Sunday, December 1—Advent Sunday—begins the new church year.
- Our first class will be on the book of Job, chapters 29-31.These are the last words Job speaks until the very end, after God has spoken to him. Does he manage to hold together, somehow, the wisdom of the ancients (according to which, good things happen to good people) with the significance of the “surface” world (where good people suffer)? This is what we will be looking for: whether Job’s words achieve a “simplicity” or “integrity” which is suggested by the last sentence of chapter 31. Newcomers are welcome. We meet on the 5thfloor at 10 a.m. The class will be repeated on Thursday, December 5, at 12:40 p.m. on the 2nd floor.
- The Aquinas reading group meets next Wednesday, December 4, in Andrew Hall at 6:30 p.m. for one hour. We’re looking at the extreme oddness of the word “God” and of the words that we can use for him. Newcomers are welcome, and no advance reading is expected. If you want to check it out in advance, we will be doing Summa theologia Q. 13, articles 6-9, which can be found here. Articles 8 and 9 are particularly important.
- If you want to look way ahead: In 2014, the seminars “Good Books & Good Talk” will meet on the first Mondays of each month from February through May. The theme: Christians Reading Greeks. For February 3 the text is the Iliad, selections to be announced. Any translation is fine; if you’re buying a new copy, however, you might consider the translation by Fagles.
I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. When I was a new priest, my rector used to say: Turkeys taste better after church. If you’re in town, you may wish to come to our Festal Eucharist at 11am with our full choir (but I make no promises about the turkeys).
Peace.
