So Longeth My Soul

After working for many years in the health service as a clinical psychologist and specialist neuropsychologist, Joanna Collicutt moved into the field of psychology of religion and was director of the MA programme at Heythrop College until 2010. She is now Lecturer in Psychology and Spirituality at Cuddesdon College, and Oxford Diocesan Advisor for Spiritual Care for Older People. She is the author of numerous titles, including The Psychology of Christian Character Formation.

"Joanna Collicutt has drawn on her wide experience as priest, psychologist and teacher to provide an invaluable resource: a rich and compelling encouragement to explore the headwaters of the Christian spiritual tradition in a wonderfully broad range of sources and generations. Thematically arranged, the book invites the reader to bring to the wisdom of the ancients whatever may be concerning or intriguing him or her in the moment, and to be taken to new places and shown new insights that will be endlessly fascinating."

• Preface xiPart 11 The Vital Testimony of the Ancients2 Approaching the Text I: Understanding its Nature 3 Approaching the Text II: Interpreting its Significance Part II4 Lamenting 4.1 Bearing witness in words To Mary and her Son – Blathmac, Son of Cú BrettanPrayer to Christ and Meditation on Human Redemption (extracts) – Anselm of CanterburyStabat Mater – Unknown Italian authorThe Little Book of Eternal Wisdom (extract) – Henry Suso The St Matthew Passion of J. S. Bach (opening chorus) – Christian Friedrich Henrici 4.2 Bearing witness in martyrdom Letter to the Romans (extract) – Ignatius of AntiochTo the Martyrs and On Baptism (extracts) – Tertullian The Life of Cyprian (extract) – attributed to Pontius the Deacon Confessions (extract) – Patrick of Ireland 5 Attending to the Body5.1 The body of the community Life of Pachomius (c.292–c.348) (extract) – AnonymousRule (extract) – Benedict of NursiaSermon in the Day of Pentecost – Augustine of Hippo 5.2 The body of the Eucharistic bread Pange Lingua – Thomas Aquinas The Imitation of Christ (extracts) – Thomas Kempis 5.3 The body of the believer Hymn of Divine Love 2 (extract) – Symeon the New Theologian Life of Francis and The Mystical Vine (extracts) – Bonaventure The Memorial of Angela of Foligno (extract) – Brother A 6 (re-)Attaching Imaginatively 6.1 Parental attachment Prayer to St Paul (extract) – Anselm of Canterbury The Way of Perfection (extract) – Teresa of Avila Letter to Sister Françoise-Thérèse III (extract) – Thérèse of Lisieux 6.2 Erotic union Commentary on the Song of Songs (extracts) – Bernard of ClairvauxLetter IX – Hadewijch The Life of Cyprian (extract) – attributed to Pontius the Deacon Confessions (extract) – Patrick of Ireland 5 Attending to the Body 565.1 The body of the community Life of Pachomius (c.292–c.348) (extract) – Anonymous Rule (extract) – Benedict of Nursia Sermon in the Day of Pentecost – Augustine of Hippo 5.2 The body of the Eucharistic bread Pange Lingua – Thomas AquinasThe Imitation of Christ (extracts) – Thomas Kempis 5.3 The body of the believer Hymn of Divine Love 2 (extract) – Symeon the New Theologian Life of Francis and The Mystical Vine (extracts) – BonaventureThe Memorial of Angela of Foligno (extract) – Brother A6 (re-)Attaching Imaginatively 6.1 Parental attachment Prayer to St Paul (extract) – Anselm of Canterbury The Way of Perfection (extract) – Teresa of Avila Letter to Sister Françoise-Thérèse III (extract) – Thérèse of Lisieux 6.2 Erotic union Commentary on the Song of Songs (extracts) – Bernard of Clairvaux Letter IX – Hadewijch Fourth letter to Agnes of Prague (extract) – Clare of Assisi Sermon on Isaiah 54.5 (extract) – George Whitefield6.3 Solidarity through suffering-with Revelations of Divine Love (extract) – Julian of Norwich Was you there? – Anonymous African American Spiritual6.4 ‘Holding fast to the word of life’ (Philippians 2.16) Commentary on the Twelve Psalms (extracts) – Ambrose of Milan Sermons on Several Occasions (extracts) – John Wesley7 Returning 7.1 Ad fontes (to the source) The Pilgrimage of Egeria (extract) – Egeria (fourth century) The Pilgrimage of Holy Paula (extract) – Jerome (c.342–420) The Spiritual Exercises (extract) – Ignatius of Loyola A Life of Jesus (extract) – Ernest Renan 7.2 Back to the womb The Philokalia (extracts) – The HesychastsSermon on Ephesians 4.23 (extract) – Meister Eckhart Centuries of Meditations (extract) and The Return – Thomas Traherne7.3 The gift of hindsightThe Approach – Thomas Traherne The Life of Moses (extract) – Gregory of Nyssa Modern Painters II (extract) – John Ruskin 8 Engaging with Absence 8.1 Enduring suffering and separation Pastoral Rule Book and Moralia on Job (extracts) – Gregory the Great The Pilgrim’s Progress (extract) – John Bunyan 8.2 Purposeful detachment The Spiritual Espousals (extract) – John Van Ruysbroeck The Scale of Perfection Book Two (extract) – Walter HiltonThe Cloud of Unknowing (extract) – Anonymous 8.3 Treasures of darkness Commentary on the First Twenty-two Psalms (extract) – Martin LutherThe Dark Night of the Soul – John of the Cross The Spiritual Espousals (extract) – John Van Ruysbroeck 9 Breaking Through 9.1 Piercing the veil The Book of Divine Consolation and Sermon for Ascension Day (extracts) – Meister EckhartOn Mystical Theology (extract) – Pseudo-Dionysius9.2 ‘Lift up your hearts’ The Divine Comedy (extract) – Dante AlighieriThe Life of Teresa of Jesus (extract) – Teresa of Avila Steal Away to Jesus – Wallace Willis9.3 The open heaven Life of Antony (extract) – Athanasius of AlexandriaHymn of Divine Love 11 (extracts) – Symeon the New TheologianBook of Divine Works (extract) – Hildegard of Bingen Letter to Anna Flaxman (extract) – William Blake 10 Placing 10.1 Christ in nature Hymn on the Nativity 4 (extract) – Ephrem the Syrian Canticle of the Sun – Francis of Assisi The Soul’s Journey into God (extract) – Bonaventure 10.2 The domestic transfigured The Book of Margery Kempe (extract) – Scribe(s) of Margery Kempe The Temple (extracts) – George HerbertJournal (extract) – Susanna Wesley Parochial and Plain Sermons (extract) – John Henry Newman 10.3 Material artefacts charged with cosmic significance The Dream of the Rood (extracts) – Anonymous Life of Malachy (extract) – Bernard of Clairvaux On Noah’s Moral Ark (extracts) – Hugh of St Victor 11 Doing What He Would Want 11.1 Seeing Christ in humanity Funeral oration for Basil of Caesarea (extracts) – Gregory of Nazianzus Treatise on the Love of God (extract) – Francis de Sales Discourse on Christian Charity (extract) – Jonathan Edwards As Kingfishers Catch Fire – Gerard Manley Hopkins11.2 What would Jesus do?The Philokalia (extracts) – Maximos the Confessor First Rule of the Lesser Brothers (extract) – Francis of Assisi Summa Theologica (extract) – Thomas Aquinas Social Purity (extract) – Josephine Butler 12 Remembering 12.1 Remembering with appreciation Rule of Basil (extract) – Basil of Caesarea Contemplation for Attaining Love –Ignatius of Loyola 12.2 Remembering as a reconstitution of the self Anaphora of St Basil (extract) – Basil of Caesarea Confessions, Book X (extracts) – Augustine of Hippo Of the Lord’s Supper (extract) – Ulrich Zwingli 12.3 Remembering as keeping in mind: ‘Watch and pray’ On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: One Hundred Texts (extracts) – Diadochos of Photiki Forty Texts on Watchfulness (extracts) – Philotheos of Sinai Letter to Miss Hatton (extract) – John Fletcher 13 ‘Patiently Waiting for the Smiles of Jesus’ Time and Place Table Acknowledgements Index