As the extent of the
COVID-19 epidemic becomes clear and it appears the period of lockdown will be
extended into June, we have been asking Church leaders to recommend books that
make for thought-provoking, consoling, spiritually nourishing, and inspiring
reads.
****
To order the
books, go to the our website.
Add the books
to your basket and, when you reach the checkout stage, type DLT50 in the box marked ‘Discount code’
for a 50% discount. This code can also be used for other purchases from the DLT
website between now and the end of July.
****
1.
FINDING
YOUR HIDDEN TREASURE by Fr Benignus O’Rourke
As recommended by recommended by The Rt Revd John Arnold, Catholic Bishop of
Salford.
THE REVIEW >
'This book reminds us of a
form of prayer which is all too often forgotten or overlooked – the prayer of
silence and stillness.
'So many of us try hard to
pray with words and get distracted and frustrated by our efforts. This book
speaks to us, in a series of very short and thought-provoking passages, that
prayer can be simply in allowing God to be present with us, without words or
physical and mental effort. God is within us, and language is not always
necessary. As the author says we can too easily overlook that line from the
psalm “Be still and know that I am God”.
'In these days when, to
protect one another from transmitting the virus, we are prevented from
gathering in our churches, we can very usefully give time to remembering that
God is present wherever we are and we are united in Him.'
THE BLURB >
The most important journey
in life is the journey inwards, to the depths of our own being. It is a journey
we are all invited to make. It takes us beyond words and images into silence.
The silence allows the restless mind to become still and in the stillness we
enter a new world. We return to our hearts. Here we find our true selves. We
discover an ancient way of finding God that has almost become lost. Slowly, we
realise that we are in union with the source of life and love itself. Our whole
life changes. Our goal now is to take God's love to others in our everyday
lives.
Benignus O'Rourke OSA was an Augustinian friar and a member of
the community at Clare Priory in Suffolk. He led hundreds of men and women,
people of all faiths and none, on the way of silent prayer for more than forty
years. He also wrote an acclaimed modern translation of Augustine's Confessions
for DLT, published in 2013.
~
2.
DOMESTIC
MONASTERY by Ronald Rolhesier
As recommended by recommended by The Most Revd Eamon Martin, Archbishop of
Armagh.
THE REVIEW >
'Several commentators have spoken of our current experience of restrictions arising from the coronavirus as a type of "imposed monasticism ". In a strange way these days of seclusion have been helping us stop and think about what we value and perhaps even question some of the ways we have been living our lives. The stripping back of our usual routines, the prohibition on travel, the lack of outlet for normal socialising are all experiences that we might ordinarily associate with monks and nuns. We now experience them in our own homes, communities and lives.
'There are ways, then, in
which the current crisis is offering space to consider how we might live
simpler lives and manage our expectations.
'Fr Rolheiser is a
well-known writer and teacher who succeeds in communicating spiritual insights
in our contemporary era. This book
brings monastic wisdom to bear upon domestic realities such as family life,
parenting, spiritual life and so forth.
In our new experience, Domestic Monastery will offer ideas for
reflection and gentle questioning which might sustain us during this time and
prepare us to live better lives in the future.'
THE BLURB >
Our home, our duties and
routines, our relationships, and the way we use our time, are the monasteries
of our lives. It is through these practices that we build our relationship with
God, that we find opportunities for contemplation, and deserts for reflection.
In this beautiful little book Ronald Rolheiser turns on its head the idea that
religious life is the preserve of monks and nuns. Our cloisters are the walls
of our home and our work, the streets we walk, and the people with whom we
share our lives. The domestic is the monastic.
Chapters include: Monasticism and
Family Life; The Domestic Monastery; Real Friendship; Lessons from the Monastic
Cell; Ritual for Sustaining Prayer; Tensions within Spirituality; A
Spirituality of Parenting; Spirituality and the Seasons of Our Lives; The
Sacredness of Time; Life’s Key Question.
Ronald Rolheiser OMI is a specialist in the fields of spirituality and
systematic theology. His regular column in the Catholic Herald is featured in
newspapers in five different countries, and he is the author of many popular
books including The Restless Heart.
~
3.
WHEN
SILENCE SPEAKS by Tim Peeters
As recommended in this video by recommended by The Rt Revd Richard Moth, The Catholic Bishop
of Brighton & Arundel.
THE REVIEW >
'We are
all living in difficult times. Many are bereaved, many are fearful, our
healthcare professionals are working under particular stress and so many across
the world are living with different levels of isolation. Perhaps we are living with a great amount of
silence than would normally be the case, and there are many who find quiet and
silence a challenge.
'In
such circumstances, we might scour the bookshelves for something that might
assist us in these strange circumstances – and this book, by Tim Peeters –
could be a help to many. How can a book
about Silence help us? Can Silence
“speak”?
'When
Silence Speaks is one
of a number of books published about the Carthusian Order down the years. Indeed, some of them are by members of the
Order themselves – these are published anonymously. In this book, Tim Peeters present a book that
is in three parts. He looks at the
history of the Carthusian Order, St. Bruno and his six companions in took up
residence in the Desert of the Chartreuse in 1084. They did not intend to start a new religious
order, but their way of life became established and eventually, after St.
Bruno’s time, the Customs of the Order were laid down. The second part of the book takes us on a
journey through the Carthusian Rule.
'The
third part of the book examines the Carthusian spiritual way – the way of
solitude. Perhaps it is this part of the
book that speaks to us most in these present times. Peeters, like the people about whom he
writes, invites us to experience the path of solitude and silence that we take
in the desert – and there will be many who, right now, feel themselves to be in
a bit of a desert! In this book, we are
taken through the desert of the Bible and into the spaces inhabited by the
monks of the Carthusian Order.
'However,
the solitude and silence that exists within us – this is a deeper experience of
the desert – one that, perhaps, many are glimpsing in these present days. This place of greater quiet, even silence,
provides a space in which we can listen.
With less noise, we can ‘tune our ears’ to different sounds. How many people in recent weeks have spoken
about listening to the birds, enjoying cleaner air. We notice things in quiet, we enjoy refreshed
experiences of the world. We can listen
– and in that quiet space we can hear, in our inmost being, the voice of the
God who is with us in our pain and suffering, our loneliness.
'Many
are experiencing these present days as monotonous. One day seems like another, especially for
those in self-isolation. We become
apathetic. This is something that is
part of life in the desert and the monks of ancient times experienced it, just
as the Carthusian monk will face it in the solitude of the cell. In time, this apparent monotony becomes
something different – a movement of ourselves with the day, the season, the sounds
of a quiet world. We re-tune. This can take time, but what is the
rush? This is a lesson that we can be
slow to learn, but it is worth learning!
Why not make good use of the slower pace to encounter the Word of God in
a renewed way? This book can help with
that too, for it invites us to, as it were, read the Scriptures along with our
brothers and sisters who follow the Carthusian Way.
'If the
words of the book become too much, there are pictures too, inviting us into the
silence, the solitude, of the Carthusian monastery. As we listen to a quieter world, as we dare
to listen to the silence that is deep within, reflecting on these images can
still our minds and open our hearts.
'When Silence Speaks by Tim Peeters is a book for our times.'
THE BLURB >
True solitude is a rare
experience in today’s busy world. For many people it has negative connotations,
but for the Carthusian monks it is a blessing. They have given up everything in
order to share in the desert experience of Jesus and to continue the ancient
traditions of the Desert Fathers, who searched for God in the realms of
silence.
When Silence Speaks
uncovers the deep spiritual foundations on which this remarkable and mysterious
order of hermits has built for more than nine centuries: solitude and silence,
separation and simplicity, contemplation and prayer, asceticism and
perseverance. It includes an anthology of the original spiritual literature of
the Carthusian tradition, the testimonies of monks who still follow the
Carthusian way today, and a selection of photographs that provide a rare window
into their world away from the world.
‘To understand what is
almost incomprehensible,’ writes author Tim Peeters, ‘we will take a walk with
Saint Bruno and the Carthusian monks. We will climb into the high mountains of
the Chartreuse massif near Grenoble [in France] where the origins of the order
are situated. We will watch over the walls of the monasteries and enter into
the cells and the hearts of the monks. And we hope you will taste something of
the ultimate goal of this solitary and silent life: God, who speaks when the
Carthusian listens and keeps quiet.’
The original Dutch version
of this book received the award for Religious Book of the Year in Belgium. It
has also been published in French and Italian.
Tim Peeters is a priest of the Archdiocese of
Mechelen-Brussels. This book is the result of his Master’s thesis on the
history of the Carthusian order and of his personal encounters with Carthusian
monks in different European monasteries.
~
4.
SWEAR
TO GOD by Scott Hahn
5.
CROSS-SHATTERED
CHURCH by Stanley Hauerwas
As recommended by recommended by Rt Revd June Osborne, Bishop of Llandaff
THE REVIEW >
Trying to
create a new rhythm of life in lockdown I thought I should include reading some
theology. As I looked down the list of possible options three things directed
my choice. They had to be not too demanding – since the start of the year I’d
read four huge books and couldn’t face another tome as I was adjusting to the
intensities of Covid-19. I wanted to listen to voices from different
traditions because the limitations of life were starving me of hearing
contrasting perspectives. And it needed to be theology which related to
Christian ministry because I knew we were going to have to rethink the shape of
ministry in the weeks and years ahead. What do we adapt and what do we protect?
My pick were
two books by accomplished American theologians, both of whom have worked long
in university settings but whom have a devoted liturgical and ecclesial focus.
In Swear to God, his book about the sacraments, Scott Hahn includes
insights into his own journey from Presbyterian ordained ministry to becoming a
Roman Catholic lay theologian, admitting that he also travelled from
disinterest in the sacraments of the Church to writing passionately about
them. He draws out the biblical origins of these containers of grace and
particularly sees them as ‘covenant oaths’ – hence the title of the book.
Stanley
Hauerwas is both a Methodist (though he worships in an Episcopal Church) and a
renowned pacifist, and his book A Cross-Shattered Church is a collection
of his sermons. All of them are absorbing, and some are inspiring, such as the
ones about death which are particularly relevant as our society faces its
current threats. They made me consider how I do my own theological thinking in
relation to preaching. Hauerwas does his exegetically and in constant
interaction with the eucharist, pertinently asking what kind of community we
wish to be. The introduction and appendices are worth the purchase alone as he
reflects on how his preaching has been shaped.
In both books
we gain a strong sense of God revealed through human contingency. Where do we
find God and what is he asking of us? Good questions for a time of Covid-19.
THE BLURBS >
Swear to God - Scott Hahn
If society and churches
are in crisis, it may be because we are losing our ability to keep our
promises. Scott Hahn restores the connection between sacred words and human
action, promises and commitment. Scott Hahn argues that every society – be it
nation, neighbourhood, family or Church – is held together by the power of
personal commitments. When we really want to change our lives, when we want to
make love endure, we mark the transition by an oath. The words we say bind us
to a course of action. But the most powerful oaths of all are those that mark
the Christian sacraments. In Swear to God, Hahn restores the connection between
sacred words and human action, promises and commitment.
Scott Hahn is a Catholic theologian, contemporary
author, consultant, professor, and Christian apologist. A former Presbyterian
who converted to Catholicism, Hahn’s academic works include Rome Sweet Home and
The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth.
A Cross-Shattered Church - Stanley Hauerwas
With passion and insight, eminent theologian Stanley Hauerwas argues for the recovery of the sermon as the place for theological reflection. He sees this as ‘crucial if Christians are to negotiate the world in which we find ourselves.’ The book includes seventeen sermons preached by Stanley Hauerwas, the man described by Time magazine as ‘America’s greatest theologian’.
****
To order the
books, go to the our website.
Add the books
to your basket and, when you reach the checkout stage, type DLT50 in the box marked ‘Discount code’
for a 50% discount. This code can also be used for other purchases from the DLT
website between now and the end of July.
No comments:
Post a Comment