Book Reviews Archives - Page 2 of 2

41HVHEIBm4L._SL500_AA300_ — "Morning Calls," by b. burk

I remember being a young adult on retreat in the late ‘70s at the Marianist retreat center just outside of St. Louis. Each morning we were awakened to the sound of Dan Fogelberg singing through the speakers in our rooms: “And it’s going to be a day/there is really no way to say ‘no’ to the morning…” But we tried (to say no)! I’m still not a morning person, and it was only in the past year or so that my wife and I committed to getting up (most) mornings to attend daily mass at 7. It’s still not easy to pry myself out of bed, but once I’m up I’m good to go for the day. It’s a blessing, however bleary-eyed.

That engagement with the morning is exactly the reason that Deacon Bruce Burk published his book: “Morning Calls.” Published by Railroad Street Press and available for sale online, the book is a simple, eloquent, seven-day retreat leading to greater awareness of self and God. Bruce’s short reflections for each day embrace the daily cycle of sunrises as an opportunity for a fresh restart – a chance to begin again. Each day’s reflection is accompanied by one of his sunrise photos, each seemingly more dazzling than the last. The photos capture the warm welcome of the sun while the text guides the reader into an introspective approach to the day. He writes in the book’s introduction:

Morning allows one to start fresh, a new start, after yesterday’s missed opportunities. It’s a gift that many miss. It is the time to smile and say, “Today I can do it.” It’s a time to reflect and start anew, a time to make a mental list or plan. Morning is that opportunity to put our reflections into action. It is the time to celebrate what went right the day before and perhaps do it again. It is the perfect time to “be.”

Indeed, there’s no way to say “no” to the morning, but there is a way to embrace it and welcome it. This little book is a nice introduction to doing just that.

Ask yourself in silence: How do I welcome each day?

There’s an old chestnut of an icebreaker/conversation starter that goes something like this: What person, living or deceased, would you most like to spend some time with? (Go ahead, discuss…)

Margaret Silf’s “Just Call Me López: Getting to the Heart of Ignatius Loyola (Loyola Press, 144 pages) takes that question on a spiritual journey and allows us to come along for the ride, as long as we’re willing to suspend our disbelief in the impossibility of the premise of the book – the contemporary narrator’s months-long interactions with the 16^th century saint and founder of the Jesuits. Along the way, what we get is far more than a creative approach to Ignatius’ biography (his middle name was López) or an introduction to his famed spiritual exercises, although we get plenty of both. For those who know nothing or little of Ignatius’ life and approach to spirituality, this slim volume will serve as a fine introduction.

In this unlikely tale of a 16^th-century soldier-turned-saint and 21^st-century woman, we see what happens when one person opens herself to a real-life, real-time experience of the communion of saints. The two are as different as pen-and-ink and laptops are as writing instruments, but their conversations show us that life’s really important questions don’t change with the times and technology. And perhaps the most essential question we can ask as spiritual beings (what is God’s will and plan for my life?) is the question to which most of us continue to seek an answer. That introspective and prayerful approach to life is what lies at the heart of Ignatian spirituality.

Today’s Word: Morning

Book Review: Margaret Silf’s “Just Call Me López”