Richard Adams: The Unbroken Web

Most people become familiar with Richard Adams through his novel, Watership Down, but not me.  I picked up what looked to be a wonderful nature book at a thrift store called A Nature Diary by Richard Adams. While reading, you felt you were actually with him on Isle of Man in England walking the trails, seeing the birds, identifying plants, and experiencing the weather for that year. It didn't matter that the birds and plants discussed were not the ones I was familiar with on this side of the ocean.  (Although, a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains was discussed briefly.) The drawings in this book really added to the diary.  Then the library provided me with Nature Through the Seasons, and Nature Day and Night and to taste his story telling ability, I read The Unbroken Web,  a collection of folk-tales he has modernized.  In the introduction, he shares how he feels folk-tales have similar stories in all the world and this gives the title to the book.

"I see in a fancy -- I have a vision of -- the world as the astronauts saw it -- a shining globe, poised in space and rotating on its polar axis.  Round it, enveloping it entirely, as one Chinese carved ivory ball encloses another within it, is a second incorporeal gossamer-like sphere -- the unbroken web -- rotating freely and independently of the rotation of the earth. It is something like a soap-bubble, for although it is in rotation, real things are reflected on its surface, which imparts to the glowing lambent colors. Within this outer web we live. It soaks up, transmute and is charged with human experience, exuded from the world within like steam or an aroma from cooking food. The story-teller is he who reaches up, grasps that part of the web which happens to be above his head at the moment and draws it down -- it is, of course, elastic and unbreakable -- to touch the earth. When he has told his story --its story -- he releases it and it springs back and continues in rotation. The web moves continually above us, so that in time every point on its interior surface passes directly above every point on the surface of the world.  This is why the same stories are found all over the world, among different people who can have had little or no communication with each other." 

Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr

This book Everything Belongs was used for discussion in the Contemplative Group I attend.  It was my very first experience with the author Richard Rohr O.F.M., a Franciscan Friar and the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He now lives in a hermitage behind his Franciscan community in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Our group spend many months with this resource and it was very difficult to move onto the next chapter as we kept finding gems in the current chapter. We all gained tremendous insight from this study, as Rohr did indeed "pull out the chair beneath your mind," quoting the included verse of Mohammed Hafiz, from the first page until the very last page.
Limiting myself to a brief summary of this book is impossible, so I will just offer these reviews.

"Simply written yet deeply challenging.... At the base of all reality, Rohr writes, is God's radical grace."           ---The Mennonite

"The challenge of this book is simple, yet profound: Be aware. Be aware of God in all things."
              ---Catholic Library World

"Once again we have a gift from Richard Rohr, certainly one of the most significant prophets to the contemporary church....With words eloquent, words from the heart, words that live in and emerge from healthy spirituality, this book is a grand invitation to grow.... Perhaps the rarest gift in this book is that we will get a good and needed shaking up."     ---Resources Hotline

"This book is about learning to see, to see anew, to acknowledge oneself as a beginner, thus being open to transformation .... Rohr has written gems of thought worth pondering again and again."
           ---Bookfinder

Two Banned and Challenged Classics: The Catcher in the Rye and Animal Farm

This is a first-time reading of these classics, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Animal Farm by George Orwell, although I have read other books they have written. I'm not sure how they previously escaped me; knowledge of being banned would have only prompted me to read. I could not easily put either down when reading time was up and I'm not sure that I really got the point for which each author was aiming or even if they were aiming for any particular message.  But thought provoking they are indeed and discussion was needful.  I'm thankful I've got Gypsi for discussing books, in fact The Catcher in the Rye was her copy.  Guess my opinion on both books is the same as the answer Holden gave to his brother in the last paragraph of The Catcher in the Rye,  "If you want to know the truth, I don't know what I think about it".  Will I read them a second time?  I'm not sure, but definitely not any time soon.        

PostScript on Thomas Merton

After completing the post on Thomas Merton, I picked up the book I am currently reading, The Genesee Diary by Henri J.M. Nouwen, and after reading a few entries, the next one was on Thomas Merton!  Consequence?  Not sure, so I'm adding these statements of Nouwen from that entry.

"The influence of Thomas Merton seems to have grown ever since he died in December 1968.  Many people are writing masters' theses on him as well as doctoral dissertations.  Books and articles on Merton keep appearing. Monks say that you cannot understand Merton when you do not see him primarily as a contemplative ... during his last days in Asia, Merton wrote in the most unambiguous terms that he was and always would remain a Christian monk. Merton articulated skillfully and artfully the different stages of his own thoughts and experiences and moved on to the new discoveries without worrying about what people made of his old ones Now he is dead. He can no longer answer the question, "What did you really mean?"  His death has made him an even stronger catalyst than he was during his life. He indeed made his own life available to others to help them find their own--and not his--way. In this sense, he was and still is a true minister, creating the free space where others can enter and discover God's voice in their lives."     

THOMAS MERTON

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an ordained priest, Father M. Louis O.C.S.O, in the Trappist order at the Abbey of Gethsemani, in Kentucky: a monk, poet, spiritual writer and social activist.  He is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential spiritual masters of the twentieth century.

From the America Magazine, January 19-26, 2015 Issue, article entitled, "Merton (Still) Matters" by Daniel P. Horan:

"Though Thomas Merton’s life was short, his output in terms of writing, poetry and correspondence was extraordinarily productive. The diversity of his work makes abundantly clear his importance in a number of areas related to Christian living, creative expression and social action. His continued popularity is confirmed by his perennial status as a best-selling author, a rare accomplishment. Many of his books have never gone out of print. The depth of his thought and spiritual genius is confirmed by the ever-growing bibliography of new articles and books written about Merton by scholars in diverse fields from theology and spirituality to American history, literature and peace studies."

I cannot remember how I started reading Merton or which book I read first; it seems he has always been there inspiring me with his writings. But there was a first time and I'm going to review my old journals to see if I did make note of that important event. I have many of his books in my library, and many books that others have compiled and many more on my to read and/or purchase lists. While we were vacationing in Bardstown, Kentucky, we were able to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani: toured the buildings, attended Vespers, handled the books in the library, rocked in chairs on the porch, bought fudge made at the monastery by the monks, walked the Stations of the Cross, and saw the marker for Father Louis in the cemetery and all was enveloped in silence!  Those two days will always be with me.

Links:  

Thomas Merton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Merton - Abbey of Gethsemani

International Thomas Merton Society - Thomas Merton Center

Always We Begin Again by John McQuiston II

The Benedictine way of living has fascinated me since I discovered it wasn't left back in the Middle Ages but still exists in monasteries around the world. There are many practicing oblates; my favorite author Kathleen Norris is one and explains this practice in her book Cloister Walk:  "An oblation is an abbreviated yet powerful profession of monastic vows; you attach yourself to a particular monastery by signing a document on the altar during Mass in which you promise to follow the Rule of St. Benedict insofar as your situation in life will allow."

In Always We Begin Again, John McQuiston II has "translated" the Rule of St. Benedict and the service of the Morning Prayer from the Common Prayer Book  into his own words. He makes no claim to it being a precisely accurate statement of the original.  It is only a paraphrase that is consistent with the spirit of the Rule and is intended to make the means of the Rule available for use by those whose lives occur primarily outside church and monastery. He gives examples for a Weekday Schedule and Morning, Mid-day, and Evening Meditation and offers the readet this suggestion:

"Each day we should expose ourselves to the inspiration of others. Thousands of saints and wise men and women have left us messages of hope and encouragement. Read what is honest. Read the scriptures and the commentaries. Read great literature and poetry. Read the psalms. Read that which expresses the anguish and the exhilaration of experience and teaches us that we are not alone."  

I keep this book handy for reviewing.

Soul Searchers An Anthology of Spiritual Journeys compiled by Teresa de Bertodano

This is a wide-ranging compilation of spiritual journeys from a wealth of material -- biographical, autobiographical and fictional -- spanning four millennia and five continents from the lives of many you will recognize. The stories or writings included in Soul Searchers is divided into three sections of journeys. The first Journey takes one through the spiritual and psychological challenges of childhood and teenage years until a degree of stability is discovered in "who I am," The second Journey can occur at any time from the mid-twenties to the fifties or sixties and can be triggered by something that causes all previous certainties to be questioned. The third Journey takes one into the final stage of life, where one moves towards death.  From the beginning of history men and women have known what it is to be pilgrims and travelers on the face of the earth. These stories resonate with the deepest yearnings of the human soul.  

Rereads: Prayers from the Heart, The Shape of Living, The Cloud of Unknowing

This is why you have your own personal library: so you can reread the books again and again.  High compliment to the author as time for reading isn't always in your life! What motivates me to reread a book ..... longing remembrance of the content of the book, subject you are pondering, research, pull it off the shelf for any reason, referred to in the book you are reading,  discussion, calls out to you like ice cream in the freezer, on the reread list and many more odd ways and I almost always read it completely the second time.

Prayers From The Heart by Richard J. Foster is a must for those of us who collect and read prayers. Many times another can say clearly what my own heart is speaking or it helps me pray outside of my personal emotions.  Also, I think it is a way to access the part of the community of believers that is beyond your own community. He has grouped these prayers into three parts: 1) Prayers for the Journey Inward, 2) Prayers for the Journey Upward, 3) Prayers for the Journey Outward.  Section from the Foreword:

"My whole life in one sense, has been an experiment in how to be a portable sanctuary -- learning to practice the presence of God in the midst of the stresses and strains of contemporary life. The grand experience is to experience in everyday life what jean-Pierre de Caussade calls "the sacrament of the present moment"; seeking, ever seeking to live, "light as a feather, fluid as water, innocent as a child, responding to every movement of grace like a floating balloon."  Prayer is central to this reality of ongoing interaction with God. It is the foundation of all the spiritual disciplines of engagement -- the via positiva. Over the years this has led me into many ways of praying, including the experience of praying as my own the prayers that have been preserved throughout the centuries."

A Prayer of Protection

Loving Lord, as I begin this journey into a prayer-filled life,

please be with me -- guarding and guiding.

 Protect me, O God, from all evil.

Surround me with the light of Christ; 

Cover me with the blood of Christ;

seal me with the cross of Christ.

This I ask in the name of Christ. 

Amen. 

Author David R. Ford in The Shape of Living Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life offers insight on these areas: Shaping a Heart; Life-Shaping Desires; The Shaping of Character; Soul-Shaping; Shaping Time and Energy; Evil, Suffering, and Death; Resurrection, Joy, and Feasting.  He presents a Christian faith that focuses on Christ's being central to the community of our hearts and does not leave out the "overwhelming" experiences common to all of us.  This book introduced me to the poet Micheal O'Siadhail through the use of his poetry as clarification and an avenue of expression. As this book was a gift to me from my pastor on my last day of living in Weaverville, it has meaning beyond what the author presents. My first reading was the summer of 2007 in Erwin, TN .  


The book with the "nameless mystic monk" as author, although Evelyn Underhill who did the introduction in the copy I own, gives a suggestion that is held by most scholars. I prefer keeping the author of The Cloud of Unknowing a mystery with a foreword  that gives us the warning "that it shall on no account be lent, given or read to other men: who could not understand and might misunderstand in a dangerous sense, its peculiar message." In this third reading, I'm beginning to see the message. This "Guide to Contemplative Spirituality and Christian Mysticism" made an entrance in the 14th century. I'm sure it will call me again to read the wisdom offered on its pages preserved through all of these years.    

More than a Title on a Book List

I am including brief notes on the following books as they deserve more mention than just a title.  My life was enriched as a result of reading them.


Pilgrim Road A Benedictine Journey Through Lent by Albert Holtz, O.S.B. was so meaningful for me as I read it during Lent 2016.  In the Introduction the author tells the purpose for this book.  "We Christians are called to journey with Christ into the innermost truth about ourselves, meeting on the way all of our brokenness and imperfections, but finding at our end the Holy and Living God. The inward pilgrimage of conversion is the most important voyage any of us ever takes. The traditional Lenten disciplines of self-denial, almsgiving, and prayer are, therefore, not ends in themselves, but are always at the service of this inward journey.  This book weaves the threads of four journeys into a single spiritual travelogue: Lent's journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter serves as the spiritual framework, sabbatical trip provides a geographical locale for each meditation, the medieval pilgrimage provides the unifying theme and the journey into my inner self with Christ gives the whole enterprise its ultimate meaning."  In the Epilogue the author reminds us "When we Lenten Pilgrims arrive at Easter Sunday, then, we are naturally tempted to think that we, like catechumens or medieval pilgrims, have reached the end of our journey. But this is not the case . We all remain constant catechumens, perpetual pilgrims always on the road."  Within this book, the author has added his architectural drawings of the structures he was seeing during his travels. He ends the book with the ancient blessing and prayer for pilgrims setting off for Compostela:

O God, who led your servant Abraham from the city of Ur, guarding him through all his pilgrimage, and you who were the guide of the Hebrew people through the desert, we ask you to protect those your servants who, for the love of your name, journey to Compostela. Be for them a companion on the march, a guide at the crossroads; give them strength when they are weak, defense in the midst of danger, shelter along the route, shade from the sun, light in the darkness, solace in moments of discouragement and firmness in their purpose .... May the blessing of God the All-Powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, descend upon you. Amen.

In  The Mystery of Christ, The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience by Thomas Keating, the reader is immersed in the wonder of faith in the mystery of Christ and of the unique nature of God's action and presence in and through the liturgy and our lives.  Here is one example from the Preface of how well this author can assist in opening up the understanding:  "In the liturgy, eternal time penetrates each moment of chronological time. Eternal values breaking into chronological time are made available to us in the present moment.  It is in this sense that Christ is present throughout all of time -- past, present and to come. He is present to us insofar as we are present to the present moment. The present moment transcends all time and simultaneously manifests eternity in chronological time. The kairos is the moment in which eternity and our temporal lives intersect. In the perspective of the kairos, time is time to grow and to be transformed, time also for the Christian community to spread through out the world and to become the pleroma, the fullness of time when Christ will be all in all." Will be reading this one again and very soon.

This book, Slowing Time by Barbara Mahany opened up with a poem by Mary Oliver which clarified the "Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door" part of the title, so I knew it was going to be a book worth reading.  And I wasn't disappointed.  You take a seasonal tour through the year, and the author celebrates the sacred that is gathered, culled and collected through the art of paying attention, of savoring the moment, of cultivating stillness from familiar landscapes: making room for God and illuminating the godly specks in the everyday.  She shares the Christian Liturgical Calendar, recipes, and the cycle of the moon along with the nature of each season. This author referred to the following book, To Dance With God, which I wasted no time in obtaining a copy.

To Dance With God is written by Gertrud Mueller Nelson. The author uses the rituals of the Christian Liturgical Calendar for celebration with family and community. The last part of the book shares specific ways for these celebrations, but the most inspiring and unforgettable parts for me were the chapters on "To Dance With God," The Hints of Transcendence," "The Art of Living, " "The Element of Celebration," and "Vision of the Whole."  Here is a section from "To Dance With God" that will present a taste of what is offered.

"The Church is vital to the life and richness of our humanness and our wholeness .... We have lost touch with the poetic aspect of the Church which has always been there for us, which has always been centered in the cycles of our human development and which has nourished us through rite and symbol, through rhythmic repetition. The Church celebrates our cycles and seasons, inviting us to see and engage and feel and touch and be aware and grow and be transformed. Through symbol the experiences which make up our daily lives are affirmed and made sacred. This creative and poetic Church helps us to pay full attention to what we might otherwise deem ordinary and commonplace. Rites and symbols use he ordinary and earthy elements of our existence and, by encircling them, ratify, sanctify, complete. The ordinary becomes the container for the divine and safely holds what was uncontainable. The transcendent is disclosed in what is wonderfully familiar: bread, wine, fire, ash, earth, water, oil, tears seeds, songs, feastings and fastings, pains and joys, bodies and thoughts, regressions and transformation. It draws its action more from what is most human in us than from theology. In its creative function, the Church speaks directly to the heart, a heart which hears symbols not rational vocabulary."  

Kathleen Norris

One of my favorite authors .... she never ceases to inspire and challenge me even with this book of poetry,  Journey new and selected poems 1969-1999!

A Prayer to Eve

Mother of fictions

and of irony,

help us to laugh.

Mother of science

and the critical method,

keep us humble.

Muse of listeners,

hope of interpreters,

inspire us to act.

Bless our metaphors,

that we might eat them.

Help us to know, Eve,

the one thing we must do.

Come with us, muse of exile,

mother of the road.  

Walking with Kathleen Norris A Contemplative Journey by Robert Waldron uses the seasons of Spring, Summer and Fall in which he responds to the prose and poetry of Kathleen Norris.  You are given glimpses of the author's soulscape as well as that of Norris. He is also the author of Walking with Thomas Merton and Walking with Henri Nouwen which are on my list to read.

In the epilogue Waldron says "What, we may ask, is transferred by Norris to her reader? Surely it is her faith and hope in and love of God. Thus she offers spiritual sustenance to her readers, the greatest gift any artist can offer. Without any doubt on my part, Kathleen Norris is one of our great spiritual memoirists, as well as a fine poet: she is a poet who has something vital to share , and she altruistically reaches out to touch her readers with prose and poems announcing God's presence here and now.  All we have to do is open our eyes and pay attention."      

The Hinges of History: Volume I: How the Irish Saved Civilization & Volume II: The Gift of the Jews by Thomas Cahill

I cannot wait to read the other volumes in this series and see if they live up to what I now expect to read by Thomas Cahill. Both books, How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gift of the Jews, excel in the understanding they offer to a layperson who wouldn't even know there was a story that needed to be shared. I will be reading both of them again to glean what I missed in the first reading. I wish everyone would read these two books as it could possibly give solidarity to humanity. They are books that ask for discussion.      

The Story of the Church by Robert G. Clouse, Richard V. Pierard, Edwin M. Yamauchi

I have always been interested in church history, especially in the way it flowed down throughout the years, so The Story of the Church was a wonderful find for me (thrift store $1.99).  It was very easy to read, all 345 pages, with lots of pictures, maps and drawings.  The three scholars gave details on the growth of the church breaking it down into three sections.  Included was the persecutions, rival religious groups, pagan society, government, missionaries, reforms and much more that influenced the church. After reading this book, I felt like the present church is a part of the story in the making and actually sensed excitement as to the part of the story this church generation is bringing about and this gave hope and meaning to lots of the current issues.  

World War II Books

These two books are true stories of the Holocaust: The Girl Who Survived by Bronia Brandman (Poland) and Elly by Elly Berkovits Gross (Hungary) and were published by Scholastic, Inc which is distributed through the school market.  I always love finding a "Scholastic" at the thrift stores to purchase.

The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer with Susan Dworkin is the true story of a Jewish woman surviving  the Holocaust by being the wife of a Nazi Party member. Her husband kept her identity secret. Her daughter is believed to be the only Jew born in a Reich hospital in 1944. She saved every document, as well as photographs she took inside labor camps. These hundreds of documents are now part of the permanent collection of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington,  D,C.   It is an A & E Special Presentation which I would like to locate for viewing.

As always, Holocaust stories of World War II are troubling .... HOW? Just HOW?

The Great Escape by Kati Marton brings to life an unknown chapter of World War II: the tale of nine men (Edward Teller, John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, Michael Curtiz, Alexander Korda, Robert Capa and Andre Kertesz, Arthur Koestler) who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by anti-Semitism, fled to the West, especially to the United States, and change the world.  "Hungarians, those men from Mars, escaped west in the years before World War II and gave us great scientist, filmmakers, photographers and engineers.  Kati Marton's lively, engaging group portrait recovers for us the lives and work of the extraordinary men who invented Hollywood and the atomic bomb."  ---Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Barbara Pym and Kahlil Gibran

May be an unlikely grouping but they are "in common" for me because both authors have been around for a while and yet this is my first reading.  

Gypsi told me about Barbara Pym and gave me copies of Excellent Women and Quartet in Summer.  The author was a writer from age sixteen  and she has been acclaimed "the most underrated writer of the century." She died in 1980.  Her writing style is up there with the best.

Quotes from Secrets of the Heart by Kahlil Gibran:  

"But now I eagerly attend Silence and hear its choirs singing the hymns of the ages and the songs of the firmament announcing the secrets of the Unseen."

"Now I realize the present moment contains all time and within it is all that can be hoped for, done and realized."

Now I realize that the trees blossom in Spring and bear fruit in Summer without seeking praise; and they drop their leaves in Autumn and become naked in Winter without fearing blame." 

"It is my fervent hope that my whole life on this earth will ever be tears and laughter. Tears that purify my heart and reveal to me the secret of life and its mystery. Laughter that brings me closer to my fellowmen."

"Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasp the heart and makes ii ache with sorrow. Solitude is the ally of sorrow as well as a companion of spiritual exaltation."

"He who understands you is greater kin to you than your own brother.  For even your own kindred may neither understand you nor know your true worth."

"Man with his understanding cannot know what the rain is saying when it falls upon the leaves of the trees or when it taps at the window panes. He cannot know what the breeze is saying to the flowers in the fields."

I will be searching used book stores for more books by both of these authors. 

Last Post of a Summary was October 12, 2015 .... then a list in January 2016 and now ....

Another list of books read since January with hopes of doing a few summaries later this month.

Gibran, Kahlil                           Secrets of the Heart
Pym, Barbara                            Excellent Women
Pym, Barbara                            Quartet in Summer 
Speare, Elizabeth George         The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Beer, Edith Hahn                      The Nazi Officer's Wife
Brandman, Bronia                    The Girl Who Survived
Harmony Books                        Bible Flowers
Ohrbach, Barbara                      A Bouquet of Flowers
Greenaway, Kate                      The Language of Flowers
Robinson, Fanny                      The Country Flowers of a Victorian
Holden, Edith                           The Country Diary Garden Notes
dePaola, Tomie                         The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
dePaola, Tomie                         The Birds of Bethlehem
dePaola, Tomie                         The Legend of the Bluebonnet
dePaola, Tomie                         Let the Whole Earth Sing
Adams, Richard                        Diary of a Year
Adams, Richard                        The Unbroken Web
Adams, Richard                        Nature Day and Night
Adams, Richard                        Nature Through the Seasons
Moody Press                             The Story of the Church
Cahill, Thomas                         How the Irish Saved Civilization
Cahill, Thomas                         The Gift of the Jews
Bertodano, Teresa                     Soul Searchers An Anthology
Nelson, Gertrude Mueller         To Dance With God
Mahony, Barbara                      Slowing Time
Keating, Thomas                      The Mystery of Christ
Holtz, Albert                             Pilgrim Road
Marton, Kati                             The Great Escape
Anonymous                              The Cloud of Unknowing      
Rohr, Richard                           Everything Belongs
McQuiston, John                      Always We Begin Anew
Norris, Kathleen                      Journey
Padovano, Anthony                 Thomas Merton Retreat
Ford, David                             The Shape of Living
Lewis, Leslie                           The Private Life of a Country House
Orwell, George                        Animal Farm
Gross, Elly Berkovits              Elly
Filipovic, Zlata                        Zlata's Diary
Waldron, Robert                      Walking with Kathleen Norris
Cherry, Lynne                          Flute's Journey

    

List of Books Read in the Past Months

No summaries, just a list so I can move the books off of my desk and put them where they belong. Some on this list truly need a summary so I may return at a later time and post one, but several were re-reads and may already have a summary.

A Decembered Grief by Harold Ivan Smith   ..... used as a study guide for group sessions on grief
The Shape of Living by David F. Ford
Progress of Another Pilgrim by Frances J. Roberts
Ponder These Things by Rowan Williams
Selected Poems of Thomas Merton
Seasons of Grace by Mother Gail Fitzpatrick, OCSO
The Journey by Adam Hamilton
Anne of Green Gables by M. L. Montgomer
First Test, Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
Page, Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
The Prodigal Apprentice by George MacDonald edited by Dan Hamilton
The Dash by Linda Ellis & Mac Anderson
Getting Involved with God by Ellen F. Davis 
Night by Elie Wiesel
Gunnar's Daughter by Sigrid Undset
Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr ..... reading and discussion by Contemplative Prayer Group