This weekend I am Rochester, New York installing the officers ....................
PASTOR’S NOTES
This weekend I am Rochester, New York installing the officers of the State Council of the Knights of Columbus. A fan of train travel, I took Amtrak. Such a trip has given me the opportunity to use my Nook and read some recent books. Summertime, in general, has given me an opportunity to catch up on recent publications. Because I have been asked by some parishioners as to what I am presently enjoying I am writing this column introducing a few of these texts. As you might imagine because of my teaching obligations I emphasize theological works of a diverse nature in my list. From my childhood I have always had an interest in history. Because of my love of New York, appreciation of the efforts of law enforcement and a guilty pleasure (no pun intended) of attempting to understand criminal behavior, I always have a few mysteries on hand.
In terms of the first category, the contributions of Pope Benedict XVI to the compendium of Catholic literature have been major. Last year some parishioners and myself completed a study of early Church Fathers. These presentations reflected on the audiences given on Wednesdays by the Holy Father. Just published is a second volume of these talks: Church Fathers and Teachers. Each chapter focuses our attention on an individual who has fostered growth in our knowledge of Christ and our Christian vocation. Some are well known to us while others might have a significance only to scholars. These short accounts give us the opportunity to meet these figures and hear their teachings. For instance, the Pope speaks of Peter the Venerable. This monk who served as an Abbot of Cluny is seen as “an example to the monks and Christians of our day, marked by a frenetic pace, when episodes of intolerance, incommunicability, division, and conflict are common. His testimony invites us to be able to combine love of God with love of neighbor and not to tire of building relations of brotherhood and reconciliation.” (153)
George Weigel’s magisterial work: Witness to Hope on the life of Pope John Paul II which I reread in preparation for my course on his theological perspectives at St. Joseph’s Seminary set the table for my reading of the recent biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The sufferings of the Polish nation at the hands of t he Nazis were more than matched by the cruelty of these same forces in their native Germany. The Holocaust which devastated the Jewish population of Europe enveloped any opposition including the Lutheran resistance of the Confessing Church led by the young minister who would not only write of but live out: The Cost of Discipleship. This work of Eric Metaxas takes the reader on a journey of faith during which Bonhoeffer went from his country to the United States where he expressed some dissatisfaction with the state of theological study and practice back to the upheaval that will result in the imprisonment that will end in his being hanged on April 9, 1945 just days before the end in the war in Europe.
Our faith, as it has been recently codified in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, has been wonderfully expressed in Father Alfred McBride, O. Praem.’s: Essentials of the Faith. The exposition by this religious educator goes far in aiding the reader in grasping the essence of our belief system, worship, moral obligation, and prayer. Each section Father presents contains a subject that is reflected on and explained in such a way that applications to one’s life can be easily seen. To a generation in which religious knowledge has, at times, been sparse this book is a wonderful primer.
We often recall the maxim: “He who ignores history is doomed to repeat it.” At the present time I am reading: A History of the American People. The author is the English Catholic, Paul Johnson. For decades this historian has taken on challenging subjects such as: Churchill, George Washington and Napoleon. His History of the Jews was a text that supported the study of the Old Testament of many of us. In the volume I am now perusing Professor Johnson takes us back to the early settlements of our country developed by the various nations of Europe under the leadership of very colorful figures. He takes us to the disjointed colonies struggling to see their need to form a common sense of purpose. His creative writing opens up the factories of the early industrial period to our prying eyes. He measures the growth of our nation and documents it fits and starts, the victories and defeats , the virtues and sins of its leaders and citizens. H.W. Brands focuses our attention on one particular personage: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In his Traitor to His Class the author introduces us to a young handsome athletic politician who is counted out of public life because of insidious polio. He asks us to accompany this driven person from Hyde Part to Washington, D.C. The defeater of Tammany Hall will be called upon to make war upon the greatest economic setback ever faced by the nation and ultimately to lead his country and its allies to end the savagery of the Axis Powers.
“All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” James Patterson, who introduced Detective Mike Bennett in his mystery Step on a Crack, has a wonderful offering: Worst Case which shows this New York policeman dealing as a single parent with ten adopted children as he seeks to bring justice to the city he loves. G. K. Chesterton was famous in decades past for his Father Brown stories. They are still being published. But in our day we are more familiar with Father Dowling mysteries by Ralph McInerny. The author, who was the foremost Thomistic philosopher in our country, created this devoted priest of Irish wit and wisdom. Over twenty novels gave the public a most positive image of the church and her priestly servants. Presently, I am reading The Widow’s Mate. One of the most prolific writers of the modern era is Mary Higgins Clark (and most charming). Presently, I am reading The Shadow of Your Smile. Perhaps to cool ourselves off we might consider reading one of her Christmas stories.
As I close, I look forward to hearing from those who read some of these books and look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Have a restful and prayerful week.
Vivat Jesus
Fr. Brian