52 in 25: #18-25 - Retreat Reading!

That's not a typo.  I kept saying, don’t worry, I know I’m falling behind, but I have my retreat coming up.  I think I did a bit of reading this week.  I’ll just throw it in one big update.

 

18. I finished this just before the beginning of my retreat, so need to start with this.  I stayed with science fiction, but went back to a classic that I have never read (again, this year I’m trying to read some classics that I’ve missed).  And so, I read H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.  I’ve never seen the 1953 movie, but of course I’ve seen Speilberg’s movie from 2005, so I had a little idea of what to expect.  It’s very different, however, being set when it was written (1897).  The technology is wildly primitive (to what we have today).  I can appreciate it for being important, “ground-breaking,” etc.  That being said, I still think the finale, with the martians just…dying, no big climactic battle, is a bit underwhelming.  Plus, the narrator is pretty weak, just always reacting (sometimes poorly) and not be proactive in any way.

 

19. Next, this is a book that I have been reading for a bit, a few pages at a time, and finally completed.  John Rosengren’s Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes.  The baseball stuff is pretty good, he’s an incredibly interesting character.  As is his involvement in WWII.  The unfortunate thing is that his personal life was something to be desired (a “playboy,” married twice).  I also thought the author spent too much time on the social/cultural topics of the time, though I understand why he did it, just that it was rather tiresome.  It was a big “meh” for me.

 

20. I may have said this before, but much of my WWII interest before I visited Pearl Harbor was in the European theatre.  That isn’t completely true, however, because in grad school I wrote a number of papers on the nuclear bomb, so I am fairly familiar with that side of it.  One story that I was not very familiar with, however, was the sinking of the Indianapolis.  I knew it, like most people, mostly from Jaws.  So, I had to read Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic’s Indianapolis.  This was a fascinating history, tragic, maddening at times.  It was heartbreaking, and at times I got a bit emotional.  I also have to say that at first I was disappointed that so much of the book was focused on the after-effects, the court martial and exoneration of Captain McVay, but in the end I that it was worthwhile.  A thoroughly interesting, page-turning historical work.

 

21. Yes, I also did some religious reading on my retreat.  I’ll start with James F. Day’s book Saint Michael the Archangel.  It’s short, but a good overview of the importance of St. Michael, devotion to him, and why he is loved.  It also made me want to make a pilgrimage of “The Sword of St. Michael.”

 

22. Next up was Jeremiah Johnston’s Body of Proof: The 7 Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus-and Why It Matters Today.  During Holy Week I watched an interview with Dr. Johnston about the Shroud of Turin, and it was so good I wanted to read this to get more information.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a bait-and-switch.  The Shroud is not even mentioned in this book!  Yep, it’s not one of the “7 Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection.”  He’s Baptist, so it’s more of a Biblical “proof” of the Resurrection.  The problem is that, while of course I believe in the Resurrection, I felt that a number of his reasons were quite flimsy, even bad.  Just as an example, he claims that Christianity changed society all over the world.  First of all, yes it did, but is that proof?  Second, he claims that Christianity led to amazing technological developments.  As a (former) historian of technology, this claim is a stretch at best, blatantly wrong at worst.  I guess he didn’t realize that much of the technological advancements (even some that he mentions) actually came from China, India, or other points East?  I give this book a “hard pass.”  One of the more disappointing books I’ve read recently.

 

23. The main “theme” of my retreat was St. Peter.  I felt God was calling me to get to know him a bit better.  So, I’ll start with Scripture.  I read two commentaries on Peter’s letters, but since they are part of larger compilations, I will say they add up to one book for me.  The more substantial was the volume on Peter’s letters and Jude from the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series (this by Daniel Keating).  I also read through St. Bede’s commentaries on the letters (it’s his feast day tomorrow, after all).  These commentaries were incredible (as to be expected), and really helped me to enter into St. Peter’s letters.  Excellent!

 

24. I also read a fairly short but deep work by Georges Chevrot, originally published in French in 1937, Simon Peter: Lessons from the First Pope.  Unfortunately, I found out this is abridged, but I don’t know of another version in English.  It’s basically 24 chapters based around each time Jesus speaks to Peter in the Gospels, with a reflection on what it tells us about Jesus, Peter, and us.  I loved this, especially on retreat as an entry into contemplation.  Highly recommended.

 

25. Finally, I also read Tim Gray’s Peter: Keys to Following Jesus.  Again, this was great for more contemplation on Peter in Scripture, but beyond the Gospels to the Acts and even Sacred Tradition.  I have to say that, between all of these, I have a better appreciation for our first pope, and what it means to be a shepherd for the Church.  I also think I have some great homily material, especially for Lent and Holy Week.  Just one example that really stood out to me.  Jesus renames Simon as “Peter Bar-Jonah” (son of Jonah), but we already know his father was John.  So Jesus not only gives him a new “first” name, but a new heritage as well.  And who is Jonah?  Jesus is the new Jonah!  So Jesus is calling him His son!  Excellent insight to reflect on.

 

So there you go, 8 books, and another on the way (about a third through).

52 in 25: #17 - Vatican II Collection

I realized I was selling myself a little short.  During Lent, I lead a small group discussion on the documents of the Second Vatican Council.  While I had taught on the documents before, I still did quite a bit of research, using four volumes in particular.  Three I had read before, one I had not, so I can at least include that in my reading for the year.  It was The Word of Fire Vatican II Collection: Declarations and Decrees.

 

Word on Fire also has a collection of the constitutions, which I read again, but it was my second time through it, so no counting here.  Regardless, this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Vatican II.  It’s a bit pricey, but it’s worth it.  Not only does it look nice, but it has great commentary included.

 

The main body is the texts for the declarations and decrees themselves.  Those you can get all over, though they are presented in a nice, clean way here.  Two great features really make this outstanding.  First is the occasional commentary by Bishop Robert Barron, who help to parcel out the most important points.  Second, and most valuable, is the inclusion of postconciliar papal documents that highlight the continued importance of these documents in the life of the Church.

 

Again, they are a bit pricey, but the two Word of Fire collection books are indispensable resources for anyone using the Vatican II documents for catechesis, research, or just for personal enrichment.

52 in 25: #16 - Extinction

Next up was a novel I heard about not too long ago, and I had to read it because it was compared to Jurassic Park.  This was Extinction by Douglas Preston, published just last year in 2024.  I was actually going to wait for this as summer reading, but the last stinker pushed it further up my list. 

I read it fairly quickly because it is a page-turner.  I have to give him credit; he definitely kept me interested.  It was hard to put down at points.  In that way, he is Crichton-esque.

The book ended up being something a bit different from another Jurassic Park (which he references a few times).  It sucks you in with a cover similar to Jurassic, a park with ancient “de-extinct” beasts similar to Jurassic, and some interesting science.  But soon, I realized it is much more of a detective novel than anything else.  It wasn’t bad, just not what I was expecting.

Essentially, a couple mysteriously dies at a resort with ancient Pleistocene mammals in Colorado.  Law enforcement officials arrive to investigate.  It quickly escalates into chaos.  I don’t want to give anything more away, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who might read it (or watch the inevitable movie that will be made from it).  In the end, the message is clear (again, like Jurassic), just because science can do something doesn’t mean it should.  Or, as one of the characters says: “If something can be done, it will be done—no matter how dangerous.”  We actually are closer to this technology than we may want to acknowledge, but we should stay far away.

Overall, it was a good, fun, read.  Calling it “Crichton-esque” is big praise from me.  I recommend it for any fans of Crichton or detective stories.  I will be reading more from Preston.

52 in 25: #15 - Tales of the South Pacific

The next book I just finished was chosen for two reasons: its inclusion on a list of “Western canon” and its Pulitzer Prize.  It is also an author that I have wanted to read for a while, but I was always intimidated by the size of most of his novels.  This was Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener.  There was also some interest since the musical South Pacific was “based” on it, and I was in the chorus in high school.

 

To say I was “disappointed” or “underwhelmed” is a bit of an understatement.  I honestly cannot understand why this novel has/had so many accolades.  It’s 19 chapters of independent though loosely connected stories (“tales”) about the Pacific Theater in WWII, with some recurring characters.  Fans of South Pacific will recognize the likes of Luther Billis, Nellie Forbush, Emile de Becque, Lt. Cable, Liat, and Bloody Mary (the last three are in one overly long tale “Fo’ Dolla’” in the middle).

 

I guess I have two big complaints.  One is that I found it incredibly boring, which may have been the point, the many days/weeks/months of waiting around, but it doesn’t make a compelling story.  For a novel set in World War II, there’s a remarkable lack of war in it.  The second complaint was my surprise at the unabashed amount of sex in it.  Essentially all of the characters are dehumanized to each other so that they are just objects to be used, even those who “love” each other.  In the end, I’m surprised that a Pulitzer winner from 1947 has no redeeming value, no morals to take away.  Towards the end, I was skimming paragraphs because I had lost interest in it.  I definitely do not recommend it, and it makes it easier for me to avoid his much longer works.

52 in 25: #14 - The Paschal Mystery

Strictly speaking, I am falling behind.  That being said, I have two other books (besides this one) that I am close to finishing.

 During Holy Week, I decided to pick up The Paschal Mystery: Ancient Liturgies and Patristic Texts, a collection of homilies from Church Fathers edited by Adalbert Hamman, O.F.M., which was published in 1969.  In fact, the plan was to read it entirely during Holy Week, but life happened.  It’s divided into two sections.  First is “The Greek Church,” with homilies from the likes of Melito of Sardis, Origen, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, and others.  The second is “The Latin Church,” with selections from Jerome, a bunch from Augustine, Peter Chrysologus, and two “great” popes, Leo and Gregory, among others.

 

With so many voices, it’s probably obvious that it brings about a wide variety of impressions for the reader.  Some are inspiring, some are tedious, and there’s plenty in between.  On the bright side, I have already used some of the insights in my Easter time homilies, so it’s been helpful.  Honestly, any time we can go back and read the Church Fathers, it’s worthwhile.