The Lamp of Life Renewed
Introduction
There is a book written by the Rev. Roger A. Swenson called "The
Lamp of Life Renewed: Daily Meditations for the Easter Season".
Fr. Swenson has studied at the Gregorianum in Rome, did graduate
work in counseling and school administration at Loyola and Tulane
Universities, and served as instructor, principal and rector of
St. John Vianney Preparatory School in New Orleans.
A new form of meditative writing
Fr. Swenson presents a new way of meditating on the mysteries of
the Easter season. He begins his meditations with Easter Sunday
and ends with Pentecost Sunday. His meditative style is unique.
Each meditation begins with a scripture passage from the readings
of the Mass for the day. Then he begins the substance of the
meditation proper - combining some exegesis, reflection, insights
from science, and present day examples to root the Scripture
message in the ground of our contemporary lifestyle. In the third
section of his meditation, there is a poem in relation to the
theme of the meditation. And the final part ends with a prayer -
often in acknowledgment of God's gift of new life to us, and a
petition to the Risen Lord to grant us light when the daily
struggles of the day darkens our path to life.
A good resource for Catholic bloggers
Fr. Swenson presents material that may appear hard to digest at
first. But his style is the style of most Catholic writers who
have really absorbed the spirit of Vatican II. For Catholic
bloggers who are focused on Vatican II theology and spirituality,
this is a very good resource book to gather spiritual insights
- one that you can integrate with your blog posts. With the
Vatican II spirit, new expressions of the faith were born. This
book by Fr. Swenson is a product of that newness in faith
expressions. You will find this newness most especially in the
actual meditation part of his writing and in the poem that
expresses the message of the day's theme. Perhaps the "newness"
this book presents, will help renew the light of faith of many who
are looking for new expressions of the Catholic faith.
To know more about the books I collect in my private library,
you can visit the LibraryThing.com widget at Books, Blogs, and
Podcasts.
Labels: easter, meditation
posted by Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera @ 8:41 PM
