Review: The Sea

The Sea by John Banville
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again, the Man Booker Prize selection committee does not disappoint!

I loved this wonderful story about a tortured man trying to cope with the depth (and breadth) of his anguish. I'm also thankful to Banville for introducing the artist Bonnard to me. Impressionism is not my favorite style, but I would love to see some of these paintings in an exhibit. Like Banville's story, the paintings present indecipherable slices of ephemeral dreams, gossamer realities, where the interloper wonders about her place in the world, as does narrator Max.

And lovers of language will re-read many of Banville's beautifully crafted sentences.

The Sea was my first John Banville novel, but I look forward to reading many more!

View all my reviews

Review: Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis : On Care for Our Common Home

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis : On Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I understand that the Church (and especially Pope Francis, taking his name from St. Francis) has to make a formal statement about the Church's social doctrine and this is the optimum time to say something about the pastoral care of our planet and its varied cultures and denizens, but I question the efficacy of disseminating this message in an encyclical.

First of all, Laudato Si' could use an edit. It is at least twice as long as it needs to be. I found it repetitive and tedious.

Also, the Pope's message is intended for everyone, yes, but he mostly addresses the issues of two social groups: the disenfranchised poor and the consumer/capitalist-oriented rich; the haves and the have-nots; first-world and third-world peoples. The main problem is that these two groups have different lived experiences and so speak different languages. For example: what do people in North America know about digging through mountains of garbage to find the day's food? What do third world people know about shopping at Wal-Mart and being faced with the "choice" of thirty different chewing gums?

I fear that each group will only be able to relate to their own situation and, as the Pope warns, the poor (who have no political clout) will continue to suffer for the rich's selfish consumerism.

The text had barely been released and critics (American media) were already criticizing the encyclical's communist-leaning themes. So much for the worldwide collaborative effort to eliminate the problem at the geo-political level.

The Church does not need yet another document outlining its social doctrine, or bemoaning the destructiveness of miss-used technology. The track record speaks for itself, especially in Gaudium et Spes - the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World.

Sadly, as far as the issue of the Earth's care is concerned, no dire words of warning issued from the Vatican (a moral voice that even many misinformed Catholics are ignoring more and more these days) will create the necessary economic or social revolution.

Consumers will simply not delay instant gratification for a 'possible' environmental change to be enjoyed by a 'possible' future generation.

Pope Francis, and all idealists, welcome to the future: it is now.


View all my reviews

Review: Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Jacques Philippe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book doesn't crack my Top Five Essential Catholic Books to Read, but I would put it in sixth or seventh spot. This is the first book/treatise by Father Jacques Philippe that I've read, but I will be reading many more. Searching for and Maintaining Peace is a book that does exactly what it says it will do. I enjoyed Fr. Philippe's straightforward commonsense, yet profoundly theological, style and approach to finding peace and maintaining it both in everyday life and in a Catholic context. Explaining and understanding the issue of sin is fundamental to his treatise. Fr. Philippe is not a Carmelite, but he draws time and again from St. Thérèse, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. I highly recommend this short treatise to anyone who might be interested in deepening their Catholic spirituality.

View all my reviews

Book Review - The Hidden Treasure

The Hidden Treasure: Holy Mass (with Supplemental Reading: Novena of Holy Communions) [Illustrated] by St. Leonard of Port Maurice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this book St. Leonard argues against the common view expressed in the sentiment: "What's one more Mass, more or less?"

He presents numerous arguments why it does make a difference, and why the believer should attend as many Masses as possible for the safety and care of his/her soul.

Along with these arguments, the small book contains prayers and acts, along with a novena.

Besides prayers to pray during the Mass (Chapter IV) there is also a chapter on spiritual exercises in preparation for Holy Communion and Confession (Chapter V). Chapter VI lays out a program of rules for living well.

This book is definitely worth reading, but if you don't already attend Mass every day, St. Leonard probably won't convince you to change your ways - although, who knows, the reader might be convinced to attend more than once a week on Sundays.

View all my reviews