Mark A. McIntosh - Harvest of Hope: A Contemplative Approach to Holy Scripture

Warm, wise, and inviting, Harvest of Hope offers readers rich reflection on scriptural passages tied to the churchs liturgical year. When it is so common for believers and seekers to separate spirituality from deeply reflective theology, Harvest of Hope uses Scripture to bind them firmly together. This book will lead you to deeper patterns of prayer, more lively reflection on God, and a more enduring participation in Gods desire to be involved in your life.

S TEPHEN E. F OWL

professor of theology and dean of the Loyola College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Maryland

Resisting the often positivist, patriarchal, proud Enlightenment reductionism of many biblical readings, McIntosh and Griswold lead us, accompanied by ancient readers, into a living set of texts that come alive on the page. They do indeed harvest a hope: a hope that the divine Trinity swirls both above and within us, reaching out to us as Christ and Scripture to unite in profound active union. I imagine groups of devoted readers relishing the liturgical pace and organization here, supplementing their communities worship services with like-minded fellow travelers, working their way carefully through this offering, mentored by two humble and wise teachers of the church. Attending to Scripture with them re-creates and restores all of creation from within.

P ATRICIA M. Z IMMERMAN

associate professor of practice in religion at St. Olaf College

What a refreshing book! Harvest of Hope will confirm my retreatants and me by suggesting the divine, personal depth of our very particular and finite attempts at Christian prayer with Scripture. It will surely help us to persevere in these attempts. And Harvest of Hope will help me and other Christian preachers to let the Word shape us rather than the opposite. Its help on the seasons of the Christian year will keep us and our listeners alive to the mystery of God at work in lifes seasons of planting, cultivating, and harvesting.

G REGORY I. C ARLSON , SJ

associate director of the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

www.eerdmans.com

2022 Mark A. McIntosh and Frank T. Griswold

All rights reserved

Published 2022

Printed in the United States of America

28 27 26 25 24 23 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

ISBN 978-0-8028-7972-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: McIntosh, Mark Allen, 1960 author. | Griswold, Frank T., 1937 author.

Title: Harvest of hope : a contemplative approach to Holy Scripture / Mark A. McIntosh, Frank T. Griswold.

Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, [2022] | Includes index. | Summary: An introduction and guide to praying the Bible and encountering the living mystery of God through a contemplative approach to ScriptureProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021055317 | ISBN 9780802879721

Subjects: LCSH: PrayerChristianity. | BibleDevotional literature. | BISAC: RELIGION / Christian Theology /General | RELIGION / Christian Education / Adult

Classification: LCC BV210.3 .M3784 2022 | DDC 248.3/2dc23/eng/20220128

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021055317

These two companion volumes, Seeds of Faith and Harvest of Hope, would not have been possible without the profound gift to me of Bishop Frank Griswolds spiritual teaching and friendship, and his written contributions to these volumes will give readers a sense of the immense generosity of his vision. Our written words, however, are much more likely to make sense to you, and convey more of what we long to share with you, because of the inestimable gifts and contributions of Barbara Braver, our editorial consultant, who, with bountiful good humor and wisdom, has labored to bring words to life and meaning to clarity. I cannot thank her enough for all her help in bringing these volumes to fruition.

It also gives me great joy to thank my beloved wife, Anne, who has helped me in more ways than I can ever express. Living in the later stages of ALS , I have been so wonderfully blessed by her gracious, loving patience and all her efforts to make this season in my life fruitful and hopeful. And our daughter and son, Liza and Nate, have by their encouragement and affection inspired me to keep moving toward the best that I could do.

Mark A. McIntosh

When Mark, in the early stages of ALS , a disease that has now drawn him from this life into Eternity, invited me to help him bring these two volumes into being, I said I would be honored to assist him in any way he might determine. I could think of no better way to express my gratitude for the many years of our friendship, and also for Marks theological vision, nourished by a life of prayer, which have been an incalculable gift to me and to countless others and permeate these pages. Whether in the classroom or in the pulpit, at the altar or in spiritual counsel, his profoundly pastoral heart and sensitivity of spirit made the love of God and our life in the Trinity intensely real and immediate. These volumes are very much Marks books, and it has been my joy to add my own voice along the way, usually in response to what Mark has written. As various versions of what became Seeds of Faith and Harvest of Hope were circulated back and forth, it became clear that we needed a trained eye to read and assess what we were writing. At that point, perhaps the most useful thing I did to further the project was to suggest that we ask Barbara Braver to serve as our editorial consultant. Barbara worked with me during my years as presiding bishop, and her fine mind and clear eye saved me on more than one occasion when a flight of cosmic abstraction in an address or homily needed to be reeled in and rendered in a more assessable form. With Mark, I thank her for her encouragement and wisdom, and for her generous and careful attention to our words and what we were seeking to express.

Frank T. Griswold

In Seeds of Faith, the first of this two-volume set, seeds were planted as readers explored the broad terrain of Christian beliefs and sensed the integrity of theology and spirituality at the heart of Christian faith. Each chapter unfolded a central aspect of Christian doctrine, opening each area of belief to prayer and the insights of Christian mystical theology as a way of planting faith within us. In the life of the world to come, Christians believe, we will no longer need faith because we shall see and enjoy the inexhaustible goodness of God. But in our present age, the theological virtue of faith is truly a precious gift: it flows from having enough sense and taste of Gods goodness that we can go on trusting and working with that goodness, even when we can no longer or not yet perceive it.

Seeds of Faith and Harvest of Hope are mutually reinforcing, providing parallel companions to Christian theology and the spiritual reading of Scripture that seek above all to foster genuine hope. Both books develop insights from the Christian mystical tradition, helping readers to reflect upon their own deepest questions in the light of grace. While this second volume does not presuppose that readers are already familiar with Seeds of Faith, it draws on the same understanding of the integrity of theology and spirituality.

As in the first volume, we note again an observation of the twelfth-century monk and theologian Aelred of Rievaulx, that God the Holy Spirit is present in the conversation of true friends. This volume is also something of a conversation between dear friends, into which we invite your spiritual companionship.