Kenosis: A Hymn of Death and Transfiguration

About the Book

At the age of forty-six, the author, summoned by a compelling inner voice to leave everything, embarked on an intense spiritual quest to find God. This account of her journey inwards reflects her spiritual development over the period of her father’s illness and death, as well as her mother’s deteriorating mental condition. Rooted in scripture, this little volume offers an illuminating, even dazzling, portrayal of one woman’s capacity to deal, entirely alone, with the deepest grief and pain without losing perspective. Her great gift to us is her ability to see everything in the light of eternity and as the will of God. From this spiritual vantage point, she was given eyes to see far. This book reflects the intensity of her consciousness of God and the tension under which she lived and wrote. The more mystical passages, often lyrical in expression, reveal a depth and an immediacy, which makes the message compellingly direct. Anyone caring for an elderly parent, grieving the loss of a loved one, or struggling to make sense of pain and suffering, will find encouragement and hope in these pages.

About the Author

Joyce Ann Surman (1944- ) a Cistercian lay contemplative, received Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Kean University, Seton Hall University, and New York University. For over a quarter of a century, she was an English Teacher and Guidance Counselor in the public schools of New Jersey.