An Ardent Absence
Thadee Matura
9781576594223
100 pages
The Franciscan Institute
Overview
This essay addresses a formidable subject, rarely treated today. It is a matte rof knowing what “experience” of God can reach a human being, whether he or she seeks God without knowing it or naming God, or that he or she affirms, as a Christian believer, God's historical manifestation in Jesus Christ. Once the symbols, the words, the images, the concepts, the rites, are passed, can we join a je ne sais quoi of the reality of God, and how? In a language that combines theological rigor and poetic approach, the book addresses the search and desire of God, with its pathways, its nights, and what can be glimpsed at the end of all these steps. Without being a “confession” or a testimony, this personal, and therefore partial, itinerary is rooted in many experiences of past and present. It is addressed to those who, by human paths and from the bottom of their faith, seek the face of the God of Jesus Christ, present, close, but always stealth behind darkness, the faithful companion of the mystics.
Author Bio
Born in Poland, Thaddée Matura became a Franciscan in Canada. He lived for more than fifty years in France. Educated in theology and exegesis he has traveled the world for courses and sessions, as evidenced by his many publications translated into about fifteen languages. The essential part is devotedto the writings of Francis of Assisi of which he releases the central message:God as desire and supreme happiness of the human being. An Ardent Absence,translated into five languages, is his favorite book. The concrete itinerary of the author’s life is presented by Danièle Gatti’s book, Et pourtant… je suis aimé de Dieu (And yet I am loved by God).
