 THE MASS IS NEVER ENDED: Rediscovering Our Mission to Transform the World, by Gregory F. Augustine
Pierce. Ave Maria Press. 128 pp.
$10.95.
Reviewed by DEACON WILLIAM F.
URBINE, president of the National Association
of Catholic Family Life Ministers
and director of the Allentown (Pennsylvania)
Diocese’s Office of Family Life
Ministries. He also teaches
undergraduate theology courses
at DeSales University in Center
Valley, Pennsylvania.
DO YOU REMEMBER the
words “Ite, missa est”? In
English it is translated as
“Go, we are sent forth.” In
The Mass Is Never Ended,
Greg Pierce turns this simple
phrase into a challenge—to
take the Mass and its message
out into our world. This
volume revisits the traditional Catholic
concepts of vocation and mission, giving
them a new spin.
Our vocation, a calling from God,
ties in directly with our mission, our
being sent forth to love and serve the
Lord.
How do we know that we are living
out our vocation and have a mission?
The first section of this brief, compelling
volume provides the reader with
an overview of the Mass, highlighting
each part and relating it to the vocation/mission we are called to live.
The author assures us that we can’t
be on this mission alone and that we
need the Church and the eucharistic
celebration to ground us. Each part of
the Mass is related to the dismissal rite.
In doing this, Pierce breaks down the
wall in our spirituality—the wall
between the Sunday celebration (the
sacred) and our weekday activities (the
secular).
Pierce blends a spirituality of work,
familiar to some of us from his earlier
volume Spirituality@Work, with the celebration
of the Eucharist, the source
and summit of our lives as Catholics.
The “Litany of Work” in Appendix One
can become a prayerful occasion to
help the reader bridge the ordinary and
the sacred.
Recommended books and movies on
the spirituality of work are also listed.
Why do I resonate so well with this
volume? It’s short, readable
and very challenging. I can
connect what happens
when I go to Mass on Sunday
and what I do during
the next six days of the
week. I can answer the
reflection and discussion
questions in my journal, or
get a fuller appreciation of
the Mass and the call to “Ite,
missa est” by discussing it
with a faith-sharing group
at my local parish.
The book is now required reading
for my spirituality-of-work senior seminar.
Make it yours!
You can order THE MASS IS NEVER ENDED: Rediscovering
Our Mission to Transform
the World from St. Francis Bookshop.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF GOD’S MERCY:
Stories of Compassion and Forgiveness, by Patrick Hannon, C.S.C. ACTA
Publications. 159 pp. $17.95, hardcover;
$12.95, paperback.
Reviewed by MARY LYNNE RAPIEN, a
writer for Homily Helps and
Weekday Homily Helps and
a practicing licensed clinical
counselor in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She was the youth columnist for
St. Anthony Messenger for 40
years, and is a wife, mother of
six and grandmother of 20.
HAVE YOUR EVER HAD a special
meal that you savored so
much that you did not want
to take the last bite? That is
how this reviewer felt when reading
The Geography of God’s Mercy: Stories of
Compassion and Forgiveness, by Patrick
Hannon, C.S.C. I didn’t want it to end!
If geography is a study of the earth
with its forests, seas, deserts, mountaintops,
rivers, plains and valleys, then
this book is truly a geography of God’s
mercy wrapped in unconditional love,
forgiveness and compassion. The
author’s stories are set in all of these
places. God speaks in the magnificent
Cathedral of Notre Dame and behind
maximum-security prison bars, in taverns
(many of them) and in slum alleyways.
The author brings you in with the
art of his loom with which he weaves
words into a story that may be poignant,
humorous, earthy or tear-at-your-heart sad. He evokes all the senses
with an economy of words. Thoroughly
Irish and from a large family (nine siblings),
Patrick Hannon tells stories from
his life experiences that reveal God’s
presence in something as simple as
Cream of Wheat® cereal, an old man at
the beach or a Chicago boy surrendering
his treasured ball cap to a poor Irish
youth.
He links the community’s care of a
bag lady with the raising of Lazarus
and makes it a “now event.” While
never preachy, he links the ordinary
stuff of life to the transcendent mercy
of God.
Father Hannon tells his own story
with transparency and
vulnerability. There is
nothing soupy or sentimental
even when
emotions run deep and
depression is dark. He
knows how to laugh at
himself and he shares
the sting of conviction
without condemnation.
If nothing else,
the author is human
and not afraid to show it. It is that humanness that binds
him to the reader—like us in all things,
even sin.
Now I can’t wait to read his award-winning
first book, Running Into the
Arms of God.
You can order THE GEOGRAPHY OF GOD’S MERCY:
Stories of Compassion and Forgiveness from St.
Francis Bookshop.
THE LIFE OF MEANING: Reflections
on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the
World, by Bob Abernethy and
William Bole. Seven Stories Press. 427
pp. $18.95.
Reviewed by BARBARA SONNENBERG, a
retired public librarian with a master’s
degree from the University of Illinois School
of Information Sciences.
VIEWERS OF PBS’s Religion & Ethics
NewsWeekly will be accustomed to the
format of sound bites on the meaning
of life presented here. Bob Abernethy,
executive editor and host, conceived
the program in 1997. With William
Bole, religion writer and research fellow
at Woodstock Theological Center, he
has selected interviews with 58 individuals
for inclusion in this anthology.
While the articles differ in style and
length, and cover a myriad of religious
philosophies and beliefs, all are
expressed with unembarrassed candor,
frequent humor and almost universal
optimism.
Loosely collected by subject, the
essays can be read in any order and for
any duration; it’s a work meant to be
picked up frequently, savored and
digested, rather than read through in its
entirety.
In the “Prayer and Meditation” chapter,
former President Jimmy Carter
explains that he prayed more while
president than at any other time in his
life. His fervent prayer in 1980 was to
save the country from embarrassment,
preserve its integrity and ensure the
safe return of the hostages in Iran. He
states: “Well, I never did embarrass my
nation or violate its principles. Every
hostage came home safe and free. So
my prayer was answered. God answered
my prayer later than I wanted. If my
prayer had been answered a week
before the election of 1980, I would
have been a two-term president.”
In the chapter entitled
“I’m Spiritual, Not Religious,”
Martin Marty characterizes
spirituality as
individualistic, as opposed
to the bonding practiced
in religions. Noted Lutheran
theologian Marty
agrees with the insightful
bumper sticker which
proclaims, “Spirituality
doesn’t make hospice
calls.”
Eileen Durkin, a cradle Catholic,
spells out what each part of the Mass
means to her in the “Being Religious”
section, while George Weigel, a biographer
of Pope John Paul II, extols the
140 addresses the pope delivered
between 1979 and 1984 on the “theology
of the body” as “...the most comprehensive
intelligent Christian
response—not just Catholic response,
Christian response—to the sexual revolution
that has been laid out since
the 1950s.”
In the chapter “Evil
and Suffering,” Rabbi
Harold Kushner cites the
power of the 23rd Psalm
to remind us that God “is
on my side, not on the
side of the hijacker. God
is on my side, not on the
side of the illness, or the
accident, or the terrible
thing that happened. And
that’s enough to give me
confidence.”
Renowned author Madeleine L’Engle
says: “...I know that where there is no
suffering, nothing happens. In times
when we’re not particularly suffering,
we don’t have enough time for God.
We’re too busy with other things. Then
the intense suffering comes, and we
can’t be busy with other things. We
should never be afraid of crying out, ‘I
need all the help I can get!’”
Most eye-opening for Catholics are
the interviews with those of other religions
like the mainline Protestants and Evangelicals as well as those of African-American Churches, Hinduism, Judaism,
Islam and Buddhism. And then,
there are those individuals who take
what they consider to be the best practices
from any of the above! There is no
overt proselytizing, just candid profession
of which principles rule their lives
and what practices help them to hold
firm to those principles.
Helpful introductions set the tone
for each chapter, and each essayist is
pictured and given a short biographical
sketch. The name of the interviewer
and the date of the interview are also
included. While an exhaustive bibliography
would be an asset, this is not
meant to be a textbook. Further information
on the participants is as close as
the Internet.
This excellent anthology with its
wide-ranging perceptions of the place
of humanity in the cosmos is bound to
open the mind of any mature reader to
the myriad ways we can find for a reason
for existence.
You can order THE LIFE OF MEANING: Reflections
on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the
World from St.
Francis Bookshop.
LUMBY’S BOUNTY: A Novel, by Gail
Fraser. New American Library. 351
pp. $14, U.S.; $16.50, Canada.
Reviewed by BARBARA BECKWITH, book
review editor of this publication.
I’M HOOKED on this series. The fictional
town of Lumby, somewhere in
the Pacific Northwest, reminds me of
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where my
first professional job was working at
the local newspaper. Although Lake
Geneva is a tourist mecca in the
summer, the rest of the year the city
of 5,000 lets the rhythms of rural life
keep it grounded—regardless of the
boosterism of the Chamber of Commerce.
This is Gail Fraser’s third novel set in
Lumby, where cows, Howard the moose
and chickens left off at the feed store
are major players. But then there’s also
Hank, a plastic pink flamingo moved
around and dressed by a mystery person
to comment on civic events.
Returning are characters from the
previous books—Pam and Mark Walker,
who remodeled an old abbey into the
Montis Inn in the first book;
Brooke, an architect, and
Joshua Turner, a former
monk-turned-agricultural
student, who married in the
second book; Gabrielle and
Dennis Beezer, who own
the Green Chiles restaurant
and the newspaper, respectively;
and so on.
Here, the story revolves
around getting ready for a
hot-air balloon race. The
Beezers’ son Brian has volunteered
the town—without any
authorization—to host this event,
which draws 150 entries. Now the town
has to pull together to rise to the occasion,
and it must ready its own balloon
to lead things off. The enthusiastic
Mark is chosen to get the town airborne.
The only experienced balloonists in
the area are two young men from
Indonesia, staying at Holy Cross Abbey
in nearby Franklin. (When Montis
Abbey disbanded 30 years ago, some of
the monks went there.) One of the
Talin brothers, Jamar, flirts with every
woman he meets; the other, Kai, is sincerely
considering whether he wants
to become a priest. But then he encounters
his soulmate in Caroline Ross, and
has to decide what path God wants
him to take.
Holy Cross Abbey has its own problems
because of the well-publicized success
of its new rum-sauce business.
“Seekers” now overrun the abbey,
putting a strain on its hospitality.
Whether Holy Cross Abbey is Roman
Catholic or Orthodox is never
explained, probably because Fraser
models it on New Skete Monastery in
upstate New York, which has connections
to both. Lumby has a Presbyterian
church and an Episcopalian church,
and the novels show the contribution
these houses of worship make to the
community—ecumenism in action.
One of the best parts of the book is
the growth of Lumby’s two hellions
into responsible adults.
Another blossoming character is
Hannah Daniels, wife of the mayor.
She’s drawn into sewing the balloon’s
envelope and comes into her own. And
Pam learns about herself in
the course of excavating a
fishpond after a natural
spring threatens the inn’s
walls.
The author has described
Lumby as “a fictional town
that’s gentle and fair and
honest,” but she also depicts
a town leery of strangers.
The Indonesian men challenge
Lumby’s xenophobia,
and the town grows as a
result.
As with others in the series, Lumby’s
Bounty includes a reader’s guide, recipes
and a dialogue with the author and
some of the book’s characters.
Fraser’s series has been compared to
Jan Karon’s, but Lumby is a little
quirkier. If you want to see characters
grow, try Fraser’s Lumby series. I’m just
wondering if there might be room on
the staff of The Lumby Lines for an old
newspaper editor like me.
You can order LUMBY’S BOUNTY: A Novel from St. Francis Bookshop.
WIZARDS, WARDROBES, AND
WOOKIEES: Navigating Good and
Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia and Star
Wars, by Connie Neal. IVP Books.
229 pp. $15.
Reviewed by P.J. MURPHY, who lives in
Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to graduating
from the College of Mount St. Joseph
with a degree in English, he completed his
M.A. in journalism and communications
at The Ohio State University.
CONNIE NEAL LOOKS to seemingly
unlikely sources for Christian guidance and spirituality in her newest book.
C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia,
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and
George Lucas’s Star Wars movies are
used to show parallels in
the decisions we make in
our daily struggle with good
and evil.
These series, though
hugely popular with generations
of young people,
have been met with criticism
from conservative
Christian groups for allegedly
promoting such things
as witchcraft, black magic
and general heresy.
All of these stories are
secular in nature, dealing with ordinary
characters who become heroes
through the decisions they make and
the extraordinary consequences that
come with those decisions.
Neal’s unique spin on these stories is
that they can show us how to combat
evil in our everyday lives the same way
many of the stories in the Bible do. All
of the main characters are easy to relate
to, and all of them encounter decisions
dealing with good and evil.
Even though we will not face Darth
Vader or the White Witch, Neal contends
that we can use the
decisions the heroes of these
adventures make as parallels
to the decisions we face. Like
most of the figures in the
Bible, none of these characters
were extraordinary until
they were called to action
and acted on that call.
Neal cites Christopher
Vogler, a former storycrafter
for Disney animation,
and his guidelines for
storytelling as sort of a blueprint
for this book. From the heroes
being introduced in the ordinary world
to their call to adventure to their “treasure
to benefit the ordinary world,”
Neal applies Vogler’s guidelines.
Neal references each story’s main
characters for their Christlike behaviors,
but does not think of them as
Christ-figures. This is the crux of her
message—and comparisons.
These heroes, though special
through their adventures, are ordinary
just like us. These heroes do extraordinary
things, and their actions have
consequences for the greater good.
Anyone who enjoys these stories
and also enjoys exploring the Christian
faith will enjoy Neal’s thought-provoking
book. Looking deeper into
these stories for Christian values might
seem like a stretch to some, but Neal
flows among the adventures of Narnia,
Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker and
the Bible effortlessly—and it works.
Ordinary people are called on to do
great things, and that message is conveyed
very well.
You can order WIZARDS, WARDROBES, AND
WOOKIEES: Navigating Good and
Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia and Star
Wars from St. Francis Bookshop.
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