means to me, why I love it so much. Pádraig is a master of words and language- he’s created one long poem interspersed with other lovely poems, gentle theology, and his own magnificent storytelling.
His repeating phrase, “hello to…” creates a beautiful poem which tells its own story. On one recent read through, I wrote down the entire “Hello to” phrases. Every time I found those lines, I copied them down. I can’t believe the layers upon layers he weaves.
My next tattoo will be a line from this book because I want those words on me permanently. A gentle reminder that there is good in this world.
December 20, 2017
This is probably the most powerful book I have read all year. It is, to borrow C.S. Lewis' summation of "Lord of the Rings", good beyond hope. The author's blending of poetry, theology, biography,and story is an artifact too rich to be summarized—it must be experienced.
Reading this book will wound, heal, and grow your heart. The author approaches the painful, glorious fact of being one's self in the world and the inscrutable love of god in a way that will have me coming back and back to this book.
Reading this book will wound, heal, and grow your heart. The author approaches the painful, glorious fact of being one's self in the world and the inscrutable love of god in a way that will have me coming back and back to this book.
June 13, 2017
I will return to this book again and again; it is beautiful, honest, profound and life-giving. And it has also made me want to get my own copy of a dictionary of etymology!
July 19, 2022
Gentle. Lovely. Wrecking. All the things a good memoir, like a slow walk through the woods of a cautious spring, should be. I would recommend this to anyone searching for a deeper spirituality, or a deeper grounding in all the meaning this world has to offer.
Podraig’s words are an invitation to say hello to that meaning, to the consolations and desolations we encounter, to our shames and fears and longings and joys, to the orbits of our lives that never quite seem to round and return to us. He doesn’t say this, but I think in that welcome we begin to carve a space of belonging for ourselves in this world, and I think maybe that’s the purest form of meaning there is.
The invitation I am receiving, today as I walked along the shore after finishing, is something like this:
Hello to all the people I’d rather not see.
Hello to the person I’d rather not be.
Hello to all the things that terrify me.
Hello to letting go, holding on, being free.
Onto freedom!
Podraig’s words are an invitation to say hello to that meaning, to the consolations and desolations we encounter, to our shames and fears and longings and joys, to the orbits of our lives that never quite seem to round and return to us. He doesn’t say this, but I think in that welcome we begin to carve a space of belonging for ourselves in this world, and I think maybe that’s the purest form of meaning there is.
The invitation I am receiving, today as I walked along the shore after finishing, is something like this:
Hello to all the people I’d rather not see.
Hello to the person I’d rather not be.
Hello to all the things that terrify me.
Hello to letting go, holding on, being free.
Onto freedom!
October 9, 2022
I read this over many many months, not because it’s long, but because it’s a quiet reflective book. It’s good for short morning reads. Pàdraig Ó’Tuama is a beautiful writer and poet, and it reminded me to get back to his podcast - Poetry Unbound. Definitely a book to pick up again in the future.
November 11, 2024
Probably 4+: so clear how this author loves words and language and poetry and uses that beautifully for healing and to show great love. Reading this is a balm in an ugly world, especially for those of us that share his passion for language.
June 27, 2022
The Irish poet and blogger Padraig O Tuama here offers us his journey of reconciling his sexuality with his spirituality.
The book is not so much an itinerary of events as it is a treasury of inspirations, from the guides who serve as beacons for the road.
Those beacons come from his students, both young and adult, from workshoppers and retreatants in a reconciling Belfast, and from the voices of wisdom, notable for their range.
There are the usual suspects: Jesus, Gandhi, Rumi, Augustine, Jung; there is this bouquet of writers and poets, ranging from Samuel Johnson to Leonard Cohen.
The focus, as in most autobiographies, is on connections and missed connections. None, however, more poignant than this from Michal Ondaatje:
Ondaatje tells of his small son, Griffin, calling for his dad to come in and kiss him goodnight. Ondaatje finishes one piece of work, then another, and then another, and when finally he gets to the room, he finds that Griffin has been standing there with arms stretched out, grinning:
This is the hug which collects
all his small bones and his warm neck against me.
The thin tough body under the pyjamas
locks to me like a magnet of blood.
How long was he standing there
like that, before I came?
Near the end of this treasury of anecdotes and lessons, O Tuama recalls the words of another poet, Carol Ann Duffy:
If I believed in God I would find prayer most consoling, because to pray is to believe that someone is listening. 'For everybody else, there's poetry.'
Padraig O Tuama hosts the beautiful blog POETRY UNBOUND, which can be found at the ON BEING website. It is where I first encountered his work.
On it, in it, O Tuama makes the poems of others shimmer.
His voice reading the work . . . he reads the poem once at the beginning and once again after his often brilliant but always human elucidation . . . his voice alone pleasures the trip.
Who's waiting for your hug?
The book is not so much an itinerary of events as it is a treasury of inspirations, from the guides who serve as beacons for the road.
Those beacons come from his students, both young and adult, from workshoppers and retreatants in a reconciling Belfast, and from the voices of wisdom, notable for their range.
There are the usual suspects: Jesus, Gandhi, Rumi, Augustine, Jung; there is this bouquet of writers and poets, ranging from Samuel Johnson to Leonard Cohen.
The focus, as in most autobiographies, is on connections and missed connections. None, however, more poignant than this from Michal Ondaatje:
Ondaatje tells of his small son, Griffin, calling for his dad to come in and kiss him goodnight. Ondaatje finishes one piece of work, then another, and then another, and when finally he gets to the room, he finds that Griffin has been standing there with arms stretched out, grinning:
This is the hug which collects
all his small bones and his warm neck against me.
The thin tough body under the pyjamas
locks to me like a magnet of blood.
How long was he standing there
like that, before I came?
Near the end of this treasury of anecdotes and lessons, O Tuama recalls the words of another poet, Carol Ann Duffy:
If I believed in God I would find prayer most consoling, because to pray is to believe that someone is listening. 'For everybody else, there's poetry.'
Padraig O Tuama hosts the beautiful blog POETRY UNBOUND, which can be found at the ON BEING website. It is where I first encountered his work.
On it, in it, O Tuama makes the poems of others shimmer.
His voice reading the work . . . he reads the poem once at the beginning and once again after his often brilliant but always human elucidation . . . his voice alone pleasures the trip.
Who's waiting for your hug?
February 2, 2018
I really was challenged by this book. It is beautiful. It is disarming. It is full of wisdom. The way O Tuama engages in the Gospel narratives and weaves those stories with his own and with others was majestic. The big idea is hello...how do we say hello to the things that come, to a God we love and don’t always understand, how do we say hello to friends, enemies, blessings, judgments, life, death. It will be a book that I will read many times I think. There is also a lot to wrestle with in the book, things that I don’t know, things I don’t understand. Hello to those as well.
The last paragraph of the book reads: “I say hello to chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble. I say hello to distraction and privilege, I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus. I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story. I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story, my unloved body, my own body. I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day. I greet my own small world and I hope that i can meet the bigger world that day. I greet my story and hope that I can forget my story during the day, and hope that i can hear some stories, and greet some surprising stories during the long day ahead. I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet...Hello.”
The last paragraph of the book reads: “I say hello to chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble. I say hello to distraction and privilege, I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus. I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story. I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story, my unloved body, my own body. I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day. I greet my own small world and I hope that i can meet the bigger world that day. I greet my story and hope that I can forget my story during the day, and hope that i can hear some stories, and greet some surprising stories during the long day ahead. I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet...Hello.”
October 28, 2017
I was introduced to Padraig O Tuama listening to an On Being podcast. I connected with him as a former ministerial student, a gay man, and a believer that there is a different way to celebrate holiness. That to believe is not a cross to bear, but a celebration of every gift and of every suffering.
I wish I had his gift for words, this lyrical, peaceful, and honest account of angry, fear, and happiness found in the ebb and flow of our relationship with God, with self, and with others. He is a voice of light and thoughtfulness, which is what I needed during a time of discernment in my own life.
Some highlights:
Questions and doubt - doubt and faith support each other, make it possible to explore more fully and more deeply
The meaning of repentance - show your change
Do we really see someone
Tell stories
It is a book I will hold onto and reconnect with during the coming years.
I wish I had his gift for words, this lyrical, peaceful, and honest account of angry, fear, and happiness found in the ebb and flow of our relationship with God, with self, and with others. He is a voice of light and thoughtfulness, which is what I needed during a time of discernment in my own life.
Some highlights:
Questions and doubt - doubt and faith support each other, make it possible to explore more fully and more deeply
The meaning of repentance - show your change
Do we really see someone
Tell stories
It is a book I will hold onto and reconnect with during the coming years.
February 1, 2023
This is one of the best books I've ever read, by an author that will someday be regarded as Ireland's national treasure. With a mix of poetry, memoir, humor, wit, and total honesty, Padraig takes us on a journey into understanding life of someone who grew up gay in Ireland and now does reconciliation work in Belfast. This is more than a memoir--it's like listening to someone tell stories about their life while they also dispense wisdom in a way that makes you weep and laugh. I will probably read this book once a year
October 11, 2020
Such a comforting book to return to
December 23, 2020
I first learned of Pádraig Ó Tuama while listening to the On Being Podcast 'Poetry Unbound'. In the Shelter, Finding a home in the world, speaks to Pádraig's life as a gay Catholic in Northern Ireland. He has many stories of religion, spirituality, LGBTQ, and living with conflict. There is pain, healing, and humor throughout. I found the book insightful, educational, and comforting. This book is not a fast read as it requires thought and contemplation. Some lines I liked (and there are many) include:
"...it is in the shelter of each other that people live"
"We can do beautiful things and terrible things to ourselves and to those we consider to our ‘our others’."
"The notion of reciprocality is an important one."
"Most people do what seems reasonable to them at the time, most of the time."
I bought this book at a used book store. Oddly enough, it was signed by the author with a personal message. Hello to how stories find us over distance and time.
My gratitude to Pádraig Ó Tuama for sharing these stories.
"...it is in the shelter of each other that people live"
"We can do beautiful things and terrible things to ourselves and to those we consider to our ‘our others’."
"The notion of reciprocality is an important one."
"Most people do what seems reasonable to them at the time, most of the time."
I bought this book at a used book store. Oddly enough, it was signed by the author with a personal message. Hello to how stories find us over distance and time.
My gratitude to Pádraig Ó Tuama for sharing these stories.
August 20, 2023
Here, O' Tuama has given us a good treatise on what it means to be homosexual and still try to stay Christian. His writing is fresh and plainspoken (but deeper than one might think at the first reading). I think it will stay with me. Hello to an honest look at a personal journey. I think he might have overdone the "hello" thing a little, but overall I have to say it works. I've been using it in my everyday life now. My biggest wistfulness was that he didn't acknowledge Christians who are not homophobic but simply cannot bless same sex marriage unions in the church.
March 7, 2023
Very poetic but hard to read sometimes because his train of thought was often rather abstract. Reminiscent of a stream of consciousness almost
October 14, 2025
I’m so sad I reached the end of this book. This book is like a warm blanket wrapping me tightly. It will go on my reread list.
January 5, 2020
I want to say this is one of my favorite memoirs I've ever read, but I'm not exactly sure that that's what it is? Part memoir, part wisdom/reflections; almost like a combination between Rachel Held Evans and Thich Hhat Hanh 😂. In any case, I loved it.
June 30, 2025
I have heard Padraig speak many times, and think he is one of the wisest and most insightful thinkers on issues of faith and life; he can really get to the heart of things with a few words. I guess being a great poet also helps with that. The same is true of this book - a kind of spiritual autobiography that's really enjoyable to read and full of valuable perspectives.
September 3, 2019
What a soothing balm to a weary soul!
Each encounter with Pádraig Ó Tuama is an exercise in meditation, self-encounter and introspection, reconciliation, and an exaltation of language, spirit, and generosity. It’s been such a wonderful journey of discovering him, reading his writings, watching his talks, etc.
This specific book contains multitudes, with the overarching theme being of the stories, languages, names, identities, spaces, etc that shelter us, and most importantly, unravel this intense and human need for *shelter* in each and every one of us.
There are many lines and paragraphs I can quote from this book but suffice it to say, it’s a book I’d highly recommend, akin to all his other books. What I’ll excerpt in this review — as it was one of the very first excerpts of his writing that touched me — is from the last pages of this book and does a great job of offering a powerful snapshot of what Pádraig gently and honestly explores in this book:
“So every morning, I kneel, waiting, making friends with the habit of listening, hoping that I’m being listening to. There, I greet God and my own disorder. I say hello to chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble. I say hello to distraction and privilege, I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus. I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story. I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story, my unloved body, my own body. I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day. I greet my own small world and I hope that I can meet the bigger world that day. I greet my story and hope that I can forget my story during the day, and hope that I can hear some stories, and greet some surprising stories during the long day ahead. I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet.
Hello to you all, I say, as the sun rises above the chimneys of North Belfast.
Hello.”
Each encounter with Pádraig Ó Tuama is an exercise in meditation, self-encounter and introspection, reconciliation, and an exaltation of language, spirit, and generosity. It’s been such a wonderful journey of discovering him, reading his writings, watching his talks, etc.
This specific book contains multitudes, with the overarching theme being of the stories, languages, names, identities, spaces, etc that shelter us, and most importantly, unravel this intense and human need for *shelter* in each and every one of us.
There are many lines and paragraphs I can quote from this book but suffice it to say, it’s a book I’d highly recommend, akin to all his other books. What I’ll excerpt in this review — as it was one of the very first excerpts of his writing that touched me — is from the last pages of this book and does a great job of offering a powerful snapshot of what Pádraig gently and honestly explores in this book:
“So every morning, I kneel, waiting, making friends with the habit of listening, hoping that I’m being listening to. There, I greet God and my own disorder. I say hello to chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble. I say hello to distraction and privilege, I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus. I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story. I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story, my unloved body, my own body. I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day. I greet my own small world and I hope that I can meet the bigger world that day. I greet my story and hope that I can forget my story during the day, and hope that I can hear some stories, and greet some surprising stories during the long day ahead. I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet.
Hello to you all, I say, as the sun rises above the chimneys of North Belfast.
Hello.”
August 15, 2017
It is such a shame the theology in this book gets weird (for lack of a better word) at times because I love the author's penmanship. I took up this book because of my love of all things Irish, especially in its art and spiritual heritage.
There are some exceptional insights in this book and I especially appreciated the vulnerable humanity described and told. I felt a strong connection with the brokenness of the world and its author. And for that, I am truly thankful.
However, the quality and pleasure found in this book is too often tainted by dubious Scriptural interpretation, exercises that may reinforce spiritual relativism, and unclear theological positions on some key doctrines. I understand it is not a theological book as it is poetic, nevertheless I was unable to appreciate fully.
Is it due to lack of clarity? Is it due to actual error? Is the problem more on my end because of a lack of skill in understanding this poetic style? I could never be certain.
Poems preach, and I cannot affirm this one's whole message, especially coming from the mouth of a Christ-follower, even if I understand that we come from different Church families.
That said, I recognize the quality of the art and I have definitely learned a thing or two from the author and gleaned a couple gems from his words.
There are some exceptional insights in this book and I especially appreciated the vulnerable humanity described and told. I felt a strong connection with the brokenness of the world and its author. And for that, I am truly thankful.
However, the quality and pleasure found in this book is too often tainted by dubious Scriptural interpretation, exercises that may reinforce spiritual relativism, and unclear theological positions on some key doctrines. I understand it is not a theological book as it is poetic, nevertheless I was unable to appreciate fully.
Is it due to lack of clarity? Is it due to actual error? Is the problem more on my end because of a lack of skill in understanding this poetic style? I could never be certain.
Poems preach, and I cannot affirm this one's whole message, especially coming from the mouth of a Christ-follower, even if I understand that we come from different Church families.
That said, I recognize the quality of the art and I have definitely learned a thing or two from the author and gleaned a couple gems from his words.
August 19, 2019
In the Shelter is a gorgeous work that weaves together story-telling, poetry, linguistic commentary, biblical narrative, and theological insight. In a rare interview, Mary Oliver comments that she writes poetry so that the reader may find themselves in the poem. Ó Tuama has mastered this art in the form of story-telling. He is gentle, inviting, questioning, and prodding as he leads the way through his own life and the stories he has gleaned along the way that the reader might encounter themself, and possibly even God, anew along the way. His writing does what some of the best preaching should do-- tells and retells the story of life with God in such a way that the listener may hear and see anew, be changed, and act anew. This is a work that deserves to be read again and again and mulled over in both its entirety and in particularities of "just-right" sentences and phrases contained within.
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