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Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God. By Cynthia Bourgeault. Cloister Books. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 2001. xii + 104 pp. $8.95 (paper).
If ever a word needed more precision, that word is "hope." I hope I get a good grade on my test (a possibility depending on grace and good work). I hope the Cubs or Red Sox win the pennant (apparently an impossibility). French and Spanish wisely follow "I hope" with the subjunctive mood. But we seem to be an indicative people, pragmatically sure of things (and ourselves). All the more reason to thank Cynthia Bourgeault, an Episcopal priest, for presenting in this slim volume better theological precision and a deeper spiritual explication of hope, thus providing us with a better understanding both of God and...