Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope [Hardcover]

Joan D. Chittister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2003

Everyone goes through times of pain and sorrow, depression and darkness, stress and suffering. It is in the necessary struggles of life, however, that we stretch our souls and gain new insights enabling us to go on.

Building on the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God and on the story of her own battle with life-changing disappointment, Sister Joan Chittister deftly explores the landscape of suffering and hope, considering along the way such wide-ranging topics as consumerism, technology, grief, the role of women in the Catholic Church, and the events of September 11, 2001. We struggle, she says, against change, isolation, darkness, fear, powerlessness, vulnerability, exhaustion, and scarring; and while these struggles sometimes seem insurmountable, we can emerge from them with the gifts of conversion, detachment, faith, courage, surrender, limitations, endurance, transformation, and (perhaps most important) hope. Each of these struggles and gifts is discussed in a chapter of its own.

Meant to help readers cope with their own suffering and disappointment, "Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope" is, in Chittister's words, "an anatomy of struggle and an account of the way hope grows in us, despite our moments of darkness, regardless of our regular bouts of depression. It is an invitation to look again at the struggles of life in order that we might remember how to recognize new life in our souls the next time our hearts turn again to clay."

Neither a self-help manual nor a book offering pat answers, but supremely practical and relevant, Chittister's "Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope" will richly reward those readers seeking solace in the empathic, wise, and accessible meditations of a fellow struggler.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chittister, a Catholic Benedictine nun who once dreamed of being a fiction writer, takes a major disappointment from her life and transforms it into a series of absorbing universal lessons in this book that is both contemplative and expository. The author (Heart of Flesh: A Feminist Spirituality for Women and Men) and lecturer tells how in the interest of "humility" she was instructed as a young nun to withdraw her application from a prestigious creative writing program and spend her summer as a camp cook. Although Chittister writes today as if she were still reeling from this disappointment's devastating blow, it is clear that in her struggle she found another way to express herself through writing. She ultimately discovered that she was still a writer, even though she was not free to write in the way she had hoped. Chittister uses the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God to further illustrate the struggle that she says is part of every life, pointing out how such encounters can lead to growth and new direction. But even as she writes of the "gifts" of struggle, she is candid about its dark side and lasting impact. After all, she notes, Jacob got up limping from his night of wrestling with God. It is clear from Chittister's reflections that she has navigated the territory of which she writes. Her message should appeal to a diverse audience of readers who want more than platitudes and pat answers to life's challenges.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Joan D. Chittister is an award-winning author and noted international lecturer, she is also the executive director of Benetvision: A Resource and Research Center for Contemporary Spirituality in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 111 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802812163
• ISBN-13: 978-0802812162
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #739,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Chittister, OSB (1936- ) is a Benedictine Sister of Erie, PA. She is the author of over 40 books--ten of which have won Catholic Press Association Awards (the latest 2011: God's Tender Mercy). Her book, The Monastery of the Heart: an invitation to a meaningful life, is prelude to a movement for all seekers: Monasteries of the Heart, recently begun by her Benedictine community. Sister Joan is an international speaker who inspires both her audiences and readers with her passion for justice, for equality and for peace, especially for women in both society and the church. Her PhD is from Penn State University in Speech-Communication Theory. She serves as Executive Director of Benetvision, a research and resource center for contemporary spirituality.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Human Dilemma, April 29, 2003

By 

Vina Williams (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope (Hardcover)

Joan Chittister has a wonderful way with words! No wonder when the offer of her getting an advanced degree in creative writing was withdrawn at the last moment, she struggled with deep disappointment, anger and fear. But she remained faithful to the vows of obedience that she had taken as a Benedictine nun and the great transformation of her life began. As she wrestled with her negative feelings, eventually she was able to see how she could use her writing skills in other ways. And the great gift to us all is her ability to help us along our own life's journey with its deep disappointments, losses and turns taken that we hadn't planned on. She illustrates in this wonderful book how all of us get scarred by life's struggles. That is a comfort when you believe you are alone in this. Then she goes on to show how, out of those very struggles, we are able to grow and mature, sometimes even living something undreamed of that goes well beyond what we had originally hoped for. I love this book and have recommended it to friends and family. I read it in two days, not being able to put it down. A friend has told me he has done the same. The book jacket states: "Neither a self-help manual nor a book offering pat answers, but supremely practical and relevant...(it)will richly reward those readers seeking solace in the empathetic, wise, and accessible meditations of a fellow struggler." Amen to that!

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Wounds and New Visions, June 3, 2003

By 

Benedictine Convent "Sr. Lenora Black, OSB" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope (Hardcover)

In this most personal of her many books, Joan Chittister uses the story of Jacob wrestling with God as a metaphor for the seemingly insurmountable struggles and disappointments that occur in every lifetime. Writing with passion and compassion, she shows how it is precisely in confronting our personal limitations and the limitations imposed on us, that we strengthen our spiritual muscles and learn to accept help from others. From struggle is born new life and conversion, as we open our hearts and minds to new possibilities. Only the experience of our own vulnerability will prepare us to understand others in their brokenness. Facing despair, we discover the depth of our faith, and dealing with depression, we learn the quality of our hope. Hope need not be heroic: it may be just putting one foot ahead of the other when we find no reason to do so. This is a practical, positive, and challenging book to be read slowly and pondered prayerfully.

55 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gifted Writer Offers Hope, May 7, 2004

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope (Hardcover)

For a while, the book SCARRED BY STRUGGLE, TRANSFORMED BY HOPE appeared as a recommended book by Amazon.com. I am not certain as to whether it was recommended to me because of my interest in spirituality or because of my interest in writing. Whatever the reason, I am happy this book was recommended.

Sr. Joan Chittister is a Catholic nun and a member the Benedictine community. As a young religious, she had the desire to be a fiction writer. This would have been during the years after Vatican II and the reforms of religious life, so this venture was within the realm of possibility for the young nun. For a reason she still does not know, her order decided that it would be best if she did not enter a creative writing program. While she continued as a religious, and more than likely did some very effective ministerial work, her heart was not in her activities and she had to deal with this very real disappointment. She had to face her own vulnerability and make rather difficult decisions. A biblical image that aided her in understanding is the Genesis story of Jacob wrestling with an angel. This rather curious story helped her understand the struggle she faced. This work is the fruit of her insight and lessons learned from the experience.

Sr. Joan sees struggle as involving eight characteristics: change, isolation, darkness, fear, powerlessness, vulnerability, exhaustion, and scarring. Each of the characteristics has a gift that can be gained: conversion, independence, faith, courage, surrender, limitations, endurance, and transformation. In each section she either uses her own experience of an experience involving someone she knows. She touches on personal experiences we all face and collective experiences such as the aftermath of September 11.

While Sr. Joan's faith is evident throughout the book, this is not a syrupy religious tract or a "God writes straight with crooked lines" type of book. It deals with struggle as it is, often difficult and ugly, and looks at it from a realistic point of view. While it may have value to readers who are facing struggles at this time (who isn't?), it will probably be most helpful to people who have faced difficulties and are still trying to find God in the midst of it all.

While I believe that what motivated me most to purchase this book may have been Sr. Joan's dashed hopes of writing the great American novel, this book has done very little to cure my sometimes incurable case of writer's block. This is neither a disappointment or criticism because it has helped me with spiritual block. Writers who have suggestions for ending writer's block are a dime a dozen. Writers who can help remove spiritual bocks are rarer and are always gifts from God.