The theme of the book is the self-outpouring in love, or the kenosis, of Jesus Christ. The kenosis of the Son of God is at the heart of the identity of the Sisters of Jesus of Nazareth, for whom these reflections were initially composed. In baptism we are all plunged into the self-emptying life of Jesus and are called to live out this way of love in whatever situations we find ourselves. It is not surprising, then, that while the book was originally written to benefit a particular religious community it is, in fact, deeply significant to all followers of Jesus.
Extravagant Love is not a sustained treatise on the kenosis of the Son of God. The mystery is too great for that. Rather, Ruth Burrows draws together scriptural and theological insights and her own lived experience of over seventy years as a Carmelite nun to offer various streams into the unfathomable ocean of God’s self-giving, ecstatic love. Each reflection is intended to begin in reading and to continue in prayerful pondering and contemplative wonder. †