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I Live, No Longer I: Paul's Spirituality of Suffering, Transformation, and Joy
How do the dark moments of suffering which we all encounter at some point in our lives connect with the divine? The words of Paul the Apostle offer an answer to this universal question in the vibrant figure and pattern of Jesus Christ, so eloquently expressed in the Philippians Christ Hymn. It is in moments of loss, moments of experience of creation and community, and moments of transformative unity with God that we discover our deep connectedness to God and one another. Laura Hogan weaves the truth of these three facets of divine-human relationship together with Paul's undivided trust in divine effectiveness; that is, that the paradox of the cross reveals that God, no matter how dire the circumstance, is supremely effective to accomplish his will. Paul's words encourage us to express the pattern of Jesus Christ in our words, actions, and very lives, a singular articulation of Christ in our time, place, identity, and circumstances. This daily living of the Christ pattern, which this book explores in lives past and present, gives rise to a true joy in God as we become increasingly aware of our relationship with the divine in all moments, from the darkest to the brightest. ""Laura Hogan unpacks Saint Paul's rich theology of transformation in Christ through the lens of his cross. Theologically sophisticated, it is also highly personal, drawing on her ability to see God working in the ordinary, the everyday, and especially the painful. But even in those more difficult moments we all experience, she finds joy in God's mysterious presence. A deeply Christian book."" --Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, Loyola Marymount University ""Hogan has written an eloquent yet intimate book--a call to become 'ordinary mystics' by embracing the challenging yet life-giving spirituality of the apostle Paul. Her description of Paul's paradoxical pattern of becoming like Christ is illustrated with real-life examples as well as insightful metaphors. The result is a moving invitation to a joyful life lived in God and for others--even in the midst of the many trials we all will face. --Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore ""In this inspiring text, Hogan articulates in an engaging way the life-giving, though paradoxical, insight of St. Paul--that joy can co-exist with suffering. . . . This book provides a message of hope and consolation for all of us as we confront the inevitable sufferings of human life."" --Wilkie Au, PhD, Author of The Enduring Heart: Spirituality for the Long Haul ""In clear and accessible language, Hogan presents a series of meditations on passages from the writings of St. Paul. . . . Taking the lines of St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians as her motto, 'I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me, ' she demonstrates how the passage has continuing relevance for our challenging and confused contemporary world. --Peter Tyler, St. Mary's University, Twickenham, London Laura R. Hogan holds a Master of Arts in theology from St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California. She is a Lay Carmelite, an attorney, and a poet. She lives in Southern California with her family and a hawk.
172 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2017
4 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Laura Reece Hogan
5 books14 followersLaura Reece Hogan is the author of the poetry collection Litany of Flights (Paraclete Press, 2020), winner of the 2020 Paraclete Poetry Prize, the poetry chapbook O Garden-Dweller (Finishing Line Press, 2017), and the spiritual theology book I Live, No Longer I (Wipf & Stock, 2017). She is one of ten poets featured in the anthology In a Strange Land (Cascade Books, 2019).
I Live, No Longer I won four First Place 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Awards in the categories of Spirituality, Hardcover; Spirituality, Softcover; Theology; and Scripture, Popular Studies. I Live, No Longer I also was awarded the gold medal for Spirituality in the 2018 Illumination Book Awards, and won the category of Religion: Christianity in the 2017 American Book Fest Best Book Awards.
Her poems can be found in or are forthcoming in America, The Christian Century, First Things, The Cresset, Dappled Things, Whale Road Review, Lily Poetry Review, EcoTheo Review, Spiritus, U.S. Catholic, Anglican Theological Review, Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith, The Windhover, Poets Reading the News, Santa Fe Literary Review, Saint Katherine Review, Amethyst, Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing, The Penwood Review, the anthology Solo Novo 7/8: Psalms of Cinder & Silt (Solo Press, 2019), and other publications. Her poetry has been nominated for the Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. Her essays have been featured in Spirituality and Ekstasis Magazine.
Laura earned a B.A. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and a M.A. in theology from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California. She is a professed Third Order Carmelite. She lives in Southern California with her family.
She can be found online at www.laurareecehogan.com, and on Twitter @laurarhogan.
I Live, No Longer I won four First Place 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Awards in the categories of Spirituality, Hardcover; Spirituality, Softcover; Theology; and Scripture, Popular Studies. I Live, No Longer I also was awarded the gold medal for Spirituality in the 2018 Illumination Book Awards, and won the category of Religion: Christianity in the 2017 American Book Fest Best Book Awards.
Her poems can be found in or are forthcoming in America, The Christian Century, First Things, The Cresset, Dappled Things, Whale Road Review, Lily Poetry Review, EcoTheo Review, Spiritus, U.S. Catholic, Anglican Theological Review, Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith, The Windhover, Poets Reading the News, Santa Fe Literary Review, Saint Katherine Review, Amethyst, Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing, The Penwood Review, the anthology Solo Novo 7/8: Psalms of Cinder & Silt (Solo Press, 2019), and other publications. Her poetry has been nominated for the Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. Her essays have been featured in Spirituality and Ekstasis Magazine.
Laura earned a B.A. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and a M.A. in theology from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California. She is a professed Third Order Carmelite. She lives in Southern California with her family.
She can be found online at www.laurareecehogan.com, and on Twitter @laurarhogan.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 20, 2018
In “I Live, No Longer I,” Laura Hogan blends original biblical scholarship about Paul’s spirituality from Paul’s letters with examples of people today and recent history who live aspects of that spirituality. The book focuses on how Paul transformed his experience of suffering into joy because he looked beyond the immediate pain and looked for the hidden meaning about how his suffering was being effective towards God’s purpose.
The parts of the book that resonated the most for me were the applications of Paul’s spirituality in events in the author’s life or through others. There is a treatment of Mother Teresa’s remarkable life and how she experienced spiritual darkness and suffering yet knew it was ultimately furthering God’s purpose and bringing her closer to God. Also the author recounts Stephen Colbert’s approach towards dealing with his tragic family loss. The paradox of Paul’s spirituality is a major theme and these examples are fully and precisely developed to show how people could arrive at such paradoxical conclusions.
The book is extremely well written and both informative for those who wish to learn more about Paul and his spirituality as well as inspiring for those who experience suffering and seek joy.
The parts of the book that resonated the most for me were the applications of Paul’s spirituality in events in the author’s life or through others. There is a treatment of Mother Teresa’s remarkable life and how she experienced spiritual darkness and suffering yet knew it was ultimately furthering God’s purpose and bringing her closer to God. Also the author recounts Stephen Colbert’s approach towards dealing with his tragic family loss. The paradox of Paul’s spirituality is a major theme and these examples are fully and precisely developed to show how people could arrive at such paradoxical conclusions.
The book is extremely well written and both informative for those who wish to learn more about Paul and his spirituality as well as inspiring for those who experience suffering and seek joy.
March 9, 2017
I Live, No Longer I explores the question of human suffering and how it can connect us to God. Laura Hogan discusses how it is through the concepts of kenosis, enosis and theosis (i.e. moments of loss, moments of experience of creation and community, and moments of transformative unity with God) that we discover our deep connectedness to God and to one another. Hogan effectively uses the biblical language of Paul the Apostle, as well as his experiences with suffering and transformation, to encourage us to express the pattern of Jesus Christ in our words, actions, and very lives, especially when we are challenged by suffering. By doing so, we can transform our agony into true joy in God as we become aware of our relationship with the divine in every aspect of our lives, including experiences of great pain. As Hogan both states and gracefully illustrates, "God is effective to accomplish fruitfulness and his divine purpose even in and through dark or dire circumstances."
I found this book to be a beautifully written exploration of the transformative power of suffering. It is a very thoughtful and biblically supported discussion of how we cannot not only find divine solace when we are in pain, but how the pain itself can bring us closer to the community of others and to union with God. While Hogan provides ample theological support for her ideas, including Paul's paradoxical pattern of becoming like Christ, her book most resonates when she discusses her personal experiences and the experiences of other contemporaries (including Mother Theresa and Stephen Colbert) with kenosis, enosis and theosis. I also really enjoyed her analogy that we are like the “little bird” described by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Even as an insignificant little bird, through our actions we can make a difference and lead a joyful life in communion with other people and with God. I highly recommend this beautiful book.
I found this book to be a beautifully written exploration of the transformative power of suffering. It is a very thoughtful and biblically supported discussion of how we cannot not only find divine solace when we are in pain, but how the pain itself can bring us closer to the community of others and to union with God. While Hogan provides ample theological support for her ideas, including Paul's paradoxical pattern of becoming like Christ, her book most resonates when she discusses her personal experiences and the experiences of other contemporaries (including Mother Theresa and Stephen Colbert) with kenosis, enosis and theosis. I also really enjoyed her analogy that we are like the “little bird” described by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Even as an insignificant little bird, through our actions we can make a difference and lead a joyful life in communion with other people and with God. I highly recommend this beautiful book.
March 9, 2017
I Live, No Longer I explores the question of human suffering and how it can connect us to God. Laura Hogan discusses how it is through the concepts of kenosis, enosis and theosis (i.e. moments of loss, moments of experience of creation and community, and moments of transformative unity with God) that we discover our deep connectedness to God and to one another. Hogan effectively uses the biblical language of Paul the Apostle, as well as his experiences with suffering and transformation, to encourage us to express the pattern of Jesus Christ in our words, actions, and very lives, especially when we are challenged by suffering. By doing so, we can transform our agony into true joy in God as we become aware of our relationship with the divine in every aspect of our lives, including experiences of great pain. As Hogan both states and gracefully illustrates, "God is effective to accomplish fruitfulness and his divine purpose even in and through dark or dire circumstances."
I found this book to be a beautifully written exploration of the transformative power of suffering. It is a very thoughtful and biblically supported discussion of how we cannot not only find divine solace when we are in pain, but how the pain itself can bring us closer to the community of others and to union with God. While Hogan provides ample theological support for her ideas, including Paul's paradoxical pattern of becoming like Christ, her book most resonates when she discusses her personal experiences and the experiences of other contemporaries (including Mother Theresa and Stephen Colbert) with kenosis, enosis and theosis. I also really enjoyed her analogy that we are like the “little bird” described by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Even as an insignificant little bird, through our actions we can make a difference and lead a joyful life in communion with other people and with God. I highly recommend this beautiful book.
I found this book to be a beautifully written exploration of the transformative power of suffering. It is a very thoughtful and biblically supported discussion of how we cannot not only find divine solace when we are in pain, but how the pain itself can bring us closer to the community of others and to union with God. While Hogan provides ample theological support for her ideas, including Paul's paradoxical pattern of becoming like Christ, her book most resonates when she discusses her personal experiences and the experiences of other contemporaries (including Mother Theresa and Stephen Colbert) with kenosis, enosis and theosis. I also really enjoyed her analogy that we are like the “little bird” described by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Even as an insignificant little bird, through our actions we can make a difference and lead a joyful life in communion with other people and with God. I highly recommend this beautiful book.
August 22, 2017
A beautiful and accessible exploration of the transformative power of suffering, brimming with inspiration for spirituality and Christian lit readers. Highly recommend!
August 19, 2019
Wow! I would highly recommend this book!
October 5, 2017
For all who desire to grow spiritually this wonderful book will shine amazing light on your path! Laura Reece Hogan’s discussion of the Christ pattern is nothing less than awe inspiring. She clearly delineates how we can all readily discern this pattern in Paul’s life and the lives of many other spiritual giants such as Mother Teresa. She encourages us to use this pattern for our own lives and strive in all ways to attain it even though we may feel we are little birds in an overwhelming world. Her deep understanding of Paul’s spirituality and her grasp of the paradox of Christ’s cross allows her to give us powerful yet simple examples to help us all have new insight into these complex and profound Biblical principles. Laura addresses the difficult subjects of loss, suffering and transformation through that very pain. Our lives can be radically changed by reading this book and applying its message to every small aspect of our lives. Laura’s beautiful prose makes this a book which can be read over and over or used for a Bible study. I cannot adequately convey my joy in not only reading but also meditating on so many aspects of this superb book and I most highly recommend it to everyone.
October 9, 2017
This book is excellent! You will be changed by the insights and revelations found in its pages. Moreover, the writing itself is of outstanding caliber and is a pleasure to read. I wholeheartedly recommend I Live, No Longer I!!
July 25, 2017
Great read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews