Is it normal that as one gets older, the need to reconnect to one’s faith gets stronger? Is it because we are quietly aware that we are closer to our expiry date?
That’s me, it seems.
One of the things I had earmarked for retirement was to be a better Christian. Although, I don’t think I was a particularly good one to begin with. But better late than never, I say.
I attended more weekday Masses, listened more intently to homilies — even the ones that were challenging, long, and seemed to just go on and on and on — and heck, I even walked the Camino de Santiago!
And of course, I indulged in books about the faith. It would seem natural, then, that I would reach for the Bible, right? But I didn’t.
Growing up, I had attempted to read the Bible several times, and all those attempts ended within a few pages. Maybe I wasn’t ready then. Or perhaps it was because the Bible is actually a massive collection of more than 60 books covering history (my least favourite subject in school), poetry, law, letters, and prophecy. It isn’t exactly what you would call a light read.
What I do know about the Bible is largely limited to what I learned in school — we actually had Bible Study as a subject — and Sunday catechism classes as a youngster. Even then, I wasn’t exactly the most attentive student.
So naturally, I asked Google’s AI, “Why is it difficult to read the Bible?” Here is their answer:
“Reading the Bible is difficult because it is an ancient collection of diverse literary styles written in different languages and cultural contexts, rather than a single modern novel.”
I rest my case.
Still determined to have a better understanding of my faith, I asked ChatGPT for some suggestions. My prompt was quite specific: recommend a book for someone who wants to rediscover her faith through the Bible; someone who is Catholic but doesn’t quite understand how to harness the power of her faith; preferably something easy to understand and contemporary because she can easily get bored and distracted. Also, something with a little humour and wit so that it’s more relatable.
Haha. That last requirement was actually the most important because it would ultimately be what kept me hooked to the book.
The recommendation was Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin, SJ.
It was THE perfect read.
For all the seriousness surrounding the Ten Commandments and the demands of faith, Father James Martin writes about the abundance of joy that can be found within the Christian life. He writes with a good-natured lightness that underscores how the faithful can serve and carry out God’s word with joy amid suffering and sacrifice. And being able to appreciate the wonders that surround us is reason enough to rejoice and celebrate our faith.
In short — because I struggle with writing a decent book review — the book left me with a sense of relief. There was someone like Fr James whom I could totally relate to. And if faith could be approached with that much joy and humour, perhaps I could get into this Bible thing after all.
Somewhat.
Once I finished the book, I felt a little more determined to get into the Bible. Short of a picture book, I searched the local library for an easy-to-read version. Anyone who has read the Bible will tell you that reading it from cover to cover can be pretty confusing, especially when you’re trying to figure out the timeline and remember who did what, when, and to whom.
To my delight, there was an audiobook available that narrates the Bible’s historical flow in chronological order. The Action Bible, in its original form, is a retelling of the Bible in comic-book form, written by Doug Mauss and illustrated by Sergio Cariello, a Marvel/DC Comics artist. The audiobook is presented as a full-cast audio production.
Maaaaan, if only this had been available when I was younger! I would have aced Bible Studies!
At the start of the book, when God confronts Adam about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam basically responds, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
Way to throw Eve under the bus!
It was at that point that I decided this would be an enjoyable 13-hour listen.
The narration of the Old Testament was what really hooked me because, while I was somewhat familiar with the New Testament, there were huge gaps in my knowledge of everything that came before it. And while I was aware that my namesake, Leah, was the sister of Rachel and had become Jacob’s wife, I didn’t quite know the details until now.
Laban, Leah and Rachel’s father, had actually tricked Jacob on his wedding night. Jacob thought he was marrying Rachel, but Laban substituted her older sister, Leah.
Like, what?!!
How did I not know this?
For the most part, I had the audiobook running during my morning walks — which I made sure were on isolated trails for safety — and there were various moments when I would slow down to a stop as the stories unfolded. The ones that gave me those “What? Why didn’t I know this?” moments.
If anything, The Action Bible just revealed how much — or little, more like — I knew about the Bible. So after the exhilarating listen, I just had to look up, “How credible is The Action Bible?”
The answer was reassuring enough: The Action Bible is a dramatic and engaging storytelling resource, but it is a paraphrase rather than a precise, word-for-word translation of Scripture.
Okay, good enough.
It didn’t cover the entire Bible, but it achieved the objective. For now, at least.
My takeaway from these two books? I can now approach Scripture with a little more understanding and a lot more appreciation of my faith. I’m certainly nowhere near being able to claim that I understand the Bible, but at least it no longer feels quite as intimidating as it once did.
Maybe rediscovering faith doesn’t always begin with having all the answers. Sometimes it begins with being curious enough to ask questions, humble enough to admit what you don’t know, and open enough to find a way that works for you.
For me, that meant a humorous Jesuit and a comic-book Bible.
And for what it’s worth, thank God!
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