In her eight previous books, Paula D'Arcy has used memoir, parables, fantasy, and meditations to convey the inimitable grace of God and the paths of personal transformation. In this wonderful volume, she gives us four stories about stepping across different thresholds in the name of love. For D'Arcy, problems are not something to shrink our hopes or dash our dreams. They are a summons to take a hard look at ourselves and to probe beneath the surface. The idea that we can attain certainty and control in our lives is an illusion. Instead, she challenges us to "live with mystery, which demands trust and great fidelity to deeper truths, not to external realities." For D'Arcy, following all the rules can put a crimp on creativity. We need to move beyond the rules to another realm: "Beyond the bounds of earthly love is where a greater love begins in earnest."
In a story about her struggle to discern God's plan for her, the author writes about leaving behind her old life in order to step into a new one. She has much to say about how we often sabotage the divine inner source of guidance. In a story about the time she spent with Morrie Schwartz, whose wisdom has been chronicled in the bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, D'Arcy explores the meanings that can accrue in the face of death. In the story of Julia, who fashions a new life after being in prison, the author examines the power of personal growth. The fourth story is about how she and Scott, a boy she counsels, help each other during times of grief.
In a very important passage, D'Arcy proclaims: " 'Don't push the river' says my friend Richard Rohr. Don’t get ahead of your soul. The goal isn't to get somewhere. The goal isn't about forcing something to happen. The goal is to be in harmony with the gifts that are already given. The goal is to fall into your life." Easier said than done. But in Sacred Threshold, Paula D'Arcy gives us four chances to see afresh the path of surrender to the grace of God.
