Peter Costello
Seven Voices of Joy by Lorcan Kenny (Veritas, €9.99)
The Mindful Our Father by Thomas G. Casey SJ (Messenger Publications, €14.95)
Lorcan Kenny is a priest of the diocese of Killaloe, where he has worked as a school chaplain for the last two decades. In another capacity he is also involved with a primary school in Uganda.
This new book is a follow up to earlier titles Seven Voices of Hope and Seven Voices of Sorrow, respectively focused on Easter and on Lent.
The donée of the theme in this one is very seasonal of course, being focused on Christmastide. Using the very individual voices of seven people from the traditions of Advent, he tells the story of the coming of the Messiah, in English and Irish. The text is also provided with fine pictures.
His characters Gabriel, the shepherds, the Wise men, the child Mary of Magdala, the innkeeper, the Little Drummer Boy from the Trapp Family Christmas song, and returning to the gospels, finally the voice of Simeon. The images are integrated with the story lines to provide narratives for contemplation.
This is a small but moving book from which many will gain seasonal insights.
Thomas Casey’s book is along similar but different lines. He parses the all too familiar text of the Our Father, the Pater Noster of medieval times. Phrase by phrase he takes apart to bring out step by step the inner meaning. It is a sort of Pater Noster in slow motion.
Even to begin this approach the reader is given to pause, however, at the meaning of “Our Father”. What does this phrase in our own experiences bring to mind? At once the prayer so often rattled off since childhood is given a whole new feeling. And so it is with the other phrases. A slow, appreciative approach is imposed on readers forcing them to really think about what the meaning is.
All too much of what is said and done at Christmas is only for the moment, but these two little books written with great personal insight, will be well worth reading again six months or more from now, with winter giving way to summer.