Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality [Paperback]

Michael Downey (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570753334
• ISBN-13: 978-1570753336
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #518,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Michael J. Downey stumbled into teaching by accident. A friend needed help in a classroom on a Wednesday morning for a couple of weeks. After completing a teaching degree Michael taught highschool and then for 15 years was Assistant Principal in all girls, all boys and Co-ed schools. He now works as a consultant with teachers and others interested in ongoing formation. His research found that when people develop reflective practices, they nourish and sustain their vocational spirit, rather than burn out. Michael works in Australia and the USA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unraveling the Mystery, December 19, 2000

By 

John T. Farrell (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality (Paperback)

Ronald Rolheiser has referred to Michael Downey's "Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality" as an "important, seminal work." I agree but would add that many may find reading this metaphorical and subtle work a difficult task. Perseverance is worth the effort, however, and readers who stay the course will be rewarded with a richness of discernment and understanding.

Using the Trinitarian theology of the late Catherine LaCugna as his starting point, Downey attempts to make the mystery of the Trinity accessible to spiritual lives. He rejects a "dialogical" view of divinity (that is, the dialogue of a solitary human with a remote God) in favor of a more communal and relational approach. In Downey's view, prayer communion in the mystery of Trinity leads us to a fuller understanding of our share in the divine life and of our participation in the mission of word and spirit.

The second chapter of this book was its apex. Arguing that Christian life is Trinitarian life yet noting how hard pressed Christians are to articulate this central truth, Downey introduces his readers to a new "grammar" of speaking of God. These poetical "rules of grammar" are not meant to be barriers but are intended "to invite meaningful and truthful communication about God as well as participation in the mystery about which this language speaks." Embracing Downey's grammar leads to a new perception of Trinity as "Giver, Given, Gift/ing."

Another interesting part of "Altogether Gift" was its last chapter. Downey ends with fifteen prayers, points for prayerful reflection. He intends his readers to approach these points in the spirit of "lectio divina" and use them for prayerful consideration of "the mystery of three in one Love."

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful work on the Trinity, November 21, 2000

By 

Eugene J Lee (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality (Paperback)

Ah! What a swim! The ocean of God's mystery as described by Michael Downey is refreshing, and invigorating. Like jumping into a cold pool, there is often a knee-jerk reaction of intimidation and vacillation when one finds oneself having to study or explain the mystery of the Trinity. Downey takes the suffocating technicalities that characterize many works on the Trinity, and creatively constructs beautifully compact yet poetically loaded sentences. With careful accuracy, and deep reverence of the infinite mystery, Downey explains the Trinity as a doctrine ultimately about Love. Downey paints for us the economic Trinity - God who is active, alive, and very present among us and in us. He places the Trinity in the center of everything in the everyday. The Trinity expresses a God who desires, through his very essence, to be related to us, in unconditional love. After all is said and done, Downey encourages us to simply receive the gift. God is love, and that is what this book is about.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Read, May 28, 2001

By 

Kevin Godfrey (Reading, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality (Paperback)

Michael Downey's new book, "Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality," offers extraordinary and penetrating glimpses into the profound Mystery of God. Gracefully written, thoroughly rooted in classical Christian theology and spirituality, and shaped by the author's own obvious passion, Downey's compelling treatment of the Trinity affects the reader. At the level of intellect, his insightful interpretation of Trinitarian doctrine lends clarity and fresh perspective to complicated, dusty concepts. At the level of heart, his sensitive insight into the mystery of God's life generates moments of release from the aching desire to experience God's loving presence personally and certainly. This important religious classic is an essential read for Christian academics and for persons of faith who crave theological insight and spiritual enrichment.