Hidden in God: Discovering the Desert Vision of Charles de Foucauld

by Bonnie Bowman Thurston

Publisher:

Ave Maria Press

, 2016

Overview

"Spirituality & Practice 2016 Award Winner."

Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916) was a complex man. Born into French aristocracy, he floundered as a military officer, but rediscovered his Catholic heritage and eventually lived voluntarily as an impoverished priest/hermit in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. Foucauld wanted to emulate the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth and in doing so, left a spiritual legacy that attracted such figures as Dorothy Day and author, poet, and spiritual director Bonnie Thurston.

Published in celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Charles de Foucauld’s death on December 1, 1916, Hidden in God highlights the profound conversion that led Foucauld to embrace the life of a hermit in the Sahara, where he was eventually murdered by a band of marauders.

Foucauld’s legacy is an enduring spiritual vision: believe in God, you should live for God and make him your reason for living. Drawing from his letters and journals, Bonnie Thurston explores how the hidden life of Nazareth brings the grace of great closeness to Jesus; the gift of the desert is the grace of complete dependence on God; and the grace of public life is the practice of charity and self-giving. Thurston adeptly demonstrates how these three locations are metaphors for states of spiritual life and ministry and how each one brings both a challenge and a danger. Words of wisdom from Foucauld, as well as questions to ponder and biblical texts to explore conclude each chapter.

Thurston shares how she became enamored with Foucauld for the passionate way he lived his ideals without regard for recognition or success. “I’ve fallen in love with a dead Frenchman who was a hermit,” she admitted to a friend.

Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, also was attracted to Foucauld’s desert spirituality and wrote to Thomas Merton and others about Foucauld’s spiritual influence.

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Key Features

• Talks about the secret life of a soul, that hidden life lived only in and for God
• Introduces Foucauld's understanding of the three locations of the life of Jesus: Nazareth, the desert, and public life
• Includes words of wisdom from Foucauld, questions to ponder, and biblical texts, at the end of each chapter

Contents

• Time and the Mystery of a Soul
• Life Locations: Nazareth, Desert, Public Life
• Nazareth: The Hidden Life
• The Desert: Aridity in Prayer and Spiritual Struggle
• Public Life: Active Ministry and Service
• The Cross and the Christ

Praise for Hidden in God

Bonnie Thurston has a rare gift of seeing the life of a saint through the lens of biblical wisdom and authentic spiritual insight. This lovely volume is not merely to be read, but to be made one’s own. This is spiritual reading at its best.

Lawrence S. Cunningham, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology (Emeritus), The University of Notre Dame

Bonnie Thurston’s beautiful book introduces Foucauld as a spiritual guide and companion whose wisdom speaks clearly to the rhythms of our lives and the needs of our time.

Robert Ellsberg, Editor of Charles de Foucauld: Writings

Bonnie Thurston offers fresh and honest insights into the spirituality of Blessed Charles. I found her questions at the end of each chapter a pathway to a deeper relationship with Jesus, even for a longtime member of the spiritual family of Charles de Foucauld.

Rev. Jerry Ragan, National Responsible of the Jesus Caritas Fraternity of Priests

Product Details

• Title: Hidden in God: Discovering the Desert Vision of Charles de Foucauld
• Author: Bonnie Bowman Thurston
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press
• Print Publication Date: 2016
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 141
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Foucauld, Charles de, 1858-1916
• ISBNs: 9781594716591, 9781594716607, 1594716595, 1594716609
• Resource ID: LLS:HIDDENINGOD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:57:50Z

About Bonnie Bowman Thurston

Special Adjunct Professor of Christian Spirituality, Emmanuel School of Religion.