BOOK REVIEW: As Bread That is Broken

January 8, 2004

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is part of a series of book reviews featured monthly in The Globe. The review is sponsored by the Religious Education Media Center as a service to those interested in developing their own spirituality. Books featured in this column can be borrowed from the diocesan media center.

You may request this or other books by writing Deacon Larry Sitzman, Religious Education Media Center, 1821 Jackson St., Sioux City, IA 51102, e-mail him at larrys@scdiocese.org or phone (712) 255-7933.

Father John McGuirk offers this week's review - As Bread That Is Broken, written by a Dutch Jesuit, Father Peter Van Breeman in 1974. He had a Ph.D. in Atomic Physics and like fellow Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, a scientist, with a deep love for spirituality. This week's book is available using the code number PR 1662.87.

His book flows out of the post Vatican II period and is reminiscent of the book Prayer is a Hunger by Peter Farrell. It consists of 20 chapters, each a reflection on the spiritual life and growth. There are themes life prayer, God's love, God's forgiveness, and the gospel challenges.

When he speaks of God's love he touches on the specificity of its working. For instance, "There are 3 billion (1973 stats) people in the world and not two are alike. Such detailed care for us is seen in Matt. 6:25-31 where our Lord exhorts us not to worry about the details of the day for they are in his hands. Let his tender love fashion them. For Father Peter truth of this kind is not intellectual, but calls for a deeper response of trust of not only the assent of our mind, but of our whole self. As we delve deeper we find out God's love is not based on our achievements but on his power to love.

Prayer, for Father Peter "is to be open in God's presence with open hands and an open heart. This prayer is not so much a searching as a waiting." The heart of prayer is realizing how much God loves us and our response back to him. This prayer calls for a total response of our being. Prayer is not a means to an end. "Prayer is not efficient nor does it achieve anything. That is why it is so difficult. Our lives are purposefully planned and meant to produce results. Even our moments of relaxation are to prove something. Prayer is the only big exception. It is the still point, the axis around which other activities rotate. When the axis is missing our lives are pointless."

His chapter on celebrating the healing of the sacrament of reconciliation is a masterpiece in its own right. He speaks of how we long to be healed of guilt, to be made new and whole again. Yet this sacrament, at the same time, is the most difficult because it calls for a maturity to suffer through coming to know who really are.

We as human beings find it hard to receive forgiveness, a forgiveness God readily give us. We are slow to recover from the wounds of guilt. That is shy we need a sacrament to express to one another our sins and allow the process of healing to progress. The parable of the Prodigal Son sheds some light on this. What human father could forgive so? This is contrary to the way we humans respond. Father Peter concludes, "How many of us are not caught in the dilemma: with our guilt is real and the cannot possibly love us or God really does love us and out guilt is not real." But God's ways are not our ways. The Father set no conditions on the wayward son. There was not "let's sit down and talk about this," no requirements but to receive his love. In this way we see God as he is and we let him be himself. It takes time for this and that is why the sacrament is so wonderful.

The book contains many beautiful reflections. It is well worth a return trip or a new look see.

(Father McGuirk is pastor at St. Joseph Church in Wall Lake and St. Martin Church in Odebolt.)