Book Victim

Reading the Good Book and sharing what we read

08/14/2018

Ezekiel 2:8—3:4 The Lord GOD said to me: As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you: be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you. It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was:  Lamentation and wailing and woe! He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.

Several years ago I had the privilege and pleasure to talk to one of my favorite professors from the University of Dallas, where I studied philosophy, Dr. Janet Smith. She is a widely respected expert on moral theology, particularly on the touchy of topic of contraception and the papal teaching contained in Humanae vitae, by Pope Paul VI. In our brief conversation I remarked how much I enjoyed reading her popular book called Humanae vitae: A Generation Later, and she said something I will never forget. She smiled self-effacingly and said: “We are all victims of the last book we read.” That is so true! How many times have you read an especially engaging book or author and run out to tell your friends, or bought the book for Christmas presents? And then you read another compelling book and did that again. You were the victim of the last book you read.

Perhaps the classic example of being the victim of a book was St. Augustine, in his Confessions, a book which has claimed a lot of victims, too! The Confessions is the most widely read book in history, second only to the Bible itself. For 33 years, St. Augustine led a life of debauchery and deviancy, but all that changed when he read a certain book. We read in Confessions, Books VIII, Augustine says: “And look! – from the house next door I hear a voice – I don’t know whether it is a boy or a girl – singing some words over and over: ‘Pick it up and read it, pick, it up and read it’.” In the original Latin Augustine wrote: “Tolle et lege, tolle et lege.” St. Augustine read Romans 13:13-14, where St. Paul advised: “Not in partying and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and shamelessness, not in fighting and jealousy, but clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh concerning its physical desires.” And from that point on Augustine was a changed man because he became the victim of the last book he read, the Bible. By the way, that’s the best kind of book victim you can be.

We hear the story of another victim of a book in the second chapter of Ezekiel. The great prophet has a vision and says: “It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was written a scroll which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was: ‘Lamentation and wailing and woe!” And what was Ezekiel supposed to do after eating this book/scroll? God commands him: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.” In other words, like Dr. Janet Smith had predicted: “Ezekiel too would be the victim of the last book he read and tell others all about it. It is always best to be a book victim of the Bible because there you read the words of God translated into the words of men.

Even a moment’s reflection will reveal that we, too, are always victims of the last book we read. So may I suggest to you that the Bible should be the book you read frequently and faithfully? We are so blessed with numerous Bible study opportunities here at Immaculate Conception, and you should plug yourself into one of those. Obey the words of that small child in the garden who whispered to Augustine: “Tolle et lege, tolle et lege,” take and read, take and read. I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if the great atheistic thinkers of the past – Fredrick Neitzsche, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, and more recently, Stephen Hawking (who died this year) – had seriously studied the Bible. Perhaps now in the light of eternity they, too, wish that they would have “tolle et lege,” and instead of writing books excoriating religion would rather have extolled it. St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite mystic as he lay dying in his monastic cell asked his friar brothers to read to him the Song of Songs, the Old Testament erotic love poetry between God and humanity. He wanted to die hearing the words of Sacred Scripture, God’s loving words, and thereby literally be the victim of the last book he read.

What are you reading these days? Whose words and wisdom is shaping your mind and heart, and guiding your actions and attitudes? Make no mistake about it: you will be the victim of the last book you read. Make it a good book; maybe even The Good Book.

Praised be Jesus Christ!