The Coming of God

by Maria Boulding

The Coming of God explores the ways in which God comes to us – in events, in people, in prayer. There is the hope that does not deceive, grace in the midst of our disasters, and light where we stumble in the darkness. If you are so involved with the struggle of living that you feel you have no time or space for God, yet are inwardly dissatisfied, you are already being drawn into the central experience of salvation. For at the heart of all our experiences are need and longing. We are an Advent people. We look for the coming of God. And because God is a self-giving God he is committed to his people forever.

Genres: Theology

Paperback

First published February 28, 1983

About the author

Mary Boulding was an English nun, theologian, writer and translator. The oldest of three daughters, she declined a scholarship to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and went to Stanbrook Abbey to become a nun. Boulding took her solemn vows in April 1952 after expressing her wish to delay her profession of vows, but this was remedied by the abbess Elizabeth Sumner who challenged her to theological endeavors. Her first book was published in 1973, and she joined the theological commission of the English Benedictine Congregation in the late 1970s. Boulding later undertook a six-month tour of the Holy Land, Australia, and Japan in preparation for the marking the fifteenth centenary of Benedict of Nursia's birth in 1980, where she addressed mixed audiences. She spent the years 1985 to 2004 living as a hermit before returning to Stanbrook in early 2004 and spending the final years of her life translating, revising, and travelling.
Boulding was born on 3 May 1929 at 94 Kenilworth Avenue in Wimbledon in Surrey and was baptised as Mary. She was the oldest of three daughters of the Roman Catholic convert Reginald Sidney Henry Boulding, who was an electrical engineer and radar specialist, and his second wife Josephine, née Branney. The death of Boulding's mother when she was sixteen made her responsible for her younger siblings. She excelled at Urusline school but declined to take up a scholarship at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and went to Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester in September 1947, to pursue her desire to become a nun. On 1 April 1948 she was clothed in the habit and given the religious name of Ethelburga. Boulding took her solemn vows in April 1952 when she was twenty-two years old. After this, she described herself as "intellectually frustrated, stagnant, unhappy," and expressed her desire to delay her vocation until later. This was attributed to Boulding having insufficient intellectual stimulation, and was remedied by the Abbess Elizabeth Sumner who recognised Boulding's abilities and channelled her into theology.
While an external student of the University of London, she became novice mistress in 1965. Although she occasionally faltered in the discernment of genuine vocations, Boulding was distinguished by the clarity and depth of her conferences and adopted an approach of 'both … and’ rather than ‘either … or’. Boulding was a staunch supporter of renewal and openness in the post-Vatican II church of the 1960s. Around the same time she was given public speaking lessons by the actor Alec Guinness. She returned to using the name Maria in 1968. She appreciated the rediscovered scriptural focus of the council documents and she resonated deeply with the church as servant and pilgrim. In 1973, she published her first book entitled Contemplative Nuns—Are They Wasting Their Lives?. Boulding retired as novice mistress in 1974 and was made sub-prioress. She joined the theological commission of the English Benedictine Congregation in the late 1970s and helped to produce a book about contemporary monastic life and similar topics called Consider Your Call (1978). Another book of Boulding's, Marked for Life: Prayer in the Easter Christ, was published in 1979.
During preparations for the marking of the fifteenth centenary of Benedict of Nursia's birth in 1980, she was invited to make a six-month conference tour which saw her speak to a variety of peoples in the Holy Land, Australia and Japan. Boulding experienced a minor earthquake during her visit to Japan and reflected that: "If I had only a few more minutes to live, I didn't want to waste them talking to God about my sins. I wanted to thank him for all the love, all the joy." Her third book was entitled The Coming of God, published in 1982. Another book came out that same year, A Touch of God, which consists of monastic journeys that Boulding edited. She was granted permission from the abbess to live as a hermit in January 1985, where she spent the years 19

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Boulding was a British Benedictine nun and theologian and in her last years lived as a hermit. The book is a spiritual classic, and I wish she and her writings were more widely known. The Coming of God explores the self-giving, gracious nature of God, and the multitude of ways that He comes to us in our ordinary lives, in the First and Second Advents, and in the already/not yet realities in which we live between the two. Deeply biblical, richly Christological, Augustinian and English in spirit, I highly recommend this book for those who love spiritual, lived theology and in-depth explorations of how the Gospel is applied to the whole of our lives. (Just as true and appreciated upon my 2nd reading.)

[Carley Serwat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning book on Advent is the 4th of Maria Boulding’s books I have read. She wrote so beautifully, intermixing prose with poetry, snippets from ancient writers, and songs. As a contemplative theologian and Benedictine nun, she somehow was able to communicate jaw-dropping truths about who God is, who we are, and the reality of life and prayer while maintaining a holy mystery and not drawing unnecessary harsh theological or doctrinal lines.

In this Advent meditation, she displayed that God’s coming is ongoing. Advent is not something we merely observed at Christ’s birth or passively wait for at the end of time, but we can partake in God’s coming now. She showed that God is always on the move towards us, as God’s nature is self-giving and self-communicating. We must ready ourselves to receive God’s coming through silence, repentance, and attentiveness. Distraction, fear, and self protection numb us against an awareness of God’s presence.

While pulling together themes throughout the whole Bible, she showed that God comes in unexpected ways - quietly, through weakness, through ordinary circumstances, and suffering. Advent transforms us, converting us again and again, ushering in hopeful vulnerability.

It’s a meditative read - not an academic one. Her writing tone was gentle and pastoral but also felt at times like a much needed kick in the backside. No need to wait for December to read it, as her whole point is Advent is happening now!

10/10 Recommend