My years in college opened me up to the vast horizon of the world's literature, and at the same time I began to take a deep interest in religion and theology. I couldn't read fast enough the books assigned to me by my teachers and recommended by my mentors and friends. There was no time to look back at books I had already read since there was still a mountain of reading before me.
I came across Bishop Morneau's article at a time in my late 20's when the steam of youthful enthusiasm had begun to wane just a bit. I took his advice and re-read a novel that a dear friend had recommended to me called Justine by Lawrence Durell (rhymes with squirrel). Justine is one of four novels called the “Alexandria Quartet” written just after WWII. Re-reading Justine was one of the most pleasurable reading experiences of my life. It spurred me to read the rest of the series and a biography of Durrell as well. For a while I was an insufferable Durrell evangelist, cajoling all of my friends to read the Quartet (though none of them made it past the first edition).
Morneau's life-changing advice has been on my mind lately because I am currently re-reading a marvelous book that also deserves a wider audience. It is called And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation by Fr. Robert Barron of Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago. I promise to blog more on the merits of this book later, but for now I encourage everyone who can't decide what to read next to go back and pick up a favorite for another dance. And do let us know your story about a re-reading experience.
I practice re-reading with various books....it's funny how each book becomes more intelligent every time I pick it back up...lol. I have a smaller book collection these days, but continue to re-read the ones I love, I get new meaning every time.
Posted by: Anonymous, London 9/25/2008 10:27:01 AM
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