Not much to post at this time, but here are some book I read in the last two months:

• Anthonology
• Middlemarch! George Eliot, Folio Society
• The Jericho Files
• Red Storm Rising (Eight hundred pages of World War III!)
• Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)
• The Motive (Well-done crime-drama mystery)
• The First Fast Draw (I can’t believe I read this. My literary culture went down 70%. Still, I guess any bibliophile ought to read ONG L’amour)
• Roadwork (Really good, but one of his more disturbing novels, and that is saying something)
• The Queen of the Damned (Vampire Chronicles) (I rarely put books down and don’t finish them. Sorry vampire fans: the writing is well-done – the subject bored me to death. But I found her Christ the Lord VERY good.
• Walden (I should have read this a long time ago. A great classic. I still think he’s too arrogant, but a really fine book. Famous quote: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation: what is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” (p.7)
• Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome) (Saylor writes a lot of fun historical fiction, set in Republican era Rome. His research into ancient Roman customs, food, and politics is exemplary. My favorite kind of fiction, entertaining and educational.
• Cell: A Novel (One of his more bizarre plot-lines. And that is saying something)
• The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) (This is a great new English translation of the French classic. It’s the full version (1350 pages), not the condensed text that most people read. Some favorite quotes:

“…the patient and noble task of the prisoner (is) to make something out of nothing.” (p.189)

“Only someone who has suffered the deepest misfortune is capable of experiencing the highest of felicity.” (p.1242)”

Upon the recommendation of a number of friends, I read The Shack, a recent book by William P. Young. It has been lauded as “this generation’s Pilgrim’s Progress.” I cannot praise it that highly, for it lacks the literary expertness and theological depth of that classic tome. I do recommend it, though. It raises important questions about evil and suffering in the world, and attempts to give some answers. The answers are not, however, trite and clean: the author recognizes that faith and God are mysteries, and must always remain that way. Trust in God, and relationship with God, are the twin themes. Mirroring the book of Job, the story implies that the only real comfort we have in this world is that God is with us, even when it seems he is not.

The novel begins with a gruesome premise: the main character’s 5-year-old daughter has been abducted and murdered in a shack in the woods. Years later, the father feels mysteriously called to go back to the shack. He confronts his horror, his questions of God, and his own faith.

Though the writing and plot are sometimes a bit corny, the questions and the theology are spot on. I have been surprised to learn that some Christian groups have been disturbed by its theology and imagery, and even labelled it “read with caution.” My suspicious is that these Christians, along with many non-Christians, misunderstand the purpose of fiction to tell a truth, thus they think some of the symbolism and imagery are to be taken as literal doctrine. Alas, they need to go read the parables of Jesus: which use fiction to make a point as well.

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We ate at a wonderful French restaraunt tonight: Le St. Germain. They were selling their bottles of wine for half price, and since we were celebrating a birthday, we opted for a 2004 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Chenes Carteaux. Tres magnifique! (I am partial to wines from Bourgogne.) It accompanied my escargot and duck perfectly. Finished off with a French soufflé and a café et Godiva liquer et cognac.

A common and ancient Jewish prayer before meals is “Blessed be You, O Lord, King of the universe, who brings forth wine from the earth.”
Amen and amen. Blessed be the Lord.

One of the prayers often used in Celtic devotions begins in this way:

Oh Lord, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the One in Three
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever more shall be.

This short introductory and closing phrase for a prayer is an amalgamation of a number of passages from Scripture. This essay focuses in the second like: “make haste to help us.”

It is the cry one of in distress, one who is at the end of the rope, who sees hope ebbing away and knows no other salvation except from God.

This phrase is found throughout Scripture: Psalm 38.22; 40.13; 69.17; 70.1; and 71.12;. Of the seven passages, six of them use the Hebrew word chush—the other uses maher. The first word means simply to move quickly, to come with speed and without tarrying. The second means the same, though it can also have the sense of impetuousness or fleeing from catastrophe.

Psalm 70.1 is the clearest example of the phrase at is is used in Celtic prayer. Literally, it reads something like

God, deliver me!
Lord, hasten to my aid!

The first word is Elohim in Hebrew, the name for God. The second line begins with a word that is impossible in Hebrew: it is the consonants of the sacred Name of God, YHWH, the name he gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. This name was never to be spoken out loud, out of reverence for God. Eventually, the vowels for the word for Lord, adonia, were added to the consonants YHWH, resulting in a word unpronounceable in Hebrew, but usually rendered “Yahweh” in English (This is also where the English word “Jehovah” comes from.) Since Jewish readers were not to say the name of God out loud, when they came across the word YHWH while reading Scripture, they said adonai instead. This is why it is translated “Lord” in English translations.

So our Psalmist uses two different words to address God: the general word for God, and then “Lord,” reflecting the holy Name of God that is not to be pronounced. Much like our parents might call for us with our first name and middle name (usually when we are in trouble), the Psalmist wants God’s attention through repetition of his name!

“Deliver” means to snatch away, as if grabbing a small animal away from the jaws of a wild anima in order to save it. “Aid” or “help” means simply that: a noun describing assistance or succor.

It is strange that the beginning of this Psalm tells us that it is intended for “the memorial offering,” seeing as it is obviously a cry for personal distress against enemies who wish to harm the one praying this Psalm. The Hebrew word, hazkir, can also mean “a remembrance,” as in “remember me” or “hear me” and thus might also be translated “a petition.”
The Psalm is almost exactly the same as Psalm 40.13-17, and also has strong connections with Psalm 69, so much so that they may have originally been one Psalm, or at least were intended to be sung or prayed one after the other.

Regardless of these facts, the Psalms are a wonderful education in the practice of prayer. This Psalm inspired a German hymn by Paul Gerhardt in the 1600s, “Herr, dir traue alle Tage” (“Lord, I Trust You Every Day”). As it inspired Herr Gerhardt (who also wrote “O Sacred Head”) so it can inspire us. Use this prayer as a model for your own prayers in times of distress. Read Ps 69 and Psalm 40 as well, and see what you think the connections might be.

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See the following prayer books for prayers in the Celtic Tradition.

William John Fitzgerald. A Contemporary Celtic Prayer Book. Chicago: Acta Pubns, 1998.
BV245 .F57 C66 1998

J. Philip Newell. Celtic Treasure: Daily Scriptures and Prayer. Grand RapidsL Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.
BV260 .N495 2005

Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community. Northumbria: Northumbria Community, 2002.
BV245 .C398 2002

Today is the anniversary of St. Columba’s death (597 CE), on the holy Isle of Iona off the coast of the Western Highlands. Also known as Colum Cille, he founded the monastery on Iona, having come from Ireland in self-exile. (The story is that he was responsible for a great battle, all because of an illuminated manuscript). When he realized how many deaths he was responsible for, he exiled himself from his beloved Eire, and sailed west.

He vowed to found a monastery in western Scotland, and, from their, to train monks to help him bring Christianity to all of Scotland. He had been responsible for 3,000 deaths: he now vowed to save 3,000 through the message of the Cross.

His influence in 6th century Scotland was significant, and some credit him with bringing the Gospel to the Picts of the highlands. It is said that he eventually even turned the King of the Picts to Christ, visiting him many times in Inverness. Of course, other Celtic monks, such as St. Mungo (Kentigern), also had great influence.

St. Columba is said to have climbed the the highest spot on the small Isle of Iona each day, a 300 foot high hill with a rocky outcropping at the top called Dun I. He would sit and gaze eastward, towards his homeland. (The picture at the top of this website was taken from that spot, known now as Columba’s Seat.

Iona is a mystical place, and one of the places on earth where it seems that the separation between heaven and earth is particularly thin.

Some of the better books about the beginnings and growth of Celtic Christianity are:

MacKey, James P. An Introduction to Celtic Christianity. T. & T. Clark Publishers, Ltd., 1993.

Bradley, Ian. Celtic Christianity. Edinburgh University Press, 1999.

Snyder, Graydon F. Irish Jesus, Roman Jesus: The Formation of Early Irish Christianity. Trinity Press International, 2002.

A book which includes some writings purportedly from St. Columba:

Davies, Oliver, Fiona Bowie, and Continuum. Celtic Christian Spirituality: An Anthology of Medieval and Modern Sources. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995.

A DVD about Celtic saints, including St. Columba:

Pillars of Faith – Celtic Saints

While much of the story, life and truth about St. Columba are shrouded in the mysts of ancient history and myth, Nigel Tranter has written a fine and well-research historical fiction novel about him. We recommend it.

Nigel Tranter. Columba. Signet Books, 1995.

Another less literary, but still enjoyable novel, includes a section on St. Columba:

Crow, Donna Fletcher. The Fields of Bannockburn: A Novel of Christian Scotland from Its Origins to Independence. Moody Pr, 1996.

Sometimes, we here at Kele-Dei think that finding quality olive oil is more important than most of the social, political, and religious argument and debates we often engage in. We were eating a fine dinner at the Asador Casa Matias in Madrid one evening, and, as is the wont of Continentalists, were fiercely arguing world politics. Someone asked one of the men, a Doctor of Philosophy (who had said nothing so far) what he though. After a sip of fine Spanish wine, he said,

I am not interested in arguing the issues of power politics, but in the quality of olive oil and the future life of my daughter-in-law.

We all laughed, yet thought he had presented us with some wisdom. We turned to the excellent food before us, gave thanks to God, and enjoyed the fare (for which Asador Casa Matias is reknowned).

Olive oil is most revered in the Scriptures as well, used for food, for perfume, and especially as sacrificing and for anointing kings, prophets. The term “Messiah” means “anointed one,” and presents a picture of one upon whose head God has poured olive oil. Even the visions in the book of Revelation know the value of olive oil: God tells the black rider “do not damage the olive oil and wine!” (Rev 6,6).

Buy some good olive oil. Extra-virgin, cold-press. Buy it from Italy or south France. Cook vegetables in it, brush grilling meat with it, sauté fish in it. And, mostly importantly, as a mise en bouche or tapas, pour a bit in a shallow plate, add a bit of balsamic vinegar (from Modena, Italy), crushed pepper to the top, and dip your bread in it. Give thanks to God for his creativity and brilliance to create such a wonderful and useful food. Bon Dieu et bon apétit!

It is often said that to live in Christ is to live a cross-centered life. What does that mean? Some believers emphasize that “spirituality” primarily consists of “following God’s path” or “seeking God’s will” for our life. Though there is truth to those ideas, they run the danger of putting us in the driver’s seat, instead of God. If our call to spirituality is simply to “figure out what God wants me to do” then we may reduce Christianity to an intellectual pursuit clothed in spiritual-sounding phrases. If I figure it out, I am doing well and doing God’s will. If not, I am “off the path.” Which means my spirituality is dependant on my intelligence and research, not upon God being present in my life in every moment.

Our call is to respond to opportunities God gives us right now. That is what it means to have “the presence of God in my life”: not ascertaining the future path he has for me. Seeking God in work, school, play. The path I take is far less important than having a Christ-like attitude in my words, thoughts, and actions at this very moment.

It doesn’t matter whether the moment is mundane or eventful.
It can be making a bed, or it can be celebrating a marriage.
Think, act, and speak as Christ.

It doesn’t matter whether the moment is joyous or painful.
It can be celebrating the birth of a child, it can be suffering with cancer.
Think, act, and speak as Christ.

It doesn’t matter whether the moment is encouraging or humiliating.
It can be receiving award or recognition, it can be accused of being a sinner.
Think, act, and speak as Christ.

The cross is the symbol of every call God offers us in every moment of every day: it is suffering, but it is also great joy. It is sacrifice, but it is also an act with incredible meaning. It contains great pain, but also great love. Judgment, but also mercy. The cross is not something we can always understand, but it is also something we know God calls us to.

They are all one, and all moments for celebration and praise. In the Western world we have a tendency to believe that our goal is to find comfort, peace, and happiness. This probably derives from the American Declaration of Independence. It may be a misunderstanding of what the American ForeFathers intended. (The Declaration, by the way, was largely based on the Scottish Declaration of Independence made at Arbroath in the 14th century. It did not spring full-grown from the mind of Thomas Jefferson.)

Spirituality consists of living every moment as a “cross-centered” moment. Every moment. Not just the “important ones.”
This is a great task for humans. Not to strive for happiness and peace, not to “succeed”—these would be simpler goals to work on. The task is to let go of “figuring it all out,” and simply live Christ in each of the moments given to us.

We have read about Job suffering greatly. Not only is he suffering because of external circumstances, but he is also struggling with why all this is happening to him. It seems to be a suffering that is way out of proportion from any sin or sins he may have committed.

In the book of Ecclesiastes addresses this issue, maybe more than any other book of Scripture. The writer seeks to understand the meaning, or the purpose, of life. Why are we here? What is our purpose? How do we find it, and what do we do about it? The author writes about there being a time and a place for everything:

For everything there is a season: a time to be born, a time to plant, a time to heal, a time to build up, a time to laugh, a time for dancing, a time for gathering, a time to embrace, a time to seek, a time to keep, a time to mend, a time to speak, a time for live, ad time for peace.

Did you notice anything wrong with that list?
Every other item is omitted according to the original texts of Ecclesiastes. The list enumerated sounds like a secular political or social agenda intended to create a utopia wrought by humans. What was left out of the biblical list?

For everything there is a season: a time to die, a time to uproot, a time to kill, a time to break down, a time to cry, a time to mourn, a time to scatter, a time to refrain from embracing, a time a time to lose, a time to discard, a time to tear, a time for silence, a time to hate, a time for war.

The second list, if we have any humanity in us, makes us uncomfortable. Yet this is nothing new when we turn to Scripture. God has a way of often making his people uncomfortable. If we are believers who are never uncomfortable with what God is asking us to do or believe, then we are ignoring him. The call of faith is one that calls us to serve when we think no one appreciates it, to humble ourselves when we think it is should be asked of us, to sacrifice when we think it is unfair, and to forgive when we do not think we should have to.
It is easy to manufacture doctrine and theology in a nice, safe cathedral or in our own home. It is much harder to face the truth out in the world. Living the the life of a spiritual person and seeking the God’s calling is not something we do by our own will and intellect. It is helped by that, but we can truly seek God’s call by being in his presence, right now, at this moment. Good or ill, happy or sad, rejoicing or lamenting, all takes place in the presence of God. None of us can know what might happen to us tomorrow, for it belongs to God. I might be able to ignore the suffering that might come to me, but come it will. And so will rejoicing and relief, evetually, if we live all of life in close sommunion with our Lord. I cannot know what future moments holds for me. But I can know what God has given me in the present. What I do with the present is my choice.
The Lord give and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

See that you be at peace among yourselves, my children, 
and love one another. 
Follow the example of good men of old, 
and God will comfort you and help you, 
both in this world 
and in the world which is to come. Amen.

Attributed to St. Columba, 597 AD; given to his followers on his deathbed

The New International series of bible commentaries is a pretty good set. While the commentaries are by good scholars, they are readable by the general public and not too technical.

The New International Biblical Commentary offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit. Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes. (From RBL)

A commentary on Job was published just last year, written by Gerald H. Wilson. A review by Katharine Dell can be found here in the Review of Biblical Literature. Below is the description of the commentary from the RBL website.

Wilson, Gerald H. Job. Peabody, Mass./Milton Keynes, U.K.: Hendrickson/Paternoster, 2007.