BOOKS FOR INTERESTING TIMES

BEN POHL

“May you live in interesting times.” This expression is often employed sarcastically, and in reference to times like our own. The assumption being that we are all better off and happier in uninteresting times, and in our day, the sentiment seems quite true. However, for the Christian who has eyes to see, there has never been a time that could be considered uninteresting. Every year is “the year of our Lord,” and every year marks another opportunity for His creation to be made “new.”

This is not say that 2020 was just like any other year. A pandemic, lockdowns, civil unrest, a contentious election season, all in addition to the daily human drama that colors each of our lives. Perhaps some of us have wanted to close our eyes, stop our ears, and cry, “Enough!” But as the story of Queen Esther has taught us, have we not been made Christians “for such a time as this?” (Es 4:14).

As the year 2020 came to a close, it was time to step back and look at the world with fresh eyes. To “be transformed” by the renewal of our minds, that we might “prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:12). Four book studies were launched at our parish, covering a variety of contemporary topics. Open Wide Our Hearts, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter against racism, offers a Catholic perspective on one of the most pressing social issues facing our nation and Church. As our Bishops remind us, “When we start to see some people as ‘them’ and others as ‘us,’ we fail to love” (pg. 17). “But Christ heals all divisions, including those that are at the core of racism” (pgs. 17-18). The letter reflects on the Biblical call to justice for all members of the human family, while treating in particular the reality of racism in our nation and our Church, both past and present.

Currents times have called us to not only examine how we relate to our neighbor, but also how we relate to God and ourselves. Loved as I Am is a window into the healing journey of Sr. Miriam James Heidland, a religious sister and speaker at many of the conferences of the John Paul II Healing Center. The book is a short but penetrating journey into the healing love of Jesus. Sr. Miriam shares with beautiful vulnerability her own story of healing, while inviting the reader to take a step towards the God who is our healer.

“It was a no-brainer for me to sign up for the book study,” says Marie, “because the author is a woman who knows she is loved and I want to be one too. The prompts to answer the reflection questions as honestly as I can is the invitation I need for the truth I know intellectually to seep into and throughout my heart. I know better now that I can make choices to encounter God’s love for me, just as easily as I’ve so often chosen in the past not to encounter his love; for me this study is an encounter with God’s love.”

“It was a no-brainer for me to sign up for the book study...because the author is a woman who knows she is loved and I want to be one too."

A third book, Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, by Rod Dreher, considers our socio-political lives, the challenges we face today, and lessons from the recent past. As Quentin so aptly puts it, “Live Not by Lies shows how political attacks on faith and tolerance can only be overcome by an effective recognition of the inseparable connection between truth and freedom. In other words, Dreher’s work provides readers with a practical understanding of how the spiritual life and the political life have influenced one another in history and how evolutions in the relationship between these two will shape the future of American society and culture. For this reason, his book is tremendously helpful for those intent on living according to the truth in a volatile political and social atmosphere.”

Resurrection is planning to launch two further book studies, one on Ralph Martin’s book, A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward, and the other on Patrick Lencioni’s, The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family. These books continue our reflection on the present age by looking at two further important spheres of life: the Church and the family. Were we made for such a time as this? Each book and group study is an opportunity to respond with a faith-filled “Yes!”