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C. S. Lewis on the Fullness of Life: Longing for Deep
Heaven, by Dennis J. Billy, CSsR. Paulist Press, 2009.
Drawing on C.S. Lewis’
“Deep Heaven,” Billy leads his readers into six aspects of the life of Jesus and His redeeming actions, all gleaned from the Apostles’ Creed. He writes about incarnation, Passion and death, descent into Hell, Resurrection, Ascension, and Second Coming. Each chapter has a list of reflective questions and prayers to help the reader discover practical applications for one’s relationship with God. The great importance of “Relationship with God” occurs again and again in each
chapter.
Billy begins by introducing his own early doubts about the Incarnation. What is it all about? Was it necessary? Was it like a concept of the Easter bunny or Santa Claus? He learns from Lewis that it all that counts; nothing else matters. If God exists and is all powerful, why couldn’t God come to earth as a babe and live like other humans Billy knew? He learned from
Lewis that the incarnation tells us that happiness has something to do with giving ourselves to others.
The author relates how he also came to doubt the death of Jesus. Was it necessary? Could God not have devised another way to free humankind from sins? Did it have to be a horrible death by crucifixion? “God has a heart and it can be broken. He was willing to become one of
us and die for us in order to manifest his love for us, to mend our hearts, and make us whole.” “Jesus dies, not only to change the powerful course of history, but also to change our hearts.”
Billy goes through each part of the Creed, showing his lack of belief and how Lewis came to make the doctrine clear.
(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review)
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Consciousness, Conversion and
Grace by Carla Mae Streeter, OP Feb. 21, 28; March 7, 14,
21 6:30 - 8:00 Central Free-will
donation The Lenten season is a time for conversion, but we often wonder how to enter into our own transformation. The insights of Jesuit Bernard Lonergan can help us understand ourselves and how God heals us with our help. These five sessions will explore God's action and our intentional
response.
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St. Leander of Seville: (534-600). March 13
The next time you
recite the Nicene Creed at Mass, think of today’s saint. For it was Leander of Seville who, as bishop, introduced the practice in the sixth century. He saw it as a way to help reinforce the faith of his people and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. By the end of his life, Leander had helped Christianity flourish in Spain at a time of political and religious upheaval.
Leander’s own family was heavily influenced by Arianism, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander’s cause. He and the new king worked
hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties. Leander died around 600. In Spain, he is honored as a Doctor of the Church.
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