Diary of a Country Priest
One of the best books to read on the life of Christian service is The Diary of a Country Priest by George Bernanos. I say this because it immerses us in the essence of this life between God and people, the life of real relationships, real human weakness, real ambiguity and yet real significance. For Christian service takes place in the context of all four of these realities. Relationship, weakness, ambiguity and significance is the terrain we travel as we follow the call of Jesus to serve.
Written as it was in 1937 in France, Bernanos’ novel represents another world from the usual “how to build a big church” type literatue so prevalent in North America. If you ever get the chance to read it (you will have to find it first), I would love to hear your reflections on what this book means to you.
So today I making available Being a Priest. I have always been inspired by the life of this unnamed country priest, who in his weakness sees grace everywhere.
