I was delighted to read of this, as it fits so well with the latest offering from the Diocesan Resource Centre, a monthly Book Club. A chance for people to gather and share their thoughts, feelings and recommendations on books they have recently read.
Pope Francis, in his letter, aims to encourage “a renewed love for reading” and to remember that “literature can educate the hearts and minds” and lead to greater personal and spiritual maturity. In a period in history where so much of our time is taken up with social media, the internet, gaming and mobile phones Pope Francis says that a good book can “provide an oasis that keeps us from other choices that are less wholesome”.
The 12-page letter by Pope Francis quotes authors such as Proust and C.S. Lewis, as well as theologians, previous Popes and saints in outlining his case for recreational reading. He also references the current scientific studies that show the physical and intellectual benefits of reading. These include increased vocabulary, lower blood pressure and heart rates, lower rates of cognitive decline, increased brain connectivity in the somatosensory cortex and increased empathy. The full text of Pope Francis’ letter can be read here.
As a librarian, I have had the joy of studying the art of reading literature, exploring the benefits to oneself and humankind. I also personally read for recreation each day, a novel, a short story, a poem. For the beauty of the words, the joy of discovering a new way of looking and experiencing the world, for the escape from my world, into another, more foreign existence, the imagined past or future, the reality of another country or culture. Opening myself to the immense possibilities of the life experiences created by our God.
I remember the first time I felt exquisite loss and grief whilst reading a novel, about 8 years old, reading Little Women by Louisa Alcott, the tears fell as the death of Beth was described. I couldn’t stop crying, the loss of a book friend and the beautiful rendering of the text, my empathetic soul was touched. When my father died 14 years ago there was a day in preparing for his funeral when I couldn’t cry. There was a lump in my heart and my throat, an ache, that I needed to release and yet the tears would not come. I did not want to burden my mother or family so I huddled myself away from my husband and children and grabbed one of my (many, many) copies of Little Women, I flipped to the page, read, reread and then I started to sob, soul wrenching, unrelenting sobs. The release I needed, it acknowledged my own grief, my own loss, but also the shared experience of loss, across the years, across the world. I was not alone; others too had felt this pain. As Pope Francis so eloquently states “reading prepares us to understand and thus deal with various situations that arise in life. In reading, we immerse ourselves in the thoughts, concerns, tragedies, dangers and fears of characters who in the end overcome life’s challenges. Perhaps too, in following a story to the end, we gain insights that will later prove helpful in our own lives.”
What: Book Club
Where: Diocesan Resource Centre – Library
When: 3rd Saturday of each month, Begins 17 August 2024
Time: 11am
Morning Tea Provided
Register Here: https://forms.office.com/r/YBENY1zxsJ
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