52 in 25: #51 - Love Does Such Things

There is a tradition in Advent to prepare for Christmas started by my parents years ago, and now I continue it on.  Every year, I read this beautiful little book called Love Does Such Things by Reverand Mary Raymond, O.C.S.O, published in Milwaukee in 1955.  It is a real treasure, and a book I highly recommend picking up if you can find it.

 

Fr. Raymond walks through the Christmas story, from the Annunciation through the return to Nazareth after Egypt.  Each chapter represents a different letter, to spell out the ultimate word of Christmas: “SAVIOUR.”  So the chapters are: Shepherds and Sheep, Angels, a Virgin, Nativity and Name (J=I), Offerings, Urgency, and Return and Retirement.  In the end, he sums it all up that God does all of this for you, for whom Love Does Such Things.

 

I love this book.  Each time I read it, something else jumps out at me.  I can’t tell you how many times little tidbits have made their way into my homilies during the Christmas season.  It also has beautiful paintings recreated in it.  I think it would be awesome if someone like TAN reprinted it to make it more available, because right now the only way to get it is to find it second hand (apparently there was a recent reprint, but it also is not available and it looks like it’s missing the original images).  Again, if you can, get a copy and enjoy it for years.

52 in 25: #46 - Wild at Heart

A couple of months ago, I watched an interview with John Eldredge and was fascinated with his book Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul.  I'm kind of shocked that I had not heard of it or him before, since it was first published 25 years ago.  I was given it for my birthday, so I was happy to get to read it.

 

            It is very thought-provoking.  I don’t agree with everything, but a lot of it I find very powerful.  It has definitely seeped into my homilies recently.  It is about reclaiming masculinity.  Too many men today have become emasculated or gone the “toxic masculinity” route.  For Eldredge, it boils down to three things: a battle to fight, an adventure to love, and a beauty to love.  These are the basics of what makes a man.

 

            I especially liked this book because it is a call to action.  Too many times, as men, and even in the Church, we are called to be passive.  That has caused deep wounds, and, in the case of the Church, has made it uninteresting to too many men.  I see this in the priesthood, where it has been proven that the focus on the priesthood being “easy” has contributed to the vocations crisis, whereas dioceses that emphasis the difficulty of the priesthood tend to have more vocations.  Men need a challenge.  A call to action.  Any man who is worth a lick knows this is true.  Of course, as Eldredge says, we don’t want that to go too far to unmitigated violence.  There must be a balance, a focused energy, but one that is not afraid to take risks.

 

            I will say the one downfall of this book is that in the “beauty” section it might get a little…graphic for some readers.  Kind of a “clinical” graphic, but it might still be too much for some.  Aside from that, I highly recommend this to all men, especially any going through an identity crisis, and even for women to help “their men.”  I understand that there is a series of other books, for the woman’s soul, for couples, which are probably good as well.