Spiritual Writing

For the past decade, Philip Zaleski has been editing The Best Spiritual Writing series.  The 2011 edition features an introduction by poet Billy Collins, detailing why he abandoned the faith of his childhood (Catholicism), while many of the essays included herein paddle against the current, revealing how people came to faith.

Among the more profound essays is one written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr as an audience with the Pope, a work that is quite articulate, well-framed, and progressive as it unfolds the common heritage and the differences between Christianity and Islam and offers a way forward for peace.  I'll keep this one nearby.

I also enjoyed essays by Philip Yancey on art, work about Flannery O-Connor's fiction, and some great poems by Philip Levine, Billy Collins, and, always one of my favorite poets, Richard Wilbur.

Anyone wanting to be more "spiritual" can't go wrong with this collection (in the broadest sense).  This is the kind of book I might read on the back deck at first light, a cup of coffee in hand, bird song lifting in the air, a breeze cutting the trees.  These collections are always thought-provoking, and prayer-provoking . . . and I might even abandon the book to take a walk in the woods.

Lots of good "spiritual" stuff this time of year.  Redbuds.  Flowing creek.  Daffodils.  Becky and I even made a campfire last night and necked for awhile.  We also saw our first mosquito.  I killed it.  Is this spiritual?  Guess so, since I'm not a Buddhist. But I may have killed somebody's uncle.