“I Live, No Longer I is a modern classic.”
A book review of I Live, No Longer I by Christopher Rupert, SJ appeared in Catholic Books Review in Winter 2017.
Excerpts from this book review:
“For any God-seeker, I Live, No Longer I: Paul’s Spirituality of Suffering, Transformation, and Joy by Laura Hogan is an enjoyable masterwork. Laura Hogan’s close reading of Galatians 2:6-11, Paul’s Christ hymn, lays bare the map to internal happiness that Paul discovered when he converted to Christ …. Paul’s response to traumatic setbacks and hostility through copying Christ’s route to the Father becomes attractive and achievable with Laura’s help…. Hogan’s study of the saints, holy people, past and present, and her own experiences gently show the reader how to achieve this despite any circumstance.”
“Serenity in the midst of trauma is a gift available to all. Laura’s ‘proof is in the pudding’ approach makes the Christo-mimetic route both bearable and imitable.”
“I Live, No Longer I merits five stars out of five for ease of comprehension, presentation, value in daily life, scholarship, empirical experience, thoroughness, lucidity, and enjoyability…. I Live, No Longer I is a modern classic. I find Hogan, a lay Carmelite, an easier and more enjoyable read than her Carmelite predecessors, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Happy reading.”
Find the full book review here.
Excerpts from this book review:
“For any God-seeker, I Live, No Longer I: Paul’s Spirituality of Suffering, Transformation, and Joy by Laura Hogan is an enjoyable masterwork. Laura Hogan’s close reading of Galatians 2:6-11, Paul’s Christ hymn, lays bare the map to internal happiness that Paul discovered when he converted to Christ …. Paul’s response to traumatic setbacks and hostility through copying Christ’s route to the Father becomes attractive and achievable with Laura’s help…. Hogan’s study of the saints, holy people, past and present, and her own experiences gently show the reader how to achieve this despite any circumstance.”
“Serenity in the midst of trauma is a gift available to all. Laura’s ‘proof is in the pudding’ approach makes the Christo-mimetic route both bearable and imitable.”
“I Live, No Longer I merits five stars out of five for ease of comprehension, presentation, value in daily life, scholarship, empirical experience, thoroughness, lucidity, and enjoyability…. I Live, No Longer I is a modern classic. I find Hogan, a lay Carmelite, an easier and more enjoyable read than her Carmelite predecessors, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Happy reading.”
Find the full book review here.
A book review of I Live, No Longer I by Julia Prinz, VDMF appeared in Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, Volume 18, Number 2, Fall 2018.
Excerpts from this book review:
“Laura Reece Hogan’s book is a rare combination of mystical reflections and keen exegetical exactitude. It is a text of unusual spiritual richness written in beautiful language. I Live, No Longer I might be compared in its pedagogical objective and instructional style to a text like the commentary by John of the Cross on his poem The Dark Night. This comparison comes to mind not only because Hogan is a Third Order Carmelite, but also because she is a published poet whose work in O Garden-Dweller anticipates parts of this book.”
“Hogan’s language has a lyrical style, which is intended to lead the reader into a mystical experience…. The lyrical style of her language and the intensity of her mystical insights make this book a perfect retreat guide, or a beautiful accompaniment for someone on a conscious soul-search or journey.”
“One strength of the book is that it can be picked up at any time and does not have to be read chronologically; rather, one can have meaningful reading experiences by pondering a single chapter, or even a few pages.”
“Hogan’s work on Pauline literature, her in-depth reading of spiritual classics, her poetic embeddedness in nature, and her down-to-earth life as a mother protects the book against spiritual speculations and pietism, which sometimes can limit this sort of text. Her examples are engaging and her major interpretive keys, as I see them, are very helpful for understanding the mysticism she is presenting.”
“I Live, No Longer I is a book worth picking up for anybody who is on a spiritual path and seeks the inspiration of beautiful language that encourages a journey up the spiral ‘indigo glowing staircase.’ For readers like me, the staircase may have alcoves and resting places on wide windowsills to delight in joy.”
Find the full book review here.
Excerpts from this book review:
“Laura Reece Hogan’s book is a rare combination of mystical reflections and keen exegetical exactitude. It is a text of unusual spiritual richness written in beautiful language. I Live, No Longer I might be compared in its pedagogical objective and instructional style to a text like the commentary by John of the Cross on his poem The Dark Night. This comparison comes to mind not only because Hogan is a Third Order Carmelite, but also because she is a published poet whose work in O Garden-Dweller anticipates parts of this book.”
“Hogan’s language has a lyrical style, which is intended to lead the reader into a mystical experience…. The lyrical style of her language and the intensity of her mystical insights make this book a perfect retreat guide, or a beautiful accompaniment for someone on a conscious soul-search or journey.”
“One strength of the book is that it can be picked up at any time and does not have to be read chronologically; rather, one can have meaningful reading experiences by pondering a single chapter, or even a few pages.”
“Hogan’s work on Pauline literature, her in-depth reading of spiritual classics, her poetic embeddedness in nature, and her down-to-earth life as a mother protects the book against spiritual speculations and pietism, which sometimes can limit this sort of text. Her examples are engaging and her major interpretive keys, as I see them, are very helpful for understanding the mysticism she is presenting.”
“I Live, No Longer I is a book worth picking up for anybody who is on a spiritual path and seeks the inspiration of beautiful language that encourages a journey up the spiral ‘indigo glowing staircase.’ For readers like me, the staircase may have alcoves and resting places on wide windowsills to delight in joy.”
Find the full book review here.
A book review of I Live, No Longer I by Irene Nowell, OSB appeared in Spirituality, Volume 23, July/August 2017.
It is reprinted here by kind permission of the Editors.
This book draws the reader into a relationship with Christ, Paul, and the author. The text is addressed directly to the reader, who finds herself sharing both Paul’s journey and the author’s journey. The underlying structure is the paradox of the cross: kenosis (emptying), enosis (being with), and theosis (sharing life). This pattern repeats throughout the book.
The focus of Hogan’s study is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which she claims is the rosetta stone which enables one to understand Christ. She has internalized the message of Paul, but she also reads Paul’s letter through the lens of her own experience, both the story of her father’s cancer and her own painful struggle with spiritual darkness. Her story also merges with the commentaries of Evagrius and Origen and eventually also Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa. This interweaving of experience flows smoothly and even with a certain inevitability. The reader is drawn in to discover her own darkness and ultimate joy.
Hogan’s work is a delight to read. Her prose is so clear that the reader, upon reflection, is surprised to find profound truths so easy to understand. The images used to illustrate these truths are homey and apt. For example, she borrows a story from Thérèse of Lisieux, who, longing to be an eagle learned to be content as a little bird. Hogan develops this image, pointing out that a little bird will persistently chase a much bigger bird in order to protect her young. Just so, David defeated Goliath. Just so, we, though weak and small, are able to defeat the enemy who would destroy us. “Power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
The final chapter, devoted to joy as the ultimate expression of living a Christian life, is worth reading over and over. Hogan points out that Paul uses the term “joy” sixteen times in the Letter to the Philippians. In her analysis she outdoes Paul! The reader cannot help but rejoice with her as she describes joy as victory, as the delight of a mother after the birth of a child, as the bridge between heaven and earth. Christ is the true source of our joy in kenosis, enosis, and theosis. The little bird is filled with joy.
Since my own attention has been focused primarily on the Old Testament, especially Psalms and Wisdom, I was hesitant to take on a book devoted to a letter of Paul. I am grateful for having been asked. This book is not only a must read; it is a must read several times. Enjoy!
– Irene Nowell, OSB
The reviewer is a member of the Benedictine abbey of Mount Saint Scholastica, Atchison, Kansas, USA.
It is reprinted here by kind permission of the Editors.
This book draws the reader into a relationship with Christ, Paul, and the author. The text is addressed directly to the reader, who finds herself sharing both Paul’s journey and the author’s journey. The underlying structure is the paradox of the cross: kenosis (emptying), enosis (being with), and theosis (sharing life). This pattern repeats throughout the book.
The focus of Hogan’s study is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which she claims is the rosetta stone which enables one to understand Christ. She has internalized the message of Paul, but she also reads Paul’s letter through the lens of her own experience, both the story of her father’s cancer and her own painful struggle with spiritual darkness. Her story also merges with the commentaries of Evagrius and Origen and eventually also Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa. This interweaving of experience flows smoothly and even with a certain inevitability. The reader is drawn in to discover her own darkness and ultimate joy.
Hogan’s work is a delight to read. Her prose is so clear that the reader, upon reflection, is surprised to find profound truths so easy to understand. The images used to illustrate these truths are homey and apt. For example, she borrows a story from Thérèse of Lisieux, who, longing to be an eagle learned to be content as a little bird. Hogan develops this image, pointing out that a little bird will persistently chase a much bigger bird in order to protect her young. Just so, David defeated Goliath. Just so, we, though weak and small, are able to defeat the enemy who would destroy us. “Power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
The final chapter, devoted to joy as the ultimate expression of living a Christian life, is worth reading over and over. Hogan points out that Paul uses the term “joy” sixteen times in the Letter to the Philippians. In her analysis she outdoes Paul! The reader cannot help but rejoice with her as she describes joy as victory, as the delight of a mother after the birth of a child, as the bridge between heaven and earth. Christ is the true source of our joy in kenosis, enosis, and theosis. The little bird is filled with joy.
Since my own attention has been focused primarily on the Old Testament, especially Psalms and Wisdom, I was hesitant to take on a book devoted to a letter of Paul. I am grateful for having been asked. This book is not only a must read; it is a must read several times. Enjoy!
– Irene Nowell, OSB
The reviewer is a member of the Benedictine abbey of Mount Saint Scholastica, Atchison, Kansas, USA.
A book review of I Live, No Longer I by Donald Senior, CP appeared in The Bible Today, May/June 2017.
Excerpts from this book review:
“From key passages of Paul’s letters, Catholic spiritual writer Laura Reece Hogan draws out a practical theology of how the experience of suffering can lead to a deeper Christian life and even to a spirit of joy…. Hogan reflects on some contemporary examples drawn from the Carmelite tradition as well as examples of Christians who have found meaning in wrenching experiences of suffering and loss. Written in a clear and fresh style, this is sound spiritual reading that reflects the heart of Paul’s perennial wisdom.”
Excerpts from this book review:
“From key passages of Paul’s letters, Catholic spiritual writer Laura Reece Hogan draws out a practical theology of how the experience of suffering can lead to a deeper Christian life and even to a spirit of joy…. Hogan reflects on some contemporary examples drawn from the Carmelite tradition as well as examples of Christians who have found meaning in wrenching experiences of suffering and loss. Written in a clear and fresh style, this is sound spiritual reading that reflects the heart of Paul’s perennial wisdom.”
A book review of I Live, No Longer I by Paul Adams appeared on his blog In Christus on March 23, 2018.
Excerpts from this book review:
“Hogan makes a crucial move on suffering that is often missed. Recalling Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7), the earthly and the heavenly kingdoms coexist simultaneously; the one does not give way to the other. Paul’s weakness did not turn into a strength. Rather, Paul experienced Christ’s strength while remaining humanly weak. That the two experiences are concurrent I find liberating when thinking about suffering.”
“Every chapter is punctuated with metaphors to consider, personal experiences, early Christian figures and some contemporary — all of which I found helpful — to aid in showing how this movement [of kenosis or emptying, enosis or divine presence, and theosis or transformation] plays out in the spiritual life.”
“Though the stages or moments of kenosis, enosis, and theosis (also called, “the Christ pattern”) may be experienced distinctly, they are, in some mysterious way, fused together. The chapter concludes by devoting significant space to Paul’s call for mimesis or imitation and would be an excellent framework for a full-on theology of imitation.”
“I do hope interests are piqued and you’ll pick up a copy of Hogan’s book. It’s well worth a careful read.”
Find the full book review here.
Excerpts from this book review:
“Hogan makes a crucial move on suffering that is often missed. Recalling Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7), the earthly and the heavenly kingdoms coexist simultaneously; the one does not give way to the other. Paul’s weakness did not turn into a strength. Rather, Paul experienced Christ’s strength while remaining humanly weak. That the two experiences are concurrent I find liberating when thinking about suffering.”
“Every chapter is punctuated with metaphors to consider, personal experiences, early Christian figures and some contemporary — all of which I found helpful — to aid in showing how this movement [of kenosis or emptying, enosis or divine presence, and theosis or transformation] plays out in the spiritual life.”
“Though the stages or moments of kenosis, enosis, and theosis (also called, “the Christ pattern”) may be experienced distinctly, they are, in some mysterious way, fused together. The chapter concludes by devoting significant space to Paul’s call for mimesis or imitation and would be an excellent framework for a full-on theology of imitation.”
“I do hope interests are piqued and you’ll pick up a copy of Hogan’s book. It’s well worth a careful read.”
Find the full book review here.