Reading

Date: 24 April 2006 11:59:01

Christus ist auferstanden!(*)

I've been greatly enjoying and profiting from the readings I've been doing of late, almost all of them related to religion currently. Most of my evening is spent reading, which I find a relaxing, enjoyable and profitable thing to do. The books I'm currently reading are off there to the left: I can never seem to stick to one! As the number of services increased during Holy Week, my reading fell by the wayside, but I will, God willing, resume it with vigour this week.

Thank you to Singing Semele for the Book of Everything, which I read straight-a-way and will look at reading again soon. An absolutely wonderful book about a boy in Amsterdam who records all that he sees in this Book of Everything: from fish swimming in canals, to plagues of frogs, to a beautiful girl with a wooden leg, to Jesus, with whom he talks quite a bit. He also seems more disturbing things, like his father hitting his mother. But it is a rollicking good read, swinging between joy, sadness, hilarity and more. The descriptions and the characters leap out at you. Highly recommended. Thank you Semele.

I've just finished reading The Gospel according to St Mark: my favourite Gospel account. A very fast-paced and on-the-go account it seems to me: Jesus is constantly on the move and always doing something. While we don't get longer discourses on Jesus' preaching as in St Matthew's or St Luke's accounts, nor the deep theological and sacramental explanations of St John, St Mark give us a vivid description of Christ's life: I feel drawn into the descriptions given to us of the people around Christ, the little incidental details he gives on locations and what is happening, and the spontaneous reactions and comments of His Disciples and the crowd ("I believe; help my unbelief!" being one of my favourites as I call it out often!) Reading the Gospel as well as the commentary, was a true blessing and true discovery anew of the life of Christ and its call to us. I was very impressed with the Navarre Text, and the Commentary in particular, and my next Biblical book to read will probably be a Navarre Text and Commentary also. I'm considering Hebrews or even Revelation -- after Father Peregrinator's post and his good comment on the Navarre Bible Revelation commentary. I do quite like and gain great comfort from Revelation -- though it is a tad frightening as well: or, perhaps, the weird doctrines some people pull out of it are frightening!

I have always been fascinated by monasteries and monastic life, and The Age of the Cloisters, a very satisfying read, has whet my appetite for even more. A fascinating description of not only the monasteries themselves, but the Fathers of Monasticism (from St Anthony and St Pachomius to St Augustine, St John Cassian and, of course, St Benedict, to St Bernard of Clairvaux and St Francis, among others), the day-to-day life of monks and nuns, the changes in monastic traditions,and their relation to the world around them.

The Stripping of the Altars is a very engaging read -- and a weighty one: 680 pages -- about the events leading up to the English Reformation, and how this affected every-day people. I find it fascinating to read about the many traditions that once thrived, but were then supressed: particularly interesting is the level of lay involvement in these. The idea of an ignorant laity under the thumb of the clergy, the caricature of the Roman Catholic Church at that time (at least the one I was served) is certainly not the complete picture. The variety of traditions and acts (pilgrimages, paintings, ceremonies) is also fascinating to read. Eamon Duffy writes very well and I find myself noting down other books he references, particularly The Book of Margery Kempe.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, written by my Name Saint St John Climacus, is one of the most popular books in Orthodoxy: especially at Lent. I only started reading it early this month, attempting one step [there are 30 steps in The Ladder] per night, though I've come off the ladder at Step 9 for now. Step 4 on Obedience, which I read several weeks ago, was a very engaging read -- particularly St John Climacus' relating of the strict and severe obedience he found in a particular monastery he visited. Further steps on mourning (over sin) and meekness have also been very profitable. Wonderful Lenten reading.

Finally, The Mystery of Faith by Bishop Hilarion was given to me as a Chrismation gift by my parish, yet I've only got around to reading it. Using both his own words, as well as the words of many Fathers of the Church, Bishop Hilarion gives very readable and very informative descriptions of the Orthodox Christian Faith. As I struggled on with depression and feelings of despair and lack of faith, it was a blessing to read and ponder a chapter on God's revelation to us and that we are called to a relationship with God, a deep, personal relationship: not just knowing about God or being able to describe Him or formulate doctrines about Him, as necessary as these things may be to define the Faith -- but we are called to know Him in a personal way and to be in a relationship with Him. For those wanting an introduction to the Orthodox Faith, you would do well to look at this. You can read an adaption of it at this online catechism.

Thanks be to God for the Bible and for the many fine people He has raised up to teach us and encourage us to perserve through their writings! And thanks be to God for all fiction, poetry, books on science, nature, history, whatever..., and the authors: I do love to read!

[(*)Up to Ascension, or when I run out, I think I'll give the Paschal Greeting in a different language: I do love greeting people with it as I enter church. "Christ is Risen!" -- a joy to say and a joy to meditate on. Feel free to respond if you know the response, or used Google -- as I am :-) -- to find it.)]