Pádraig's wonderful book, In the Shelter: Finding a home in the world is a patchwork of reflections, poems and true stories. It is challenging, erudite, poetic.Ī book to be kept at one's bedside for those dark nights of the soul when sleep evades, for though it may not be cosy, it offers us ways of accepting life as it is, of standing still in the moment, and it offers the courage needed not to run from fear. For believers it is infused with a bruised, loving God. It is infused with bruised, loving and confused humanity. The most staunch of atheists would find inspiration and, if I may use the hackneyed phrase, life lessons in its pages. If I had a teacher like Ó Tuama, I might have kept my soul's wagon hitched to Jesus, instead of switching to Buddha. The author's Christianity is a more inclusive, learned and subtler version than the one I grew up with. O Tuama relates of shelter and welcome to the journey of life making full use of poetry, stories and biblical reflection ( Church of England Newspaper)

This is a treasury of insight, wisdom, spiritual depth and delight, a testimony to how the God who becomes incarnate in Jesus is present in all things and all people, winsomely encouraging us to embrace diversity, mystery and affection beyond our understanding.

With natural dexterity he weaves together poetry and parable, holy scripture and human experience, anecdotes and insights into the joy and tensions that are inevitable in the pursuit of a faith that celebrates rather than denies the world, the body and God's other conundrums. He is a writer of intelligence and intellectual acumen who knows that deep conviction well articulated can convey deep truths. These are what Pádraig Ó Tuama excels in. In an age that overdoses on statistics and empiricism, it is good to come across a book that favours story and testimony. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Interweaving everyday stories with narrative theology, gospel reflections with mindfulness, and Celtic spirituality with poetry, In The Shelter reveals the transformational power of welcome.

In this book of contemplation, poet, storyteller and theologian Padraig O Tuama relates ideas of shelter to journeys of life, opening up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world.ĭrawing inspiration from the Irish saying 'It is the shelter of each other that the people live', it also reflects on Jesus' simple greeting to his disciples on Easter Sunday, as described in the fourth gospel, as it invites us into a place of deep encounter with ourselves, our fears, each other and the sense of divinity embodied in a simple word: 'Hello'. It requires us to resist dreaming of where we should be, and look around where we are. It requires close looking it requires the dedication of observation and the commitment to truth. To name a place requires us to be in a place. What is the name for the place where you now are?

In the Shelter by Pádraig Ó Tuama