Sociologist Susan Pitchford clearly states that her work is not a book for theologians in the sense of being a scholarly opus on the roles of suffering and desire in the spiritual life. Rather, she intends it to be an introductory exploration of the role of passion in the divine-human relationship. Drawing on the tradition of nuptial mysticism, Pitchford introduces her central themes that suffering and desire are the two faces of passion and that times of darkness in the spiritual journey are a means to deeper intimacy with God.
Chapters are divided thematically under the categories of desire, suffering, and union. The section on desire begins by emphasizing that the passionate God invites humans into a love relationship. A few statements in chapter 3 warrant further clarification. For example, when speaking about dualism, Pitchford states that Paul used the term “flesh” for both the physical body and the unconverted part of the human being that wars against the spirit, but she overlooks the finer point of Paul's use of soma and sarx. Also, the author's discussion of a kataphatic form of contemplative prayer seems to oversimplify important distinctions and nuances. Claiming to follow the spirit of Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle, Pitchford defines contemplation as prayer that is mainly initiated and directed by God. At the same time, she rebuffs Thomas Keating's definition of contemplation as going beyond words, thoughts, and feelings, because it rules out kataphatic prayer.
A chapter on the Beguines provides a good summary of their love mysticism, underscores the importance of interpreting their use of romantic imagery metaphorically, and notes their nostalgic expression of desire that conveys longing to be reunited with God. The section on desire ends with a discussion of contemporary vocabulary used to express human hopes, longings, and desires. Pitchford attributes the deepest restlessness within humans to a desire for both horizontal and vertical connection. Although stating that she will examine how contemporary authors use the language of romantic love to convey intimacy with God, Pitchford names only certain authors and their works.
The section on suffering briefly takes up the question of why God allows evil to exist before moving on to the redemptive role of suffering. The author uses the example of her own serious back injury to consider whether such seemingly insignificant suffering can be united with Christ's suffering and be redemptive. The end of this section examines the dual meanings of the images of the desert, tears, and darkness.
The final section, on union, discusses the transformative effect of union, the metaphors of deification, homeland, and fire used in the apophatic tradition, and the imagery of spiritual marriage and the heart of Christ used in the kataphatic tradition.
While Pitchford's book provides numerous metaphors and excerpts from spiritual writings that might prove helpful to those who teach spirituality courses, the text seems more appropriate for personal enrichment or a course in adult formation.
