I was writing last week about some ways to enrich your faith by learning something new or finding inspiration from scripture. Two suggestions were offered: Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” and his “Catechism in a Year.” I stand by my suggestions, and if you were to ask either of our Catechism discussion groups, I’d bet that they would agree! (If you want to learn more about either of these groups feel free to contact me.) Shifting gears, a bit, this week, I’d like to discuss the value of a Christian based book club. While such groups are easy to start, you can bet that people will always have an opinion about the criteria for picking books.
There are those who will assert that the only books that should be featured in a Catholic book club would be overtly religious texts. Their contention would be that books about the lives of saints, discussing sacraments, or other aspects of theological or Christological texts, should be the only ones included in the lineup. (I know, I’ve received hate mail to back up my assertion!) To be sure, there IS value in reading these types of texts. If you enjoy history, or deep philosophical thought, you are on your way toward enjoying this type of club.
I, on the other hand, have found a great deal of value in reading and discussing books that contain some sort of moral issue, or value system featured as a part of the book, yet they might be fictional stories, or any other type of literature. Let’s face it, that is almost any book! I have found this type of book to be of great value due to their approachability. Most folks enjoy reading a book that introduces ideas and concepts in a way that is enjoyable and not overly complicated. Let’s face it, most people don’t choose to suffer any more than they have to! An optional book club isn’t going to have any members if all of the chosen books make people’s heads hurt, or bore them beyond compare! In my experience, what keeps a book club going is to have texts where the plot is driven by a serious moral decision or the aftermath of poor decision making, Societal ills, or even their opposite, can be rich soil for things that really matter to a Christian. Just like the parables of Jesus’ day, these stories of everyday life, where meaning can be found in the most common situations, allow the reader to dive into deeper issues that often bring great insight.
I am happy to say that the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD) has joined me in my assertion! Over the past year, I have noticed that they have released several book lists that include a wide variety of genres. Having said all of this, I think we, at St. Therese, are going to follow the lead of the AOD! We have a group that meets once per month, most often on the third Thursday of the month at 10 AM. If there is enough demand, we can open up the possibility of an evening group as well. Our current members have worked together to come up with a great lineup of books, well into the future. Our book for September 21, 2023 is Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things. Please consider joining us! Also know that our reading list will be available on our parish website. Call me if you are interested, and remember to check out the list on our website.