A Commitment to Simplicity of Life Recommended Books by Sister Clare Wagner, OP (Marie Clarence)
Sister Clare Wagner, OP
The three books I recommend in “Soul Books” address what undergirds compassionate economics and a commitment to simplicity of life. They are about goods and services and self, generously and appropriately shared. In On That Day Everybody Ate, Margaret Trost tells the story of her own healing and of her life commitment to feeding people in Haiti who have become beloved to her. Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, pours forth sacred wisdom humbly and with deep insight in The Gift of Years, and, in Being Catholic Now, Kerry Kennedy respectfully shares the stories of 37 contemporary faith seekers. These stories raise questions, inspire, and offer new awareness to the reader. Through the sharing of service, wisdom, and faith stories, readers are made “rich” in these dire times.
Margaret Trost. On That Day Everybody Ate: One Woman’s Story of Hope and Possibility in Haiti. Kihei, Hawaii: Koa Books, 2008.
Margaret Trost lost her 36-year-old husband suddenly. She was 34, and her son, Luke, was 5 years old. A friend suggested that a trip to Haiti might help with her healing and her grief. She went; she struggled; she entered relationships; and eventually a call emerged in her to do all she could. Written in the first person, this book has a journal-like quality. The text is sprinkled with stories that are heartbreaking such as the mother of three dying of tuberculosis, with whom Margaret visited, and as many of incredible hope and joy—the day that everyone actually did eat at St. Clare’s Sunday meal.
On one level, it is a story about the development of the “What If? Foundation,” which began with a single donation and the Haitian community’s response of gratitude and ingenuity.
On another level, it is the story of Margaret’s soul journey to Haiti and the way it changed her forever. Terrible things happened in Haiti, which Margaret doesn’t hesitate to write about. However, Margaret and the organization she leads stay faithful. For those of us who may never go to Haiti, this book is an in-depth, virtual journey. Here is a quotation to remember:
A person would rather be a giver than a receiver. But sometimes you’re born in a country where you’re put in a position to receive. Others are born in a country in a better position to give. . . . The giver can sleep at night because she has the satisfaction that comes with giving. The receiver can sleep at night, too, because his belly is full.
Isn’t it true!
Sr. Joan Chittister. The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. New York: Bluebridge, 2008.
If my dear mother, Nora, were still alive, I would get this book into her hands as soon as I could. The book is so encouraging, challenging, and understanding of what it means to be an elder and how to be courageous in that process. High praise is due Sr. Joan Chittister because, while the book is rich in quotations from numerous wise, old people, the book is clearly born of Joan’s personal experience of getting older and the close relationships she has had with those walking this journey.
Did you know that as part of Nelson Mandela’s 89th birthday celebration, he announced the creation of “The Elders” and invited Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, and others to form a council? They meet twice a year to consider global issues and pass their thoughts on to younger world leaders. To entice the 65-plus group to read this gem, I will offer three quotations from the book (and it’s so hard to limit myself).
Growth in old age requires the curiosity of a 5-year-old and the confidence of a teenager (p. 47).
At its core, life is not about things, it is about relationships. It is the hands we go on holding in our hearts at the end that define the kind of life we have led (p. 79).
We have the joy of immunity from propriety now. Like children on a beach, we can decide whether we will wear sandals or go barefoot through life from now on (p. 30).
And so much more. When a wise and mellowed spiritual leader writes directly out of her wide and deep experience, we need to listen up. What a gift, what a treat this book is.
Kerry Kennedy. Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning. New York: Crown Publishers, 2008.
Kerry Kennedy was 8 years old when her father, Bobby Kennedy, was assassinated. Their Catholic faith was the sustaining force in her family, which endured multiple tragedies. While involved with the many devotional aspects of the faith prevalent in her growing up years, what has remained very strong is Kerry’s experience of the Church as the defender of the oppressed and promoter of justice.
This book contains the faith stories of 37 contemporary Catholics, ages 19 to 86. Among them are Anna Quindlen; Bill Maher; James Carroll; Nancy Pelosi; Sister Laurie Brink, OP; Martin Sheen; and Sister Betsy Pawlicki, OP. In each person’s story of her or his relationship with the Church, the reader is privy to an open and honest account of each one’s personal spiritual journey and the attitudes he/she holds toward the institutional Church. Martin Sheen writes of being an altar boy in the Latin Church, of drifting away several times, and finally of coming back. He writes, “I’d come back out of love and joy, no longer fear.” It was personal for him, then, for the first time.
Sr. Laurie Brink writes of her experience at age 19 in Jamaica as life changing for her. She tells how she “met the face of genuine and it was absolutely stunning.” The encounter with Olive in Jamaica eventually led her to embrace her Dominican vocation. Sr. Betsy Pawlicki, a baby boomer from New York, had been on a faith search for a long time and found her way to the Dominicans in 1993. She practices law with a Chicago firm and is called to focus on the dignity of workers and their right to organize. Betsy prays for Church leaders to “recognize and value the voices of all who love and comprise our church.”
And, in the essays of these three fine people I’ve mentioned, there is so much more than the tidbits cited here. This collection is a deep and valuable sharing of faith, and it invites reflection on one’s own journey in the Catholic tradition or any other faith tradition.
These three are what I call “everybody books” because they have such a general appeal. Do enjoy them.
These books are available at the Sinsinawa Book & Gift Gallery at (608) 748-4411, ext. 849, or online at www.sinsinawa.org/bookshop.