A Word Shared Between Us

Christian history has many examples of spiritual reflection written from situations of confinement. Paul in Ephesus, Julian in her Anchoress cell in Norwich, John Bunyan in Bedford Gaol, Martin Luther King in Birmingham Jail, Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel Prison. Fr. O'Brian writes to his people from the contemporary confinement of COVID-19, offering comfort and community in the context of prayer. His ministry is made all the more effective by the level of lyricism his language can reach. --Herbert O'Driscoll, Dean, Christ Church Cathedral, retired These are private words between Travis O'Brian and God in a difficult time. They are sometimes painful, sometimes joyful. But he has chosen to share them--first, during COVID-19, with his isolated congregation, and now with us, the wider audience of this book. In doing so, with rare honesty and easy intimacy, Travis makes us long to speak words of our own to the Maker and Lover of the universe. --Loren Wilkinson, Regent College, emeritus Rev. O'Brian's three-month cycle of prayers presents us with a rich collection that interweaves traditional themes associated with liturgical seasons, progenitors of the Christian faith, and contemporary concerns and issues in a time of pandemic crisis. These prayers capture what it means to be human at such a time and provide wisdom and comfort expressed in a poetic form that powerfully articulates our relationships with God, others, and ourselves. --Brian A. Pollick, Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria With theological acuity and a deep humanity, O'Brian explores the individual and communal struggles of the spirit in a time of global crisis. In the midst of isolation, his poems offer a prayer to knit us back together in community. --Tamsin Jones, Trinity College