Review of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

I just finished reading Anne Rice’s second Jesus novel, “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.” The book begins with Jesus as a simple carpenter in His late twenties. It finishes with Jesus beginning His public ministry.

This one took me longer to read than the last one. It’s not really a longer book. It might actually be shorter, but some nights I just had a hard time picking it back up. One of the plot threads of the book just didn’t sit well with me. I’ll explain below the image, but I want to warn you that what I’m about to write is kind of a “spoiler.”

We know that though Jesus is 100% God, He is also 100% human (for more detail see Arianism and Nestorianism). We know that humans are tempted. We also know that Jesus was tempted—it’s in the Bible. Yet when the Jesus of Anne Rice’s novel is tempted by a beautiful girl, I find it tough to read.

Is it plausible? Sure. We know Jesus was tempted before. And in this novel, as in the biblical accounts, Jesus never gives in to the temptation. But it still bugged me a little. I guess, plausible or not, I just don’t like viewing my Lord that way. It doesn’t fit my image of Him.

So, unlike the last novel in the series, in this one, I maintained my guard throughout the entire book.

I had some other complaints too. I really didn’t like the portrayal of James. There is a part of him that seems right, but he ultimately comes across as a jerk. Also, there are times when Jesus seems…I want to say reckless, but I’m not sure that’s the right word.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. There are really a lot of good things about the book. I like how Mrs. Rice depicts Jesus’ self-realization. I thought the account of His baptism by John the Baptist was really good—I cried when I read it. Also, like the last book, I enjoyed delving into a part of Jesus’ life we don’t know much about. But most importantly for me, I enjoyed spending time contemplating the God-man, Jesus Christ.

Though I have my complaints, I’m glad I read it. But I can see this one rubbing some (maybe many) people the wrong way.

Review of Christ the Lord Out of Egypt

I mentioned in my previous post that I was afraid to read Christ the Lord Out of Egypt. And despite the good review from Dr. Kreeft, I maintained my guard though the first half of the book. I didn’t want to have some goofy “Gnostic Jesus” slipped under my radar. By the end of the book, I had dropped my guard. There is some artistic license, but nothing that seemed contrary to reasonable possibility. In fact, I really enjoyed the book.

The story itself is not big on plot. It’s more of a “year in the life” type of story. But I like that. I already know Jesus’ plot. I don’t want someone making up a new one. There are some plot threads about self-discovery and things, but all in all it’s about getting to know the boy Jesus and his family. It’s meditative.

Anne Rice’s portrayal of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother are very real. She maintains their saintliness while solidifying their humanity. Her portrayal of Jesus is also very good. I felt like I was uncovering the Jesus I’ve always wanted to know, but I also felt like I was uncovering the boy I could have been, had I not been tainted by original sin and personal sin. I know that may sound strange, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that the character of Jesus in the novel was very relatable but not because I was like Him at age 7 (no, I was a sinner), but because a part of me was—my childlike innocence.

My only criticism of the book is that the narrative has an uncomfortable phrasing and cadence. But after awhile, I got used to it and thoroughly enjoyed the book. So, the bottom line is, I recommend the book. I think it’s a great way to meditate on our Lord and the Holy Family.

I was afraid to read Anne Rice

When I first heard about Anne Rice’s reversion back to the Catholic faith, I was very happy to hear it. When I heard she had also written a novel depicting the early childhood of our Lord, I was afraid to read it.

I was afraid that it would be…I don’t know…blasphemous? Maybe I was prejudging her based on her “new age quasi atheistic” past. But that wasn’t my biggest concern.

My real fear was that she might do a really good job, but mistakenly put in heretical ideas, which I might not be wise enough to pick up on. But then I read something on Anne Rice’s website, a review of her second Jesus novel by Dr. Peter Kreeft. Here’s a sample.

“I have found it hard to persuade people to read Anne Rice’s two ‘Jesus novels’ (this one is a sequel to her Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt), even though I think they are masterpieces. That’s because what they set out to do, most people would label impossible…

Anne Rice’s ‘Jesus novels’ are fictional biographies from the first-person viewpoint of Jesus Himself. Hard enough to write about Him in the third person, but in the first? Yet they are modern realistic historical novels, and their Jesus is the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible and the Church. There are no heresies and no Katzantzakis-style corrections or ‘revisionisms’ of the Gospels…”

Certainly if Anne Rice’s Jesus novels got the thumbs up from Dr. Kreeft, I could feel safe reading them…right?

Well, it turns out, I did. I’ve only just finished reading the first novel, Christ the Lord Out of Egypt. I really enjoyed it.

I started the book by reading her Author’s Note at the back. In the note she goes into  detail about her research and her journey—not just writing the book, but also her own conversion story. For some reason, her story—her conversion story—made me feel even more comfortable reading the novel. She is in love with Jesus and His Church. And she feels called to write for Him and about Him.

I’ll post a review of the book tomorrow. I didn’t want this post to get any longer than it already is.

Review of Bad Catholic’s Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song

After hearing about this book on Kresta in the Afternoon (the best show on radio by the way), I hinted to my beautiful wife that it would make a good fathers’ day gift. Indeed it did.

First of all, I love the cover with Pope Benedict holding a glass of beer with an ear to ear grin. The subtitle is great too, A Spirited Look at Catholic Life & Lore from Apocalypse to Zinfandel.

The book is almost like an almanac or a fanciful encyclopedia. It’s filled with short stories which all attempt (and succeed very well) to do three things,

• Recount a piece of interesting (often bizarre) history
• Tie said history back to food and/or drink
• Bring everything back into an affirmation of the truth of the Catholic faith

The stories (even the footnotes) are laugh out loud funny. Though the book is filled with history, humor, mixology, and recipes, it is at heart a cleverly disguised apologetical work. It manages to defend the faith in a way not even a tree hugging college student with a Darwin fish sticker would mind.

If you like history, buy this book. If you like gastronomy, buy this book. If you love the Catholic faith, buy this book. And lastly, if you love someone else (like a college student who is on the verge of falling away), by him or her this book. He or she might just be reminded of the rich history of the Catholic church and decide to stay home.

Review of The Man Who was Thursday

I finally read The Man Who was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton. I say finally because it contains so many elements of great interest to my own character that I should have read it long ago. I think, had I read it as a teenager, it may have set me on the right path sooner. Or maybe I should say, it may have prevented me from stumbling off the path to begin with.

The book makes sense of things that I once felt were at odds, but never believed they should be. Why can’t a poet or an artist be less than reckless? Can’t one love God and his trees? Why should obedience imply lack of soul or imagination?

I struggled deciding how to write a review of this book without giving away the plot. I don’t want to say too much, but I can say that it’s an exhilarating and suspenseful read. It’s intelligent and yet whimsical. It’s political, but only as so far as to point the reader to something greater. It also seems clear to me that Chesterton put much of himself into this book. It shows in the characters and in their warmth and intelligence. And, as a fan of Chesterton, that made the experience even more special to me.

There are many elements of the story that I relate to and want to share, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has, like me, made the foolish but unintentional decision to not read the book years ago.

SPOILER WARNING!
If you are interested in reading a far more detailed review of this book, please read
Lecture X: The Man Who Was Thursday By Dale Ahlquist. But be warned, he does giveaway some of the plot details.

Review of the Harry Potter Series

Maybe it isn’t wise to make my first post about something controversial. But I made a conscious decision when I created this blog not to force content. I don’t want to find something to post about just for the sake of posting. I want to be inspired to post. So, without further ado…

I just finished the Harry Potter series of books. I really enjoyed every book. I realize that because they are set in a world filled with magic, that they put many people off. Some would even go so far as to say that the books are subtle propaganda for occultism. While I appreciate the concern, especially from people who are extra sensitive to the occult, I do not believe that there is any hidden or unintentional agenda within the series.

The magic in the world of Harry Potter is just part of his world. The good guys and the bad guys use magic for good and bad reasons. Magic isn’t the story. The internal and external battle between good and evil is the story.

Do the good guys bend the rules? Do they often struggle trying to find the courage to do the right thing? The answer is yes to both questions. But despite the many struggles the characters have throughout the series, they ultimately prove to make the right decisions. Sound familiar? By the way, the bad guys are really and clearly bad. There is no gray area.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot and ruin it for anyone who plans on reading the series, but I did want to at least say that I have read the series and it is probably the single best fictional fantasy adventure series I have ever read.

J.K.Rowling has proved to me that she is a great writer. She has an extraordinary ability to capture the uniqueness and lovableness of human character. She uses archetypes within the series, but she still manages to make them come alive in a way many writers can’t-she just “gets” people. By the end of the first book I knew the characters. They were my friends.

Rowling is also very easy to read. Some authors, despite their ability to write a good plot or develop a story, are just plain clumsy or too stiff to read. Rowling was as easy for me to read as my own thoughts are.

I highly recommend the series. But I would caution against reading them if you have a weakness for the occult. I personally don’t believe these books are occult propaganda at all, but I do respect that some people could make such a connection and be scandalized by it. I don’t want that to happen based on my recommendation.

Also, keep in mind that as the series progresses, the stories become more and more mature. A good rule of thumb is Harry’s age. If he is 15 in the story, than I would say the reader should be at least 15 and so on. Each book spans one school year in Harry’s life from age 10/11 to 17/18.