Winner of a 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Spirituality.
Living Resurrected Lives:
What it Means and Why it Matters
Veronica Mary Rolf and Eva Natanya
(Wipf & Stock Publishers, Cascade Books Imprint, 2020)
Christ’s bodily resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith; at least, it is supposed to be. But how often do we really consider what that means?
Living Resurrected Lives explores what it would take for Christians to understand and believe so clearly in resurrection—both Christ’s glorification and the promise of our own—that our lives would be radically transformed by that faith right now. We take a daringly integrated approach, balancing careful consideration of sacred Scripture with attention to history, theology, and personal contemplative practice. We offer arguments to re-establish a firm bedrock for belief in the Gospel accounts, suggest a new theological perspective that integrates scientific insights into quantum uncertainty with reflections on the malleable nature of identity, and provide heart-stirring guided meditations for daily practice. We elucidate St. Paul’s teachings on the transformation of the body and grapple with age-old conundrums about decaying corpses and the continuity of personal identity: What dies? What lives on? We revisit early Christian intuitions about the sublime qualities of the glorified body and explore how we might cultivate such qualities through our own individual practice. Thus we propose an embodied resurrection mysticism that can permeate every moment of our lives.
Praise for Living Resurrected Lives:
“The case for the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the bodily resurrection of those who live by faith in him, is presented with clarity and conviction. What it means to believe in the resurrection of the body in the twenty-first century, and to live as those who believe it, is unfolded with gentle erudition, heartfelt passion, and practical wisdom. This labor of love will touch hearts and minds for the better.” --John Saxbee, former Bishop of Lincoln, United Kingdom
“This is a rooted, readable, entertaining, and encyclopaedic resurrection tour de force, guiding us through antiquity, Scriptures, the church fathers, and the schoolmen to forensically examine their take on the subject. Rolf, an upbeat apologist for the resurrection, intelligently demolishes the views of demythologizing scholars, with Natanya’s Ignatian-style meditations on the Gospel narratives enabling the reader to see their every moment as resurrectable. An Easter treasure trove to cheer every Good Friday.” --David Wilbourne, Honorary Assistant Bishop of York
“Living Resurrected Lives combines insightful scholarship and practical spiritual wisdom to unpack the meaning of Christ’s resurrection—showing how the promise and possibility of eternal life can bring joy and meaning to our lives today. It will open your mind and nurture your heart.” --Carl McColman, author of Unteachable Lessons and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism
Living Resurrected Lives:
What it Means and Why it Matters
Veronica Mary Rolf and Eva Natanya
(Wipf & Stock Publishers, Cascade Books Imprint, 2020)
Christ’s bodily resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith; at least, it is supposed to be. But how often do we really consider what that means?
Living Resurrected Lives explores what it would take for Christians to understand and believe so clearly in resurrection—both Christ’s glorification and the promise of our own—that our lives would be radically transformed by that faith right now. We take a daringly integrated approach, balancing careful consideration of sacred Scripture with attention to history, theology, and personal contemplative practice. We offer arguments to re-establish a firm bedrock for belief in the Gospel accounts, suggest a new theological perspective that integrates scientific insights into quantum uncertainty with reflections on the malleable nature of identity, and provide heart-stirring guided meditations for daily practice. We elucidate St. Paul’s teachings on the transformation of the body and grapple with age-old conundrums about decaying corpses and the continuity of personal identity: What dies? What lives on? We revisit early Christian intuitions about the sublime qualities of the glorified body and explore how we might cultivate such qualities through our own individual practice. Thus we propose an embodied resurrection mysticism that can permeate every moment of our lives.
Praise for Living Resurrected Lives:
“The case for the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the bodily resurrection of those who live by faith in him, is presented with clarity and conviction. What it means to believe in the resurrection of the body in the twenty-first century, and to live as those who believe it, is unfolded with gentle erudition, heartfelt passion, and practical wisdom. This labor of love will touch hearts and minds for the better.” --John Saxbee, former Bishop of Lincoln, United Kingdom
“This is a rooted, readable, entertaining, and encyclopaedic resurrection tour de force, guiding us through antiquity, Scriptures, the church fathers, and the schoolmen to forensically examine their take on the subject. Rolf, an upbeat apologist for the resurrection, intelligently demolishes the views of demythologizing scholars, with Natanya’s Ignatian-style meditations on the Gospel narratives enabling the reader to see their every moment as resurrectable. An Easter treasure trove to cheer every Good Friday.” --David Wilbourne, Honorary Assistant Bishop of York
“Living Resurrected Lives combines insightful scholarship and practical spiritual wisdom to unpack the meaning of Christ’s resurrection—showing how the promise and possibility of eternal life can bring joy and meaning to our lives today. It will open your mind and nurture your heart.” --Carl McColman, author of Unteachable Lessons and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism
Winner of a 2020 Catholic Media Association Book Award for Scripture.
Suddenly There is God:
The Story of Our Lives in Sacred Scripture
by Veronica Mary Rolf
Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
(Wipf & Stock Publishers, Cascade Books Imprint, 2019)
Suddenly There is God plunges us into the key stories of biblical characters who find themselves caught up in the divine-human drama. With unique insight, it relates these stories directly to the distinct stages of our own lives: being created, falling from grace, leaving the childhood ark, hearing God’s call, gaining freedom, embracing covenant, praying the psalms, learning forgiveness, choosing love, and expecting resurrection. The scenes unfold before our eyes like a riveting play or film, as we discover with astonishment how closely the progression of Old and New Testament stories reflects our own spiritual journey. Packed with historical content and written with dramatic intensity, Suddenly There is God suggests contemplative ways for us to nurture an ardent expectation of encountering God. By identifying with the biblical characters—their conflicts, difficult choices, and realizations—we recognize how divine presence continually breaks into our own life story. This book is a valuable resource for clergy, students, and spiritual seekers who long to experience the drama of sacred Scripture as deeply personal revelation.
Praise for Suddenly There is God:
“Veronica Mary Rolf has written a series of beautifully clear and direct meditations on how the biblical story traces our own developmental history and invites us to understand ourselves more deeply by reading ourselves into the text and the text into ourselves.”— from the Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
"THE book Suddenly There is God is an unusual combination of biblical scholarship, dramatic imagination, and contemplative spirituality. Veronica Mary Rolf looks in depth at a series of biblical stories, particularly from Genesis and Exodus, places them “in tandem” with New Testament passages, and relates this to the stages in our own lives, from being created to expecting resurrection. Her elegant writing enables us to inhabit familiar ancient stories afresh as the creation of the biblical “playwright”, and to use the resources of critical scholarship positively. . . . The author is an independent scholar, a playwright, and the author of two books on Julian of Norwich. As her book proceeds, she weaves scholarship and story together with a dramatist’s sensibility, and develops a spirituality of a strongly emotional character. “Sacred Scripture is a love story”, inviting us “to fall deeply in love with God in the person of Jesus Christ”, “full of wisdom, physical strength and virile beauty". . . . The strength of Suddenly There is God is the way in which Rolf digs deeply into classic biblical stories, and insists that we should find our story within them. She draws us through these towards a contemplation of the love of God which owes much to her immersion in the Julian tradition: “Christ the radiant reality transforming and inflaming our universes with divine love”. Those who share her spiritual perspective will welcome the broadening of their scriptural horizons." -- Rev'd Philip Welsh, CHURCH TIMES of London
“Suddenly There is God is deeply scholarly, deeply accessible, deeply faithful, deeply scriptural, deeply poetic, deeply personal, deeply integrated, deeply readable, deeply converting, deeply catholic, and deeply connecting. For thirty years I have been selecting and forming people for ordination; if all they did was to read and digest this soigné book, their ministry and spirituality would be remarkable, and their sermons absolutely stunning!” —David Wilbourne, Honorary Assistant Bishop of York
“Good literature introduces you to yourself. These insightful reflections do just that. Clear and compassionate. This book belongs on your coffee table where your friends and your children can chance upon it.
Veronica Mary Rolf is a trustworthy mentor.” —Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, President, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas, and author of The Holy Longing
“Martin Buber said that the Bible is not a theology for us but an anthropology for God. With insightful interpretation of the texts, Veronica Mary Rolf shows us that it is an anthropology for us as well, revealing how God deals with humanity, from biblical characters to our own lives.” —Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, Fischer Professor of New Testament, Emerita, Brite Divinity School
"Veronica Mary Rolf has become known to readers of Christian spirituality through two excellent books on Julian of Norwich. She has now gifted us with a powerful book of meditations on scripture themes. Throughout, she uses the stories and insights of scripture to illuminate our everyday lives. The principle ways she does this is by using a developmental approach. The Creation narratives are explored in tandem with our own entry into the world. The wonder of coming to be, of course, is something we only gradually come to realize over a lifetime. Following chapters take us through the Fall (Broken Trust) and adolescence (the Flood.) Forgiveness comes towards the end of the book as it takes maturity to learn forgiveness. Late maturity is connected with self-giving. The opening chapter is sort of like a literary Big Bang as the wonder of our being unfolds in Rolf's powerful and poetic prose. This sense of wonder takes many turns through the various struggles in life with its pains and the challenge of commitment and life's pains teach us how hard the trust of commitment can be. By the end of the book (Resurrection) we have had a lifetime's worth of strengthening that we can put to use for the rest of the days given us. For anyone looking for a book on spirituality, this book should be at the lop of the list. Highly recommended."
—Andrew Marr, author and Abbot of St. Gregory's Benedictine Monastery, Three Rivers, Michigan
"Veronica Mary Rolf is a master teacher of the dramatic arts and playwright who brings this background to her exploration of sacred Scripture. Here she employs a dramatic method of interpretation to some of these sacred stories. . . . Rolf seeks to get under the skin of the sacred texts, seeking for her reader to experience and pray these stories imaginatively, emotionally, and spiritually. She is true to her word. . . . Each chapter begins with a touch point. For example, in the chapter on “Struggle for Freedom,” she begins with “Freedom is never free” (69). She then moves into a very readable exploration of the biblical story pertinent to each chapter, grounded in solid scholarship. She weaves Old Testament and New Testament stories seamlessly with current realities, inviting the reader to see portions of our personal struggles reflected in these ancient stories. Rolf suggests an answer to the “so what” question in each chapter, namely, what is the relevance of the ancient stories to our own lives. As the book progresses from chapter to chapter I see an intentional progression of human growth into maturity, both emotional and spiritual—from creation (and our own personal creation) to resurrection. Each chapter is an excellent example of extended lectio divina—in the very best sense of the word. While most of us would appreciate Suddenly There is God, as a Postulant/ Novice Director and spiritual director, I value this as a tool for those I might work with who are new to any consistent study of Scripture and to lectio divina. The book helpfully includes footnotes, a bibliography, and an index. --Laura Swan, OSB, St. Placid Priory, Washington (Reviewed in Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 55:3)
Suddenly There is God:
The Story of Our Lives in Sacred Scripture
by Veronica Mary Rolf
Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
(Wipf & Stock Publishers, Cascade Books Imprint, 2019)
Suddenly There is God plunges us into the key stories of biblical characters who find themselves caught up in the divine-human drama. With unique insight, it relates these stories directly to the distinct stages of our own lives: being created, falling from grace, leaving the childhood ark, hearing God’s call, gaining freedom, embracing covenant, praying the psalms, learning forgiveness, choosing love, and expecting resurrection. The scenes unfold before our eyes like a riveting play or film, as we discover with astonishment how closely the progression of Old and New Testament stories reflects our own spiritual journey. Packed with historical content and written with dramatic intensity, Suddenly There is God suggests contemplative ways for us to nurture an ardent expectation of encountering God. By identifying with the biblical characters—their conflicts, difficult choices, and realizations—we recognize how divine presence continually breaks into our own life story. This book is a valuable resource for clergy, students, and spiritual seekers who long to experience the drama of sacred Scripture as deeply personal revelation.
Praise for Suddenly There is God:
“Veronica Mary Rolf has written a series of beautifully clear and direct meditations on how the biblical story traces our own developmental history and invites us to understand ourselves more deeply by reading ourselves into the text and the text into ourselves.”— from the Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
"THE book Suddenly There is God is an unusual combination of biblical scholarship, dramatic imagination, and contemplative spirituality. Veronica Mary Rolf looks in depth at a series of biblical stories, particularly from Genesis and Exodus, places them “in tandem” with New Testament passages, and relates this to the stages in our own lives, from being created to expecting resurrection. Her elegant writing enables us to inhabit familiar ancient stories afresh as the creation of the biblical “playwright”, and to use the resources of critical scholarship positively. . . . The author is an independent scholar, a playwright, and the author of two books on Julian of Norwich. As her book proceeds, she weaves scholarship and story together with a dramatist’s sensibility, and develops a spirituality of a strongly emotional character. “Sacred Scripture is a love story”, inviting us “to fall deeply in love with God in the person of Jesus Christ”, “full of wisdom, physical strength and virile beauty". . . . The strength of Suddenly There is God is the way in which Rolf digs deeply into classic biblical stories, and insists that we should find our story within them. She draws us through these towards a contemplation of the love of God which owes much to her immersion in the Julian tradition: “Christ the radiant reality transforming and inflaming our universes with divine love”. Those who share her spiritual perspective will welcome the broadening of their scriptural horizons." -- Rev'd Philip Welsh, CHURCH TIMES of London
“Suddenly There is God is deeply scholarly, deeply accessible, deeply faithful, deeply scriptural, deeply poetic, deeply personal, deeply integrated, deeply readable, deeply converting, deeply catholic, and deeply connecting. For thirty years I have been selecting and forming people for ordination; if all they did was to read and digest this soigné book, their ministry and spirituality would be remarkable, and their sermons absolutely stunning!” —David Wilbourne, Honorary Assistant Bishop of York
“Good literature introduces you to yourself. These insightful reflections do just that. Clear and compassionate. This book belongs on your coffee table where your friends and your children can chance upon it.
Veronica Mary Rolf is a trustworthy mentor.” —Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, President, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas, and author of The Holy Longing
“Martin Buber said that the Bible is not a theology for us but an anthropology for God. With insightful interpretation of the texts, Veronica Mary Rolf shows us that it is an anthropology for us as well, revealing how God deals with humanity, from biblical characters to our own lives.” —Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, Fischer Professor of New Testament, Emerita, Brite Divinity School
"Veronica Mary Rolf has become known to readers of Christian spirituality through two excellent books on Julian of Norwich. She has now gifted us with a powerful book of meditations on scripture themes. Throughout, she uses the stories and insights of scripture to illuminate our everyday lives. The principle ways she does this is by using a developmental approach. The Creation narratives are explored in tandem with our own entry into the world. The wonder of coming to be, of course, is something we only gradually come to realize over a lifetime. Following chapters take us through the Fall (Broken Trust) and adolescence (the Flood.) Forgiveness comes towards the end of the book as it takes maturity to learn forgiveness. Late maturity is connected with self-giving. The opening chapter is sort of like a literary Big Bang as the wonder of our being unfolds in Rolf's powerful and poetic prose. This sense of wonder takes many turns through the various struggles in life with its pains and the challenge of commitment and life's pains teach us how hard the trust of commitment can be. By the end of the book (Resurrection) we have had a lifetime's worth of strengthening that we can put to use for the rest of the days given us. For anyone looking for a book on spirituality, this book should be at the lop of the list. Highly recommended."
—Andrew Marr, author and Abbot of St. Gregory's Benedictine Monastery, Three Rivers, Michigan
"Veronica Mary Rolf is a master teacher of the dramatic arts and playwright who brings this background to her exploration of sacred Scripture. Here she employs a dramatic method of interpretation to some of these sacred stories. . . . Rolf seeks to get under the skin of the sacred texts, seeking for her reader to experience and pray these stories imaginatively, emotionally, and spiritually. She is true to her word. . . . Each chapter begins with a touch point. For example, in the chapter on “Struggle for Freedom,” she begins with “Freedom is never free” (69). She then moves into a very readable exploration of the biblical story pertinent to each chapter, grounded in solid scholarship. She weaves Old Testament and New Testament stories seamlessly with current realities, inviting the reader to see portions of our personal struggles reflected in these ancient stories. Rolf suggests an answer to the “so what” question in each chapter, namely, what is the relevance of the ancient stories to our own lives. As the book progresses from chapter to chapter I see an intentional progression of human growth into maturity, both emotional and spiritual—from creation (and our own personal creation) to resurrection. Each chapter is an excellent example of extended lectio divina—in the very best sense of the word. While most of us would appreciate Suddenly There is God, as a Postulant/ Novice Director and spiritual director, I value this as a tool for those I might work with who are new to any consistent study of Scripture and to lectio divina. The book helpfully includes footnotes, a bibliography, and an index. --Laura Swan, OSB, St. Placid Priory, Washington (Reviewed in Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 55:3)
To Order An Explorer's Guide to Julian of Norwich:
|
*Winner of the 2018 IVP Academic Readers' Choice Award. BEST SELLER! NOW IN ITS SECOND PRINTING!
|
"In this exquisite book, scholar of medieval studies Rolf (Julian’s Gospel) introduces medieval mystic and Christian theologian Julian of Norwich in all her astonishing brightness. . . . Rolf plumbs Julian’s spiritual audacity in this must-read for those interested in medieval Christianity and literature." Starred Review in Publishers Weekly, 4/9/18:
"The grand and optimistic vision of Lady Julian is fully presented and profoundly supported in this excellent guide by Veronica Mary Rolf. I have been fed for many years by Julian, but this is a new and generous feeding. It can serve as a first-time introduction to this marvelous mystic or a fifth-time deeper journey." Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action & Contemplation
"The grand and optimistic vision of Lady Julian is fully presented and profoundly supported in this excellent guide by Veronica Mary Rolf. I have been fed for many years by Julian, but this is a new and generous feeding. It can serve as a first-time introduction to this marvelous mystic or a fifth-time deeper journey." Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action & Contemplation
* First Place Winner: Catholic Media Association Book Award
* Winner of the National Indie "Excellence" Award for Religion
* Winner of the Nautilus Gold Medal Award for Spirituality
* "Excellence in Publishing" Award for Biography from
The Association of Catholic Publishers
Julian's Gospel: Illuminating the Life & Revelations of Julian of Norwich (Orbis, 2013)
By Veronica Mary Rolf
Julian's Gospel is an award-winning study of the Life and Revelations of Julian of Norwich, the beloved and highly influential fourteenth century Christian mystic. This is the first book to combine a detailed historical reconstruction of Julian's life in medieval Norwich with a comprehensive commentary on her Revelations in a new and faithful translation from the Middle English. Unlike other brief summaries of Julian's life and times, this book goes in-depth to uncover the political, cultural, social, and religious milieu that formed and deeply influenced her development as a woman and a mystic. Also unlike other textual companions to Julian's work that provide only short explanations of Middle English words, or merely footnote theological terms, this work gives the reader a detailed analysis of her writings, illuminating her ground-breaking mystical theology with extensive scholarship. Throughout, the book creates a strong dramatic arc for Julian's Revelations that interweaves her personal sufferings and burning questions with her visionary experiences, producing a compelling spiritual biography.
* Winner of the National Indie "Excellence" Award for Religion
* Winner of the Nautilus Gold Medal Award for Spirituality
* "Excellence in Publishing" Award for Biography from
The Association of Catholic Publishers
Julian's Gospel: Illuminating the Life & Revelations of Julian of Norwich (Orbis, 2013)
By Veronica Mary Rolf
Julian's Gospel is an award-winning study of the Life and Revelations of Julian of Norwich, the beloved and highly influential fourteenth century Christian mystic. This is the first book to combine a detailed historical reconstruction of Julian's life in medieval Norwich with a comprehensive commentary on her Revelations in a new and faithful translation from the Middle English. Unlike other brief summaries of Julian's life and times, this book goes in-depth to uncover the political, cultural, social, and religious milieu that formed and deeply influenced her development as a woman and a mystic. Also unlike other textual companions to Julian's work that provide only short explanations of Middle English words, or merely footnote theological terms, this work gives the reader a detailed analysis of her writings, illuminating her ground-breaking mystical theology with extensive scholarship. Throughout, the book creates a strong dramatic arc for Julian's Revelations that interweaves her personal sufferings and burning questions with her visionary experiences, producing a compelling spiritual biography.
"It is possible that Veronica Mary Rolf’s book will become the definitive work on Julian of Norwich. Her book is a masterpiece of scholarly historical research and amazing theological insight into Julian’s Revelations, one of the classics of medieval spirituality." Catholic Library World Quarterly
Certainly one of the best books on Julian of Norwich I’ve ever read. With a vast amount of research and a great deal of passion, Veronica Mary Rolf successfully recreates the world of the great mystic, provides careful explanations of Julian’s rich experiences in prayer, and, overall, paints a convincing portrait of one of the most remarkable women ever to have lived—and believed." James Martin, SJ, best-selling author of numerous books, including: "Jesus: A Pilgrimage."
Julian's Revelations take on a deeper personal nature and relevance when viewed through Rolf's historical, familial, and theological insights. The author deftly portrays a Julian of her time but for all time -- a voice that speaks to 21st century people with profound wisdom, faithful to Church teaching yet always plumbing its depths." Catholic Media Association First Place Award Citation.
"Writing [the book] was clearly a labor of love on the author's part, and as Julian's final chapter quite simply declares that "love is our lord's meaning" throughout the entire course of the revelations, so the book becomes an extended invitation to the audience to participate not only in the author's clearly evident love for Julian but in the divine love that Julian herself receives and reciprocates and conveys by her revelations "to a people who needed the most" -- because, as the author suggests in her closing words, 'we are that people.'" Catholic Books Review
[T]he prizes that her volume has garnered to date indicate that it has already been well-received as a popular introduction to the medieval anchoress and her work. That a new book about Julian should find such an audience speaks to the continuing capacity of her writings to reassure her readers that “al shal be wel, and al shal be wel, and al manner of thyng shal be wele.” LONDON TIMES Literary Supplement