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Deacon JT's Book Club

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Week 4

Fall Book Club
Week 4

It’s The Last Train to Clues-Ville, and I’ll meet you at the Answer

Well, readers, we’ve reached a fork in the road. As Kreeft says, “the brain has 2 hemispheres and so does life”. In Chapter 5 we exited the logical thinking of the philosophers and entered the right brain creativity of the artists for more clues. We were presented with a wide variety of sources from the art world, from children’s stories, fairy tales, and myths, to Greek drama, poetry, and even science fiction television. The clues were just as varied as the sources: Suffering Makes You Real, Freedom vs. Happiness, Wisdom Through Suffering, just to name a few. Kreeft goes on to say that freedom, truth, wisdom and love all somehow go with suffering. The sum of all suffering and the deepest, darkest kind of suffering is death. The last clue from the artists? They see light in the very center of this deep darkness. (Reoccurring theme?) The philosophers and artists point to this light from a distance. We then turned to the ones who point from a closer view, the Prophets.

It doesn’t take long in Chapter 6’s “Eight Clues from the Prophets,” to find that the origin of suffering is sin. We suffer because of sin, and it all started with the fall of Adam. We broke our right relationship with God. All three evils, sin, death and suffering, are from us, not from God. We misused our free will. Fortunately for us, a Messiah is promised, the One who will make things right, the One who will transform the meaning of suffering and death. This is the message from the Prophets presented by Kreeft within this chapter.

The clues have finally converged. Chapter 7 will give us the answer to the problem of suffering, but the answer isn’t a “what” but a “who”. (I think we all know by now who this “who” is!) At the beginning of this book, Kreeft said, if you get impatient in the first few chapters, please read Chapter 7 before you put down the book. If you did put down the book, I encourage you to pick it back up and read this chapter. It is an easier read and the most important chapter in the book. Finally, we are heading home….

Action Response: Pray for those who grieve, who mourn, who are in great pain, and who seek understanding.

Deacon JT
Week 3

Fall Book Club
Week 3

When in Rome………

As we entered Chapter 3, it didn’t take long for Kreeft to challenge Rabbi Kushner’s interpretation of the Book of Job. This seems to have struck a nerve for some of our readers. That’s great! This only means we are engaging the text, which will hopefully help us on our own personal quests for understanding and meaning in our suffering. (Looking forward to the conversation about this on discussion night)!

Speaking on the mystery of evil in Chapter 4, Kreeft opens up to us the meaning of “mystery”, ending with the definition, we, the church, are most familiar with: “A mystery of faith is a truth we couldn’t possibly come to know by our own reason and experience, but which God has revealed to us”. In other words, He is Light in our darkness! Whether on purpose or not, a light does shine in the center of this chapter’s “7 Clues from the Philosophers”. This light is a very popular verse of Scripture, “All things work together, for the good to those who love God.” (Rom 8:28). Is it possible that an even wider view of this scripture, Romans 8: 18-39, may be a centering light which illuminates each philosophical clue?

In Chapters 5 and 6 we will leave the deep waters of philosophy and land on the creative gardens of the writers and the poets for more clues. From there, we begin the ascent, seeking the higher ground of the Prophets. The clues are converging! The journey continues…….

For further reflection: Read, pray, and meditate on John 1:1-9
Read, pray, and meditate on Romans 8:18-39

What spoke to you most in these passages?

Do you find these words comforting? Hopeful? Enlightening?

Deacon JT
Week 2

Fall Book Club
Week 2

Fall Back, Spring Forward

Looking back on chapters 1 and 2, we were introduced to the problems of suffering and evil by examples of illness, disease, and end-of-life issues. Kreeft then presented “Ten Easy Answers” which, in theory, explain evil. However, each one of these answers is put to the test and falls short. We are posed with a very powerful question in these chapters, “How can an all-powerful and all-loving God allow the innocent to suffer?” My questions for all of us are: How does this sit within our hearts? How does this impact our faith?

Springing forward to chapters 3 and 4, Kreeft will explain that evil isn’t so much a problem, as a mystery. The meaning of mystery will then follow. Engaging us once again with his bantering “Reader to Author” dialog, he will guide us away from the failed 10 easy answers. Do you like this writing style? Do you relate to the reader? We will then be led to clues from great philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Whether a fan of philosophy or not, it’s about to get interesting! We’re heading for deep waters! So, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Spoiler alert: Kreeft challenges Rabbi Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, on his interpretation of the Book of Job. (I told you it was going to get interesting!)

Deacon JT
Week 1

Fall Book Club
Week 1

Welcome to our fall book club. This season we will be journeying with the ever-philosophical Peter Kreeft in his book Making Sense Out of Suffering. In his own words, Peter shares that his book “is for anyone who has ever wept and wondered.” After experiencing his own personal struggles, this book details his honest pursuit of making sense out of suffering, pain, and evil. Yet, this is not just a book about suffering, but a book about God in suffering. Through this book, he is our guide, and he invites us to join him on the journey.

As we embark on our voyage heading into chapters one and two, let’s join Peter with open hearts and minds. In doing so, hopefully, we will find some comfort and understanding with our own personal hardships. There is only one question necessary to reflect on as we begin, a one-word question, which echoes again and again in our hearts………… Why?

Deacon JT

St. Alphonsus Church

Maple Glen, PA

Deacon JT's Book Club

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1