A TWO-READ BOOK
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this feast of the Conversion
of St. Paul is, “A Two-read Book.”
I never heard that phrase before….
Last night before going to sleep I grabbed a magazine to
read - just to get more tired. It was an
old 2007 copy of the Sunday New York
Times Magazine. It didn’t come in yesterday with the snow, so maybe that’s why I read this old issue. I
might have read it years ago - and that’s why I saved it.
I began reading an interview of the hockey player, Sean
Avery - who was playing at that time for the New York Rangers.
In the interview he was asked, the question, “Books
You’re Reading?” and he answered, “Guns,
Germs and Steel,” by Jared Diamond. He added, “A friend recommended it to
me…” Then he said, “I think it’s a two-read book. I’m battling through it the first
time, and then I’ll go at it again.”
I looked up on Google what the book was about. It’s
non-fiction. It’s about geography and geology and a host of other complex
issues. It’s about why Eurasian Countries have done better than African and
Island countries.
Interesting …. However, I was more intrigued by the idea
of a two-read book.
BOOKS I’VE READ
MORE THAN ONCE
I asked myself about books I’ve read more than once.
Mere Christianity by
C.S. Lewis was definitely a two, three, four re-read book.
I remember I read a biography of Vincent Lebbe, a
Vincentian Priest, Thunder in the
Distance 4 Times.
I read With God in
Russia two times at least. It’s the autobiography of Walter Ciszek, the
Jesuit priest who got embedded in a Siberian Concentration camp. Fascinating
read.
So too the book, The
Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck. I read that at least 2 times and
sections 3, 4 and 5 times. In fact I’ve listened to the audio take of that book
a bunch of times as well.
So I’ve done re-reads - the idea of re-reading something more than
once.
How about you? I’m
sure we’ve done that with articles, poems, letters, cards. That’s easier than a
whole book.
WHY THIS TOPIC
TODAY?
First answer, I had to come up with a homily for this
Mass and this thing I read about last night was fresh on my mind.
Next: today we’re
celebrating the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
He did an about face on how he read Judaism, the Law, and
what he was hearing about Christ and his new Way of doing Judaism and life.
And Paul tells about his change - his conversion - his
about face - his confession in the Acts of the Apostles as well as in his
letters.
And come to think about it, we’ve all heard and read over
and over again the Letters of St. Paul.
And come to think about all this and to consider all this
- many of us have taken Bible Study Classes
or talks on St. Paul.
In this homily I would say that the key point I would
think is to write down what we learned - and then read and re-read what we
learned and have written down.
Take Paul’s Letter
to the Romans. I have read Karl Barth and Karl Rahner’s books on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. I’ve studied
Stanislaus Lyonnet’s book on the Letter
to the Romans - so too Martin Luther’s book on Romans - plus I’ve read and
re-read St. Augustine’s take on St. Paul and his key messages - in Augustine’s
Confessions - certainly another re-read.
Good. Good boy.
But till I can sit there and express clearly how I have grown - changed - been
converted - when it comes something I read in Paul’s words or about Paul’s
words, I’m all words.
Like that hockey player, I think we should realize how
hard re-reads are - but if we re-read something we might get to the heart of
his matter and experience significant changes - places where we are being
called to being changed.
CONCLUSION
Today we celebrate Paul’s conversion, his about face, his
re-reading of the Law and the Prophets - especially what Christ and
Christianity is all about.
A clear specific answer would be the Law and Practice of why
we are going to Mass on the Sabbath.
Yesterday was a perfect example - with the big snow
storm. The Archbishop of Baltimore said we don’t have to go to Mass because of the
snow. Was that common sense? Or would
folks feel guilty by staying home and playing it safe?
Paul would scream what Jesus said, “The law is made for
us and not vice versa - so stay home as the diocese screamed and save your car
and your body from crashing. Amen.
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BOOKS
Martin Luther, Preface
to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
Karl Barth, The
Epistle to the Romans, translated from the Sixth Edition by Edwyn C.
Hoskyns, Oxford University Press, 1972
Vincent Taylor, The
Epistle to the Romans, London 1955
Ernest Kasemann, Commentary
on Romans, 1980
Stanislaus Lyonnet, Epistle
to the Romans
