We don’t often review novels in these pages. But we will make an exception for Christmas, as it is a story in which Christmas is central. And for another reason also. Pope Francis writing in July of this year addresses priests in training, but extends his advice to “all Christians”, and talks of “the value of reading novels and poems as part of one’s path to personal maturity.”

 

It is a short letter and worth reading in full. He says, “When we read a story, thanks to the descriptive powers of the author, each of us can see before our eyes the weeping of an abandoned girl, an elderly woman pulling the covers over her sleeping grandson, the struggles of a shopkeeper trying to eke out a living, the shame of one who bears the brunt of constant criticism, the boy who takes refuge in dreams as his only escape from a wretched and violent life. As these stories awaken faint echoes of our own inner experiences, we become more sensitive to the experiences of others.”

 

Claire Keegan, a contemporary Irish writer, specialises in relatively short works. The present book is just over 100 pages long. An earlier work, Foster, is 88 pages long and was recently made into a successful film in the Irish language called An Cailín Ciúin or The Quiet Girl.

 

So is this a short story or is it a novella? You can decide! But whichever it is it illustrates an important point that there is a special skill in writing less. Each individual word, phrase and sentence is relatively more weighty. We find the same in the Gospel of Mark, which you could easily read from beginning to end in an hour.

 

And the writing here is simple and quite poetic. We are in 1985, in the town of New Ross, Co Wexford. The hero, in a very real sense, of the story, is Bill Furlong, a devoted husband and father of five girls, who runs a coal merchant business. In the weeks leading up to Christmas we have beautiful descriptions of the wintry weather and the busy-ness of preparing for Christmas, with shopping, cooking and the writing of letters to Santa. The family is not rich, but gets by and both Bill and his wife Eileen are concerned for the well-being and happiness of their children over and above their own needs.

We learn of the story of Bill’s childhood, which was happy, despite circumstances which could have made it far less so. He was the recipient of a kindness which would not have been guaranteed in those times. And it gives him perhaps a special sensitivity towards the suffering and misfortunes of others.

 

And in the course of his work he comes across something, outside of the family, that causes him to become very troubled. And here the reader encounters an event in recent history both of the Irish state and the Catholic Church which is troubling. But something which is real and which cannot and should not be ignored. The details are understated, and yet very clear, in the story. By the time we go to press, a film of this story will have been released. The trailer, which is all I have seen, seems to make events more explicit. The book is both gentle, and unflinching.

 

The ending of the book is satisfying as we see Bill struggle with his conscience to do something which is obviously the right thing to do. We are left worried, as he is, about what the consequences might be for him, and those he cares for most deeply. And here the snow falls. Ultimately, we don’t know what happens next and that draws us into the story and perhaps makes us confront painful memories and realisations that may call us to action.

 

As Pope Francis says, the link between reader and text “shines forth in the mysterious and indissoluble sacramental union between the divine Word and our human words, giving rise to a ministry that becomes a service born of listening and compassion, a charism that becomes responsibility, a vision of the true and the good that discloses itself as beauty.”

 

The affectionate account of Christmas is a simple pleasure. The deeper message is plainly yet powerfully presented. It is a book which bears re-reading, rather like Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, mentioned in the text.                                                    

                               

Small Things Like These (2022), €10 approximately

Published by Faber & Faber.

Available online and in bookshops.

Back in 2018 we carried a review of Finding God in the Mess, a book which became a great success and won several awards. In 2019 the authors produced a sequel, Deeper into the Mess. Now we have the third in the series, Emerging from the Mess, and I am very happy to bring it to your attention.

 

The authors, Brendan McManus SJ and Jim Deeds, both work in Belfast and this often gives context to their writing. Brendan McManus is a Jesuit priest, a spiritual director and giver of retreats, and a prolific writer. Jim Deeds is a husband and father, and is also an author, poet, retreat giver and pastoral worker. They share an interest in nature and the outdoors, and walking. Jim Deeds occasionally mentions walking his dogs, and Brendan McManus has written often of walking various Caminos in Spain.

 

They share a passion to help others to pray and would say that it is not, or at least need not be, difficult. The ‘mess’ in the title of each of their collaborations is everyday life – that mixture of good and bad days, happy and sad days, boredom, enthusiasm, loneliness, weariness, rejoicing and weeping. The pain of bereavement is referred to several times and the strangeness of the experience of the lockdowns during Covid times. And in each of these times and places we can find and meet God.

 

The format of the book is of short reflections, often less than a page. These lead to a brief prayer and a verse or two of scripture. The underlying template is the very practical spirituality of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. He particularly called us to pray with our imagination, and our concrete experiences of daily living, and to start always where we find ourselves.

An intrinsic part of each invitation to prayer is the beautiful photographs which are such a feature of the book – a fine example of a publication which wouldn’t really work as an audiobook! They are chosen obviously with considerable care and a great artistic eye. For each section, the reflection, the prayer, the scripture and the image would each by themselves give ample material for prayer. So the book, though deceptively short, can be dipped into again and again.

 

There is a progression through the book which is in four sections – On the Rocks, Lost at Sea, Sailing Home and Arriving in Port. It is very practical and surely reflects the experience of the authors of working with ‘ordinary people’, leading retreats, meeting people and listening to their stories. And they talk of their own struggles too.

 

Each reader will pick up different themes but I was struck by the movement from the messy here and now in which we find ourselves, through the reality of the passion and death of Jesus, and on to the joy of the Resurrection. There is no short cut for us, as there was not for Jesus, but we have the love of Jesus to support our own hesitant steps.

 

Just one quote, reflecting the experience of ageing. We need achievable goals – still a way off and still in need of a chase but somewhat still in sight – because they are more likely to keep us energised. Small steps, well taken, might just be the best way to walk home on the spiritual path. (p 76)

 

This volume, like the two earlier ones is highly recommended and each would make a beautiful gift.       

                               

Emerging from the Mess (2024) €12.95

Deeper into the Mess (2019) €12.95

Finding God in the Mess (2018) 11.95

All published in Ireland by Messenger Publications

Available from www.messenger.ie

In the past few years, the subject of mental health has come to the fore of health issues. There are numerous self-help books and websites on the topic. It was the cover of this book, The Wild Remedy, by Emma Mitchell that caught my attention (published 2021). Emma is a bestselling author, naturalist, illustrator and designer-maker and she suffers from depression. She is well-known and has appeared on BBC’s Springwatch and Countryfile and featured on many programmes on BBC’s Radio 4. She lives with her family on the edge of the Fens in Eastern England. This book is a diary, it is not a self-help book. It starts in October and spans one year. It is a diary of how the author copes with her depression.

 

The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with drawings, photos and sketches, all by Emma. She is a very gifted artist and writer. Her book is easy to read and draws you into her world. She tracks the changing of the seasons in her area and surrounding areas. In coping with depression, Emma finds that getting out of the house helps. She goes walking with her dog Annie in the woods near her home. On her walks, she finds peace in the trees, plants, flowers and birds. They are more than a distraction; they help to soothe her mind for a time. She takes photos, collects twigs, flowers, leaves, petals, and when she gets home, she sketches or paints her findings. If she doesn’t recognise a certain plant, she will research it and learn about it. In the introduction, Emma says: “Some days my brain feels as though it is mired in a dark quicksand of negativity; on others, layers of thick greyish cloud seem to descend, weighing down my thoughts and burgling my motivation.… I know that if I do force myself to get up from the sofa, then the gloom can lift a little, and if I step outside and walk in the wood behind our cottage, the dreich thoughts may not leave entirely but they certainly retreat to the wings.”

 

The changes in the seasons are well documented and there is something new to seek out each month. It all helps in keeping her mind from tumbling into dark thoughts. She is very candid and open about her struggles with depression. She doesn’t shy away from documenting how she feels especially when she hits absolute rock bottom.

 

Although this book is about a serious illness and one that has no definite cure, it is not a depressing book to read. There is great joy in seeking out a flower species, or finding tiny creatures in rockpools at the beach. Emma is gifted in describing the natural world, and she makes you want to seek out the tiny ecosystems that we pass by every day. She finds beauty in roadside verges where wildflowers are in full bloom: “Field scabious flowers are growing just 30 cm or so from where the cars are passing at sixty miles an hour, making it tricky to reach them with my camera, but when I do, this mass of wildflowers is a breathtaking sight. Bees and hoverflies visiting the scabious to feed create a hum that is audible in the gaps between vehicles.”

 

From the outside, it can be hard to understand the effects that depression has on a person and how it drags them so far down into despair. This book allows you to walk with the sufferer and gives an insight into the grip and control that depression has on them. Emma explains how she feels in a very clear way. At times it is tough reading, but it is honest, she doesn’t shy away from telling how it is. It is also a hopeful book, there is healing in the natural world which is there for all of us. It opens a new world of trees, flowers, birds, and creatures. It can also be used as a guide to identify different species of trees and birds among other things, throughout the year.

 

This book is a very worthwhile read. Emma has a new book coming out this month (September 2024) and it will be on my reading list.                               

                               

The Wild Remedy, How Nature Mends Us – A Diary by Emma Mitchell, Published by Michael O’Mara Books Limited (2021) €12 / £10 approx, prices vary.

New release in September 2024:

Made Well: How Nature and Crafts Support Your Wellbeing by Emma Mitchell

Four books were very useful to me in my preparation for and walking along the Camino Ignaciano. Two will appeal to the general reader and two are more specifically aimed at the walking pilgrim. Each has something special.

 

Fr Brendan McManus is a Jesuit priest from Fermanagh currently based in Belfast. He has extensive experience in retreat work, chaplaincy and youth ministry. He has been a dedicated walking pilgrim for very many years and is a prolific writer. His writing on pilgrimage is not in the form of guidebooks to the physical path. Rather he uses the details of the trek, which he describes in some detail, as a framework to describe the inner journey.

 

So he has previously written movingly about walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela after the tragic death of his brother in Redemption Road: Grieving on the Camino. He walked along the Camino Ignaciano first as a Jesuit novice in 1993 before the modern route was established, then again in 2015 described in The Way to Manresa, and in 2022 recounted in Brothers in Arms. An attractive feature of his presentation is always his accounts of interaction with travelling companions and people he meets along the way. And the writing is very honest – in various ways, things ‘go wrong’ and these difficulties are incorporated into the Ignatian perspective.

 

If you plan to walk, you will definitely want to read these books. But they would be equally inspiring if you read them slowly in your ‘quiet place’ – by the fireside, in your garden or a cool quiet chapel.

 

The official Guide to the Camino Ignaciano is written by Fr Iriberri who was the pivotal figure in establishing the current infrastructure. It is available in English, co-authored with Chris Lowney. This is a sizeable book with many fine pictures. It has extensive details about the life of Ignatius and about Ignatian spirituality as well as step by step guides to walking. This is a book you would surely want to read before setting out. Whether you want to carry it with you and factor its weight into your calculations is up to you. I brought it along and did not regret it. If you decide not to carry it you will certainly make use of the very fine website, which has all the information of the book

www.caminoignaciano.org/en/ You can also download GPX traces to help you find your way using your phone. Although the path is waymarked, most people will probably want to use this additional resource. One of the particular strengths of the book is its concentration on Jesuit spirituality and pointers on how to incorporate this into the daily walk.

 

The final book, Camino Ignaciano, is a recent guidebook in a well-established series of walking guides. Murray Stewart describes his book as a secular guide to a spiritual walk. While this is true, the information on Ignatius and the Church generally, pilgrimage in general and churches along the way is very well researched and attractively presented. It is a small book which will fit in your pocket (and is also available as an e-book) and I really cannot recommend it highly enough. There is a lot of helpful information on flora and fauna and Spanish history, culture and language(s). What is obvious from the description of the walk is that he has walked every inch himself – he is good at predicting where you might take a wrong turn! The information on accommodation is very useful and is not just a list – the ‘annotations’ again show that much research has gone into it. The information on public transport along the way is particularly useful. And through it all is a very gentle wit and a sense of humour. I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover before I walked and it was a loyal companion on the road.                    

                               

Brothers in Arms, Brendan McManus SJ with James Fullam, (2023), Messenger Publications €12.95 (Also as e-book)

The Way to Manresa, Brendan McManus SJ, (2020), Messenger Publications, €19.95 (Also as e-book) Guide to the Camino Ignaciano, José Luis Iriberri SJ and Chris Lowney, (2023) Mensajero Publications, €12 from www.amazon.es

Camino Ignaciano, Murray Stewart, (2022) Bradt Guides, £16.99 (Also as e-book)

Stephen Cottrell has been the Anglican Archbishop of York since 2020. Prior to that appointment he has had extensive pastoral experience as a bishop and priest in England. He has written extensively both for adults and children in a very approachable way.

 

His latest book is aimed at Christians of all ages but especially for children and parents and it is interesting that the dedication of the book is to his own grandchildren. There is a helpful introduction. He states that all Christians will encounter words which have special meanings, such as Sin, Reconciliation, Trinity, Incarnation. They cannot be avoided, but they need not be off-putting. He remarks that he was not brought up going to church and he would have found such a book useful when he first became interested in Christianity.

 

The book is a very attractive format. It has a hard cover, something less than A4 in size and with just under 70 pages. It is fully illustrated on every page with black and white linocuts. They are the work of the illustrator Jack Seymour and add considerably to the book. They are both detailed and eye-catching and repay careful observation to see how they connect to the text. Most of the text is just a paragraph.

 

It is important to say that this book is written by an Anglican cleric and it is unashamedly Anglican Christian in its stance. Does that cause any problem for Catholics? I do not think so. The text of the Our Father is that of Anglican Prayer Book, so we read Our Father which art in heaven….thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, and the text of the doxology ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory….’ is included in the prayer text. We say it together in every Eucharist.

 

In the section on ordination, the text says that Jesus calls people to a particular ministry of leadership in the Church today, just as he called the apostles. He goes on to say ‘Men and women serve the Church as bishops, priests and deacons.’ This is a statement of fact about much of the Anglican communion, which nonetheless admits of a variety of practice in different places.

 

This work is not a polemical work and does not argue for any point of view other than to encourage people in their own journey of faith. As the author says, Human life is a journey. It begins when we are born. It ends when we die. When we become a follower of Jesus the journey of life that ends in death becomes a holy pilgrimage that leads to life.                                

                               

P is for Pilgrim by Stephen Cottrell.

Illustrated by Jack Seymour.

Published by Hodder & Stoughton (2024).

Prices (approx): Paperback £8, Hardcover £11; Kindle £7

In comparison with its near neighbours Wales is a ‘low profile’ country. Its social or religious difficulties don’t draw world headlines. It seems the Welsh people play their rugby, sing in their choirs and get on with life.

 

Carry Your Shoes and Come is a lovely expression of that world, of Welsh faith. It’s an invitation to ‘come on a journey now … sharing wonders, marvels, hopes, truths’ (p 14). On that journey author Michael Lewis Owen (a Catholic) is joined by his two friends Chris (Church of Wales) and Ann (Welsh Presbyterian Chapel) to ‘offer a small example of Christian Unity in action’ (p 4).

 

As is to be expected ‘in this world of song’ (p 5) there are numerous musical suggestions provided to embellish the texts. It’s as if the written word alone doesn’t fully convey the message. And the choice is eclectic – ranging from well-known classical pieces to Leonard Cohen and Cat Stevens with several Welsh tunes interspersed.

 

The book consists of 102 reflective poems composed by the author during the tumultuous events of 2020, an extended uninvited period for musing on life’s meaning! The ‘volume’s subject matter is quite intriguing’ (p 2). However, there is no doubt what lens the author looks at life through: these are faith-based poems or better, Bible-based pieces. There are Bible references given for each piece in the appendix. Some are from the Old Testament but the majority are from the New.

 

For my own part I like prayers and reflections grounded in scripture. It keeps them rooted in Christ and not totally dependent on the author’s imagination. What we hope for is some little original light or spark to make the Bible text live, something to briefly stop us in our tracks.

 

We’re familiar with Peter’s reaction at Christ’s Transfiguration but never quite imagined it as ‘Sheer brilliance – and Peter starts / Babbling about making three tents’ (p 58)!  And the Samaritan woman who met a thirsty Jesus at the well and hurries back to town ‘To tell my friends my new found truth, / Leaving more than my drinking jar’ (p 81).

 

What of the woman of ill repute who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, covered them with her kisses and anointed them with her ointment? (Luke 7:36-50) ‘Her reputation’s bad / But her devotion’s great / She knows his forgiveness’ (p 88). Her devotion wins the day – we need to hear that. And similarly, the famous story of the prodigal son ‘“My father, I have faults to tell …” But no more than that is spoken / The strong embrace absolves the wrongs’ (p 90). This picture of God’s forgiveness rhymes perfectly with Pope Francis’ message to our broken world.

 

Little gems pass by almost unnoticed. At the crucifixion ‘Look at his clothes / In piles of four / As booty. / A touch of his hem would / Cure’ (p 112). ‘Where are the other nine? he inquires / Knowing full well what we are like / Quick to ask but so slow to thank’ (p 70). We are given numerous examples of what all the languages might have sounded like on Pentecost – a treat for linguaphiles! (pp 132-134).

 

Carry Your Shoes and Come is like a box of rich chocolates. Eating them all at one sitting might prevent us savouring the taste of each one. It can be dipped into whenever one feels disorientated, because ‘Deep down you know, don’t you?’ (p 15) It will illuminate dark steps on the road. 

                               

Carry Your Shoes and Come by Michael Lewis Owen

Independently published. Available from Amazon.

€10 / $12 Approx

All royalties from this publication go to Hope House Tŷ Gobaith in Wales to help fund their care for children  diagnosed with life-threatening conditions.

www.hopehouse.org.uk

Ten years ago, the Poor Clare Sisters in Galway produced a book of prayers and reflections. To their own surprise and that of many others it was an overnight success and became an instant classic. It caught people’s imagination at that time and somehow answered a need, which was often unspoken. This is an updated tenth anniversary edition. It takes account of changes in the past decade, including the pandemic, the sometimes intrusive growth of social media, and also things which are now more freely recognised such as mental health, the reality of ageing and the stresses and anxieties of the young.

 

The Poor Clare Sisters trace their origin to Clare of Assisi, a friend and one of the first followers of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernadone, whom we know as Francis of Assisi. Although of noble birth he renounced wealth and embraced a life of poverty and simplicity. He founded the first Franciscan order in 1209. Clare was a noblewoman in Assisi and was attracted by the spirit and life of Francis and in 1212 he founded the order of Poor Clares under her care. Their life has always been characterised by prayer and radical poverty.

 

At the end of the book there is a line ‘we hope that the book is a fruit of our way of life here…’ It comes from a group of women who have dedicated their lives to contemplative prayer in a spirit of joy and dedication to God. It is not a textbook, or a doctoral thesis, or an examination of complex abstract theological ideas. Rather it is something which captures the joyfulness and simplicity of living a life illumined always by God’s love and the free response to that love. It is written jointly by a community of Sisters who daily hear the prayer requests of those who visit their home or contact them by letter or through social media. The Sisters who, have had a presence in Galway since 1642 understand the pain and longing of the hearts of so many.

 

The book is beautifully presented. It is substantial, a hardback of three hundred pages, with subtle floral decoration on every page and simple illustrations dividing the sections. It is a book that can be dipped into, to find perhaps a few lines that speak to us just as we are and there is a table of contents for those with a particular need.

 

Those who feel uncertain about how to pray will be helped by a section on Ways to Pray, which in very simple terms, and in the tradition of St Clare, will teach anyone how they can develop a relationship with God in prayer. The message is that it is not difficult, and it is available to all.

 

As well as prayers to the ‘old faithful’ saints we have known since childhood, there are prayers to St Faustina, canonized in the year 2000, Blessed Marie-Celine of the Presentation, beatified in 2007 and Blessed Carlo Acutis who died as a teenager in 2006 and was beatified in 2020. Pope Francis has held him up as an example for young people of the social media age. And surely it is the first prayer book to address FOMO, which is textspeak for ‘fear of missing out’. Anyone who finds the pace of modern life hard to keep up with, and that this promotes anxiety and distracts from inner and outer peace, will relate to this.

 

A particularly useful section gives ‘prayers and reflections to accompany those who are dying’. The dying, and those who love and care for them, may find prayer difficult. The words provided here will offer great comfort.

 

This would be a very fitting book to turn to in this holy season of Lent.

​

Calm the Soul - A Book of Simple Wisdom and Prayer

by The Poor Clares, Galway (10th Anniversary Edition)

Published by Hachette Books Ireland. Available in bookshops and online.

€16 Approx, prices may vary.

One of the opening items on many meetings now is the declaration of conflicts of interest. As I write to review the second volume of Fr John Cummins’ sermons, edited by his family and friends, I need to declare my own interest. John and I were friends from our days in Maynooth and all through our ministry until John’s untimely and tragic death. His carefully collected sermons for all three years of the liturgical cycle have now been published with the production of this new book containing the sermons for both Years B and C. So am I reading this book both as a user and a friend.

 

Most priests have bookshelves filled with books of sermons. Most of them have been written with the preacher in mind and as preachers we often have a complicated relationship with them. Even when the weekend arrives sooner than expected and you are desperately searching for a starting thought, it’s a matter of luck whether you find the thought that will give you a sermon. When you read a sermon in its totality, even when it is very good, it is difficult to hear it in your own voice. The same is true in a bookshop – after a browse through various books on the shelves, you will inevitably pick one where you think you can hear the preacher’s voice. And so our shelves are filled to capacity with books collected over the years, moving them from parish to parish and barely used. 

 

What is different about this volume and its predecessor is that it has been edited wonderfully to be a source of spirituality for all readers, those who have to preach and those who don’t. The link to the liturgical year is obvious no matter what your approach is and John’s sermon for each Sunday gives us an insight to how he saw that Gospel being good news for our time. Underneath each Sunday heading is a short phrase, capturing the essence of the Gospel and the sermon. A great starting point for the browsing preacher. But the editors have also added a side bar to each Sunday which contains a key sentence from the Gospel or the matching Reading and also an invitation to a Personal Reflection. This addition makes it a book for everybody who is looking to link the Sunday Gospel to their personal reflection during the week. These are sometimes challenging invitations, sometimes comforting encouragements and sometimes an invitation to prayer. 

 

As you read through the sermons you get a strong sense that John saw the invitation of Jesus in the Gospel as being at once deeply challenging and life giving. The sermon often includes an acute observation of modern life and its choices and always brings the two together in a thoughtful synthesis. John’s strong scholarship is visible when he links the First or Second Reading of the Mass with the Gospel message. His extensive research and reading over many years is often visible.

 

For those of us who knew John well, the reading of each sermon evokes a strong memory of the man, priest, brother, friend that he was and you can almost hear his distinctive style and voice. For those of us who still grieve his loss, this is a great treasure. I was reminded of the William Cory Johnson translation of the Callimachus ode on the loss of his philosopher friend Heraclitus. “Still are thy pleasant voices, thy nightingales, awake: For Death, he taketh all away, but them he cannot take.”

 

And on that whimsical note, it is very appropriate that the book cover has John in philosophical mode, chin in hand, a la Rodin’s “Thinker”. This was a very familiar pose when he was attending to what someone was saying, and ready to respond with words that deepened and widened the experience for everyone. The book is great credit to his family and friends who over the past few years have worked to create a memorial for him in word and picture and to offer his deep spirituality to the readers of this book. The publication quality is also above the usual standard for a book of this nature and is of a quality that will pass the test of time and frequent use. May God bless all who had a hand in its publication. Go gcúití Dia bhur saothair libh.

​

Fr John Cummins grew up in Newbridge, Co Kildare and attended the local Patrician primary and secondary schools. He was ordained a priest in June 1991. John spent most of his priestly ministry in Carlow town where he was chaplain in the then Regional College and Administrator in the Cathedral. He became PP of Abbeyleix and Ballyroan, Co Laois, only 18 months before his death. He died in an accident outside his home in Abbeyleix in January 2019. RIP.

​

My Life in Your Hands - Year B & C by Fr John Cummins, €15.

Available from most parish centres in Kildare & Leighlin. 

Woodbine Books, Kilcullen – www.woodbinebooks.ie 

Farrell & Nephew, Newbridge – www.farrellandnephew.ie

One of the unexpected consequences of the Covid pandemic was the extraordinary emergence of Mass celebrated ‘online’. It seems that almost every parish now has its own webcam. Not only is Sunday Mass transmitted live but weekday Masses coming into parishioners’ homes has now become routine. 

 

It’s hard to calculate numbers of course but paradoxically more people might now be assisting and celebrating weekly Mass than before Covid. However, whether at home or in church the congregations hear the same Bible readings – indeed the same gospel stories are read daily all over the world.

 

Over the last sixty years, since the Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has developed a very systemic programme to ensure as wide a range as possible of readings from the Bible is proclaimed at Mass. Sunday Mass follows one system, while the weekday readings follow a different cycle. 

 

Traditionally, Catholics have not been very familiar with the Bible. Our companions in the established Protestant churches can teach us a lot in this area. The ‘good book’ is precious to them. What we all must be aware of however, is, that the Bible deserves our time and concentration! It was written over centuries by hundreds of people speaking different languages in different countries. 

 

The meaning of words and phrases change, places disappear, other accounts of events are found. We can’t simply ‘impose’ our world and our experiences on to the world and the writing from biblical times. This is a tendency which some fundamentalist Christians can sometimes have. As Catholics we are encouraged to seek from the various readings some truths that are necessary for ‘our salvation’, for living a holy and wholesome life. 

 

That is the background to Martin Hogan’s book The Word Is Near You. He reflects on the weekday readings, particularly the gospels, for the liturgical year 2023/24 (4th December 2023 to 30 November 2024). As hinted above his aim is “to listen to the gospel readings on their own terms while showing how they can continue to speak to our lives today” (p 3). That is the secret to spiritual nourishment from the gospels and other Bible readings. 

 

Martin devotes roughly a page to the gospel of each weekday, at times referring to the first reading. As a scripture scholar he knows the background; occasionally a passing comment, iceberg like, can reveal a hidden world. He seamlessly moves from the text of the gospel to our everyday lives, without any preconceived position as to what that might mean. There is always a phrase or idea to ‘take away’.

 

From February 26th (Lent) we read that ‘we are made in the image of God, and only a life that, in some way, reflects the life of God is worthy of us and will bring us joy.’ Or later on in Lent (March 3rd): “It is very tempting to make God in our image, our own personal image or our own image as a nation”. 

 

The gospel for the feast of St Joseph (March 19th) is from Matthew, who tells us that Joseph was confused about Mary becoming Jesus’ mother. A story perhaps that might seem distant from our own personal experience. However, “it reminds us that God continues to communicate with us in the challenging situations of our lives, including crises of intimacy. There is no personal dilemma that need cut us off from God.”

 

The author’s opening comments on the gospel for 22nd May are eerily relevant. Jesus rebukes his disciples who try to prevent someone doing good because they were not ‘one of us’. An early example of ‘group think’! We can be blind to the idiosyncrasies, good or bad, of ‘one of us’. 

 

This book, in simple language, has something for the preacher and the participant whether in church or virtually. Indeed, if participation at Mass is not possible, it gives a refreshing reflection for each day. It is a trustworthy resource for anyone who reflects seriously on the practise of their faith and is highly recommended.

​

The Word is Near You, on Your Lips and in Your Heart by Martin Hogan

Published by Messenger Publications, 2023. €19.95/£18.95

Available from www.messenger.ie

It goes without saying that the bible is an extraordinary book. It is inspired by God while at the same time written by human beings. Over the centuries we have probably given more emphasis to the divine aspect of God’s written word. However, in recent times the human contribution has come to the fore. As a human endeavour we can say that the bible is more a library of books than a single work, written over many centuries in different countries, in different languages and in different religious contexts. In addition, it contains what are called different “literary genres” (styles of writing). And so, we have myths, legends, prayers, proverbs, letters and many more variations.

 

In our everyday life we spontaneously recognise these ways of speaking in our own language. We don’t treat a joke like a prayer. We recognise when something was written hundreds of years ago and is not immediately understandable. Now we know that to appreciate the full meaning of God’s written word we must tease out it’s human background also. This is the approach Tom Higgins, a retired primary school teacher from Co Mayo, takes in his recent book No Room in the Inn and which he explains very clearly in chapter one. As he says it would be an impossible task to give all the books in the bible the attention they deserve so he gives special attention to key sections from the Pentateuch and the prophets. In the New Testament he concentrates on Mark’s gospel. His work subtly conceals an enormous amount of background research and prayerful reading of the bible text.

 

It is a book to be consulted for a deeper appreciation of the bible rather than to be read at one sitting.

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No Room in the Inn, Reading the Bible Today by Tom Higgins 

ISBN 978-1-5272-8639-9; €24.95

Available from: www.amazon.co.uk

Knock Shrine Bookshop (www.knockshrine.ie/online-shop)

The Castle Bookshop, Castlebar (www.mayobooks.ie)

‘If you are a walker this book will resonate with you, if you have seldom or never walked this book should be compulsory reading.” Rosamund Young

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The above words are printed on the cover of this book. I quote these words because they sum up my thoughts after reading it. I enjoyed Walking by Erling Kagge.

 

The act of walking is something we naturally do all the time but do we ever analyse its many benefits or how we walk? This book spells out or describes what can happen as we walk. It is a guide for us to relook at how we walk, how we experience places with our whole body. A person’s gait can sometimes tell us more about the person than their face. If we are walking behind someone, we have time to observe their manner of walking. 

 

It is a delightful short book that is well researched with many references to well known writers. Kagge is influenced by a wide range of authors and draws from their insights. To name a few: Kierkegaard, Hippocrates, George Mallory, Paulo Cognetti and Kathy Sullivan who walked in space. He refers to the recent trend of forest bathing that has become popular in Ireland for its many benefits to health. He has an interesting reference from Genesis where it says that ‘God walked with Adam in the garden in the cool of the day.’ I found it amusing to read that Adam may have been bored in Paradise as outside of Paradise, he could walk for ever. 

 

The stages of walking are fascinating. We are amazed watching a child learning to walk and not aware how perilous this event can be, using arms to balance, spread toes to grab floor and avoid falling by taking short steps. A similar pattern happens in elder years when a person becomes fragile.
The author illustrates how complex the feet are; bone structure, muscles, ligaments and tendons. ‘Your feet are your best friends. The head must be in contact with the feet at all times.’ How we feel is often reflected in the way we walk. Noticing people returning from a walk, they may be tired but their eyes are glowing, they have a spring in their step and smiles on their faces.

 

Walking is one of the best free exercises you can do. To walk alone is to enjoy a simple pleasure, a sense of freedom. No one knows where you are so if you turn off your phone you are alone. ‘Walking and silence belong together.’

 

Why do we walk? Every person will have their own reason for walking. The physical advantages listed in the book will be obvious. ‘He who walks lives longer, memory sharpened, blood pressure falls, immune system gets stronger….’ We all experience walking differently but ‘to put one foot in front of the other is one of the most important things we do. Walking has a way of expanding time rather than collapsing it.’

 

A memorable experience for me was a long walk on the Camino in Spain for a hundred kilometres with my sister Rita, from Villafranca to Santiago de Compostela. I was afraid that I would not be able to walk every day but as the days went by I got into a rhythm of walking. It was a wonderful time for me to reminisce, plan the future and to compare the countryside with familiar scenes of my home area in Co Tipperary and just to be. On reading this book I found myself remembering and reliving some of the experiences of that week.

 

This year, on St Kevin’s feast day (3rd June) pilgrim day walks were organised again in Glendalough. Various groups of walkers walked the many old pilgrim paths down to the monastic city. I Ied a group of 20 people from the Wicklow Gap down the Glendasan valley into Glendalough. It was a beautiful sunny day with lovely fresh breezes to keep us cool. It was an ideal day for walking. We started on the mountain top at the ancient stones of the old pilgrim route at the Gap and reflected as we looked back westwards on all the roads we have travelled in life and then looked forward, eastwards and reflected on all the roads we hope to travel. As we continued our journey, we remembered those who travelled these paths in ancient times. We stopped at places and shared stories, shared thoughts on the walk or short reflections that were coming to mind. I used this book and read appropriate lines about the benefits of walking. The consensus at the end of the walk was that it was a wonderful experience and yes, I did notice in the faces of the group bright eyes, smiles and joy as we walked up the hill to end the walk. This confirmed Kagge’s findings in his book.

 

I like the way the author describes how he feels at home in a new place, experiencing it with the whole body. When I came to Glendalough 18 years ago, I set out to walk every valley and hill to experience the area from different viewpoints. I was letting my feet discover what my eyes were seeing. Now every season as I walk around alone or leading groups, I notice so many changes in the area. Every season of the year opens new scenes. The recent month of May has been spectacular; the blossoms on the hawthorns, the candles on the chestnut trees, the catkins on the willow and the bright blossoms on the gorse and the many tiny flowers lifting their heads from the beautiful earth. There is only one way to experience this great beauty and that is by walking. Certainly a compulsory read for someone who has seldom walked.

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Walking, One step at a time by Erling Kagge

Published by Penguin 2020. Prices from €11 approx.

Available in bookshops and various websites.

The parish, a family of families, has been the foundation and cornerstone of Church life for centuries. Parishioners feel connected to their parish and very often want it to continue ‘as it always was’. Now we see that events and the passage of time is undermining that hope. The old wineskins are being stretched, even ripped apart.

 

Up to recent times, all over the Catholic world, the parish was very dependent on priests. Not alone did they celebrate the sacraments but all aspects of parish life were referred to them. An unintended consequence of this was that the priest became the public face, almost the ‘owner’ of the parish. Indeed he often took on responsibilities in the parish which were not strictly linked to his ordination as a priest at all. And parishioners generally were more than content to let ‘Father’ assume that role. They had busy lives to live supporting their families. 

 

That tradition of parish life that we are familiar with could easily give the impression that ‘the priest is the parish’. And alongside that, the view that the ‘ordained’ person is the one who keeps the Church alive. This has led to the sacrament of Holy Orders being highly revered and indeed at times seen as ‘superior’. Now, the experts  tell us that if any sacrament is to be considered ‘special’ it is Baptism. By Baptism we become Christians and everything follows from that.

 

This is the insight which Patricia Carroll teases out in her book Becoming A Pastoral Parish Council. All the baptised have a responsibility and some gift to contribute to parish life, thus spreading the kingdom of God in their parish and beyond. She chooses key texts from the New Testament which show all the baptised contributing to the community according to their particular talents. To each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7) And so “Every baptised person is called to the ministry of building up” (p.15). She often appeals to Pope Francis’ writings to make those early Church insights applicable to today’s parishes/communities. 

 

If in the past the parish was seen as the place to celebrate (receive) the various sacraments, now it is seen as “an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration” (pp 14-15, quoting Pope Francis). It is the fertile ground where the gifts of baptism, often gone unrecognised, will be nourished and brought to maturity. 

The Pastoral Parish Council’s (PPC) reason for being is to facilitate all the baptised of the parish realise their Christian potential. It is not the finance committee, or the buildings maintenance committee. It is “a faith-filled leadership group through which priests and people work together as co-responsible partners in furthering the mission of Christ in their own parish” (p.17, quoting the Irish Bishops). Ideally the ‘local’ will then extend to the ‘global’.

 

The author’s aim in the book is to help the pastoral council carry out its mission. She succinctly sums up how this might happen with five words, all beginning with the letter ‘P’! Pastoral, Prayerful, Partnership, Planning and Participation. These give the Council its ethos.

 

A message to be got across is that every parishioner by virtue of baptism is called to actively participate in parish life. This as we know is going against centuries of tradition! The PPC is pastoral. It “is primarily focused on everything that relates to the faith life of the parish” (p.22). The model for this is The Good Shepherd. 

 

Prayer is the oxygen of parish and PPC life. In addition to saying the traditional prayers Pope Francis proposes an attitude of prayerful ‘discernment’. The PPC reflectively tries to pick up the movement of the Spirit in the parish.

 

To function as it should the PPC has to stress partnership – the parish is everybody, priests and people together putting flesh on the Good News. The PPC is not a parliament with government and opposition. And finally as the mission of the PPC is to be ‘down to earth’ it requires serious planning to keep it focused. Unless meetings and initiatives are carefully structured, good will and resources can be lost. 

 

This is a little gem of a book. The chapters are short and end with reflection questions. While its focus is the Parish Pastoral Council, along the way it gives us an exciting understanding of what parish life can be. There is no highbrow jargon. It is an exciting and stimulating read for anybody who wishes to become an active member in their parish at a time when parishes are facing big challenges.

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Becoming A Pastoral Parish Council by Patricia Carroll Published by Messenger Publications, 2022.

€9.95

Available from www.messenger.ie

Travelling on Titanic with Father Browne is a very appropriate title for this book celebrating the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the ship on 15th April 1912. The pictures and written sources enable the reader to re-imagine the journey of Frank Browne from Southampton to Cherbourg and Cobh/Queenstown before the great ship, which was said to be practically unsinkable, set sail for America. The acknowledgements at the beginning of the book show that the author E E O’Donnell SJ has been thorough in his research having visited museums, people and places relevant to the story both in Ireland and the USA. 

 

The book will have great appeal to the visual learner and the photos are accompanied by concise detail in script enhancing the historical settings and background. The images appeared in newspapers around the world and after the 1912 disaster they became the collective memory of the tragic event. They reveal real people embarking and disembarking from tenders and ships as well as passengers of different classes and dress styles. Fr Browne was a keen observer of people as some of the best photographs illustrate.

 

Browne’s early life and career are well documented. He was a clerical student at the Jesuit Milltown Institute in Dublin in 1912 and had received a present of a camera from his uncle who was Bishop of Cloyne. The author explains that the Bishop was a father figure to Frank who lost his mother after birth and his father in a drowning accident when he was a teenager. The Bishop’s residence at Queenstown ensured Frank’s links with the sea port and with ships. The second gift was a ticket to sail on the voyage of Titanic on Deck A, first class, room A37, disembarking at Cobh. The reader can discern that Browne was a good people person, naming many in the pictures and it doesn’t come as a surprise to discover that he was offered a ticket by rich American passengers to travel across the Atlantic with them. However, when he sought permission from his Provincial the curt reply was “Get off that ship.” This is one of many ironies revealed in the book which adds to the fascination surrounding Titanic.

 

This publication is enhanced by the Foreword of Dr Robert D Ballard who discovered the wreckage in 1985. It is beautifully printed by GPS Colour Graphics, a Belfast-based print company incorporated in April 1912. Carolanne Henry, Communications and Marketing Executive with Messenger Publications points out that this company was formed “while Titanic was actually on the ocean, sailing towards its doom.” The book has photos and archival records from 42,000 film negatives which were discovered by the author in a case in the Jesuit archive in Dublin. Fr Browne had himself completed an album of Titanic in 1920 which contained 63 pages and 159 photographs. Together they help to produce a fuller understanding of the story of Titanic. Some photos that Fr Browne would have discarded as fuzzy or unsuitable are now revealed showing furniture, decor, rooms, dress, fashion, uniforms and people. A photo showing the last glimpse of captain Edward Smith looking down over a lifeboat appears like a portent of things to come as the lifeboat is central in the picture. Also the boy on deck playing with a spinning top is one of my favourites as it shows adults observing the child at play without realising that they were on camera. The photograph of the gym with the instructor on the rowing machine will be of interest to all fitness and rowing enthusiasts.

 

For students of history this book is a treasure because it lays out a clear and simple chronology of Titanic from contract and construction in 1908/9 to its launch in 1911 and fitting out and sea trials in 1912. Dr Ballard’s discovery of the wreck in 1985 was at a depth of 12,460 feet and the location of the wreck by his joint French-American expedition threw further light on the distances from possible rescue ships on that fateful night of doom. Copies of original telegrams from Titanic to the Russian ship SS Birma are included along with other material sources such as a ship menu received later by Fr Browne. The telegrams reveal the calm, methodical distress messages in handwriting with dual signatures sent from the Communications room which Fr Browne had photographed.

 

There are ironies pointed out in the book which add to the fascination and wonder about coincidences. When the ship split in two before it sank it split through the room on A Deck which Fr Browne had occupied on his voyage to Queenstown. Newspaper reports were positive at first until the scale of the tragedy became clear within a few days. Over 1,500 had perished and about one third of the passengers were rescued. This book contains copies of newspaper reports that Fr Browne collected and letters he received from people after the event. He gave numerous lectures and survivors provided their own descriptions of the atmosphere on deck as the tragedy unfolded. From one amazing letter regarding lectures about Titanic’s sister ship Olympic it is evident that The White Star Line management in Liverpool were anxious to steer lecture topics away from the Titanic in 1913: “…we do not wish the memory of this calamity should be perpetuated.”

 

An interesting account of his journey by Fr Browne himself is included from The Belvederian, a college publication that he founded. The reader gets a clear and concise account of the scale and majesty of Titanic. The poem In Memoriam at the end of the book is full of imagery of the open sea at night where The Ice King had slain his foe. Students of English, geography, communications, photography, history, physical education and engineering can all take insights from this book just as students of history and religious studies can benefit from tracing Fr Browne’s career after Titanic.

 

Titanic was described as a very Protestant-built ship in Belfast even though a number of Catholics worked on its construction. It seems ironic that a Catholic clerical student/ Jesuit priest would become so famous in showing the world the beauty of the ship’s interior and exterior! On reflection it seems right to conclude that this book is better for not highlighting this irony and other myths. It makes it a more universal read, free from anything untrue or sectarian. Every school would benefit from having a copy of this journey on Titanic with Fr Browne. The presentation and layout are excellent and suited to readers of all ages. It would make an ideal Christmas gift.

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Travelling on Titanic with Father Browne by E E O’Donnell SJ with Foreword by Dr Robert D. Ballard. 

Published by Messenger Publications www.messenger.ie

Available in bookshops and online. Hardback €25.00

Missionary or rebel with a cause?

In his new book, Father Gabriel Dolan explains his life’s work in Kenya and why he chose to speak truth to power.

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Six weeks after the coup attempt of August 1st, 1982, a young Irish priest arrived in Kenya to take up his first missionary posting in the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar in Turkana, a deeply impoverished and marginalised region in the semi-arid northwest of the country. Gabriel Dolan couldn’t have come to the country at a more challenging time. President Daniel Arap Moi was tightening the screws on all forms of opposition to his rule, and the country was rapidly descending into authoritarian rule.

 

But Fr Dolan was not daunted by the many obstacles his missionary work in Kenya would likely face. Instead he saw them as an opportunity to carry out Christ’s vision by empowering the millions of people in the country who had been neglected and oppressed by the State for years. Like the many liberation theologians in Latin America who fought against dictatorship in the 1980s, he had a vision of a people being free of poverty, violence, ignorance and oppression. After seeing the dire conditions in Turkana, he founded the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, which became an important vehicle through which the people of the region could voice their concerns.

 

And so began a journey that would see Fr Dolan not only become a thorn in the flesh of powerful Kenyan politicians but the country’s elite clergy as well. The Catholic priest’s human rights work in Kenya over the last forty years, which almost got him killed, has now been captured in his book Undaunted: Stories of Freedom in a Shackled Society – a scathing indictment of Kenyan society and its political leaders. In his book Gabriel Dolan describes his work in Lodwar, Kitale and Mombasa, three very different parts of the country with their unique challenges, but ones he was familiar with, poverty being one of them. Like colonised Kenyans, the people of Northern Ireland had experienced landlessness and evictions under the British Crown. Poverty and homelessness were ever-present threats during Gabriel’s childhood. His father worked as a farm labourer and the family lived in a house that lacked electricity and running water. When the landlord sold the farm, the Dolan family couldn’t find another home for months due to discriminatory housing policies that favoured the ruling elite. That heartbreaking childhood experience, he says, instilled in him a compassion for the thousands of people in Kenya who face the threat of demolition and eviction on a daily basis.

 

It is, therefore, no surprise that much of Fr Dolan’s work revolves around land and housing rights, which in Kenya are extremely volatile issues that have been festering beneath the surface for decades. He does not mince words when he blames post-independence leaders for perpetuating land alienation and displacement that marked the country’s colonial history, and for failing to implement policies that would reverse skewed land distribution.

 

“The families of the country’s three Presidents since independence jointly own around one million acres of the best and most valuable land in the country…Displaying most of your wealth before your citizens’ eyes makes you quite vulnerable in time of conflict and transition. It also provides a powerful motive to retain power at all costs because a radical change in leadership would put your property and businesses in real jeopardy. That message is often not understood by the Kenyan public despite their obsession with the politics of transition,” he writes.

 

Fr Dolan documents various cases of housing rights violations and outright theft of public land by politicians, including a heartbreaking case where the Kenyatta family callously evicted people in Taita Taveta to secure 20,000 acres of land. Not only were the people violently evicted but their water supply was also deliberately cut off. Recent promises by President Uhuru Kenyatta to hand over some of the land to the original inhabitants also resulted in tears as the title deeds issued had no clear owner, with some titles having more than one family registered. Others were given titles to land that was already occupied. “How much land does one family need?”

 

Fr Dolan also wades into various timely topics that have impacted Kenyan lives in the last few years, including devolution. While not dismissive of the concept, he believes that some governors have started to act like mini dictators by milking their counties for their personal benefit. He has a particular bone to pick with Mombasa governor Hassan Ali Joho, who has been challenged in court by Haki Yetu (an organisation founded by Fr Dolan) for taking on an expensive housing project on public land with little public participation, and without consulting the communities affected. Joho regards the Irishman as “an enemy of development” even though it was clear that the project would have benefitted very few people and that private developers would be the biggest beneficiaries.

 

It is quite obvious that Father Dolan has been inspired by another Catholic priest in Kenya who was murdered for defending the rights of the poor. Although he barely knew John Kaiser, the American missionary whose mysterious death in August 2000 led to public outcry and a botched Commission of Inquiry, he sees in Kaiser a man of God who was not afraid to speak truth to power, even if it meant exposing some of the country’s most powerful politicians. Father Kaiser’s revelations cost him his life, but as Fr Dolan says, his death did not end the struggle for truth and justice in Kenya.

 

While reading the book, I couldn’t help wondering if it is Fr Dolan’s deep faith that propels him to work for the voiceless or whether he is an iconoclast who uses the Church to carry out his rebellion. My feeling is that it is both – not only do Jesus’s teachings motivate him but Kenya’s highly unequal and unjust society provides him with a just cause. He is deeply inspired by Catholic priests in Latin America who laid down their lives to protect the poor, and by Pope Francis, who comes from the same tradition. In the spirit of Pope Francis he is not afraid to point out where the Catholic Church has fallen short in its unique God given mission. An obvious example is the relation between politics/politicians and the Church in Kenya.

 

Gabriel Dolan is a man of rare courage. I suppose one of the advantages he has over Kenyan writers and commentators is that he represents a powerful international religious institution that few Kenyan politicians would dare to take on. But as the case of Father Kaiser (who Dolan describes as a martyr) shows, even men of God in Kenya can be eliminated if they pose a threat to the status quo. By documenting his experiences, Father Dolan has done this country a huge favour. Present and future generations in Kenya will get to understand how and why we got to the place where we are at now.

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Undaunted, Stories of Freedom in a Shackled Society by Gabriel Dolan

Published by Zand Graphics Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya.

Available from St Patrick’s, Kiltegan

Tel: 059 64 73600 €10 plus postage.

Also available from various online booksellers.