Reading List Update

It’s time for a quick reading list update. So far this year, I’ve finished the following books

The Screwtape Letters The Great Divorce , Mere Christianity, Problem of Pain – C.S. Lewis
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks – Penguin Classics
Every Man’s Journey – James P. Campbell
Hold Me Tight – Dr. Sue Johnson
After Jesus – Reader’s Digest
St. Francis of Assisi – G.K. Chesterton
Jesus of Nazareth – Pope Benedict XVI
Weaving The Web – Tim Berners-Lee*
Roots of the Reformation – Karl Adam*

This month I have only finished two books:

The Confessions of St. Augustine – St. Augustine (“aw-gust-in”)
Well, this was quite a challenging read! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like it. It is part prayer, part philosphical  questioning and part autobiography of the West’s most famous Early Church Father.

Quite a few months ago I went to watch the new movie of St. Augustine’s life, Restless Heart, which was a nice preparation for reading The Confessions, probably St. Augustine’s most famous work.  In fact, it is from this book’s opening chapter that my  blog takes its name:

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” 
– The Confessions, St. Augustine, Book 1, Chapter 1

In the form of a prayer, beginning with his earliest childhood memories, Augustine chronicles the story of his life up until his baptism at the age of 33. Over the course of the story you really get a sense of Augustine’s restlessness and his desire for truth.

My version of the book had copious footnotes, citing the passages of Scripture being quoted or alluded to by Augustine. While reading, I played a game of guess-the-citation which I found endlessly entertaining 🙂

As I said above, this was, at times, a tough read. The language was complex and the thoughts expressed profound. There were parts of this book which really made my head hurt, particularly in the latter portions where the book became less autobiographical and he wrote philosophically about the senses, memory and time. Although it was challenging, the beauty of Augustine’s wisdom would regularly shine through.

Expect to see a good number of Augustine quotations in the coming weeks…

Imitation of Christ – Thomas à Kempis
This spiritual classic had been repeatedly recommended to me so I was glad to finally get around to reading it. The overall message is very simple: be humble, don’t cling too heavily to the things of this world, know your own frailty and trust in Jesus. The final book on the Eucharist is a little different, but that’s pretty much it.

This message is repeated chapter after chapter after chapter and I would imagine some people would find this rather tedious. I’ll admit, at times, I really wished that the author would move onto fresh ground. However, I think that the entire point of the book is to drill these truths into your head and heart. We have a real tendency to over-complicate our religion and skim over these basic Gospel truths. So, if you’re looking to grow in humility and trust and you’re looking for devotional material, this is the book for you.

Although I only finished two books I am now very close to finishing:

Philosophy For Dummies – Thomas Morris

…which leaves the following books still unread:

The Path of Life – Cyprian Smith OSB
Introduction to the Devout Life – St. Francis de Sales
Jesus Among Other Gods – Ravi Zacharias
Rediscover Catholicism – Matthew Kelly
Everlasting Man – G.K. Chesterton