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).