Basement Reading: Letters to Malcolm

I must say, one good thing came out of last week's basement cleaning extravaganza/existential book crisis. I realized there's a lot of books in my basement I haven't read yet. So periodically for the rest of this year I think I'd like to delve into some basement books and see what I find.

As last week was the last week of Lent, a.k.a. Holy Week, I thought I would start with a C.S. Lewis selection titled Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Good Catholics actually give something up for Lent, but I was too weak (although I tried to go easier on the butter--we're starting to go through it at a scary pace around here, and Mr. CR doesn't really use a lot of butter, so we know who the culprit is there), so I thought maybe spending a little more time on religious reading might be a good plan.

It's a short book, in the form of letters Lewis wrote to a friend, Malcolm, and covering their discussions on prayer. Nothing too deep--they discuss using pre-written prayers vs. more free-form ones, etc.--but still a very thoughtful little book. And each letter, or chapter, is only a few pages long, so it makes for good bedtime reading. I'd read it before, but I find with Lewis you can read all his stuff again and again and always find something new.

But this time what I found was something I'd remembered from my first reading of this book: "The Jones boy's name is Cyril--though why you find it so important to pray for people by their Christian names I can't imagine. I always assume God knows their surnames as well. I am afraid many people appear in my prayers only as 'that old man at Crewe' or 'the waitress' or even 'that man.' One may have lost, or may never have known, their names and yet remember how badly they need to be prayed for." (p. 18.)

I always got a kick out of that, as I am a former waitress, and believe me, we'll take all the prayers we can get. Although, if the choice is between a prayer and a big fat tip, go with the big fat tip.

Comments

[Venta]

That quote is great! I also can't just pray for "my family." I have to name them all as if God wouldn't know who I'm talking about. This sounds like an interesting book. Just requested it from the library. Thanks again, CR.

[Nan]

This is totally irrelevant to your post except for the C.S. Lewis part but has been making me laugh all day so I'm going to take the opportunity to share:
This morning a patron returns the DVD of Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Patron: It was a really good movie.
Me: Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing it. I really like the books.
Patron: Oh, they've got a book out on that? (his exact wording).
And this was not some kid who wouldn't know, either -- it was a guy probably in his 50s.

[Citizen Reader]

Yes, Venta, I always remembered this bit, although it's been years since I first read this book. Good old C.S., out there praying for the waitresses. Let me know what you think, okay? Although it takes a little time to read...sometimes you just need to read a few pages and think on them awhile. (I name family members too. I think it's nice. More like you're having a little chat rather than depending on God to mind-read.)

Nan,
Tee hee. Nice story. It always was funny at the library to hear people express surprise when they found out movies were based on books. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a book? (Slightly different titles, but still...)

[Rick Roche]

I always thought adding something for Lent might be a better approach. Calling one old friend each day, putting flowers on the reference desk, starting an exercise program, or something to make the world better for the people around you. What's accomplished by giving up video games or chewing gum?

I like the idea of praying for people you don't know. It is an act of imagination as well as petition.

[Citizen Reader]

Rick,
Well, I never minded giving something up. It's not a bad idea sometimes to see if you can live a little more simply. What's shocking to me is that I made it about five hours giving up chocolate this year, before giving in...when I was little I often went weeks without it! Sad to realize I had more self-control as a child. But in addition, adding something seems like a good idea too. (I like the ref desk flowers idea, by the way.)
I too like the idea of praying for people you don't know. It seems kind of detached in the best possible way.