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The Reason for the Seasons: Why Christians Celebrate What and When They Do
We can’t be joyful without knowing why we should be joyful.That’s why celebrated Catholic author James V. Schall, S.J.,– the thinking man’s priest– presents these short but powerful chapters on the most important and joyful feasts of the Church’s liturgical year.
With Fr. Schall as your guide, you’ll come to understand more deeply the point of each celebration. You’ll learn truths about the feasts that will awaken you to real joy,as you consider Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day, as well as the End Times that we encounter in the last Sundays of the liturgical year.
Rather than being encyclopedic discussions of each of the feasts, these penetrating reflections generally point to something astonishingly new that you missed before, something of the meaning and depth of each feast that is almost always passed over unnoticed, except by those who think long and deeply about them.
In any one of these discussions, you’ll find never-ending causes of insight into what we are and who God is.
In a word, this powerful – and delightful – book affords you an enormous opportunity to consider anew the great truths of our Faith handed down to us by our beloved Mother Church, and that each year are celebrated in Her Feasts.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2018
About the author
James V. Schall
98 books88 followersFr. James V. Schall, SJ was Professor of Political Philosophy at Georgetown University.
He was born in Pocahontas, Iowa, January 20, 1928. Educated in public schools in Iowa, he graduated in 1945 from Knoxville, Iowa High, and then attended University of Santa Clara. He earned an MA in Philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1945.
After time in the U.S. Army (1946-47), he joined the Society of Jesus (California Province) in 1948. He received a PhD in Political Theory from Georgetown University in 1960, and an MST from University of Santa Clara four years later. Fr. Schall was a member of the Faculty of Institute of Social Sciences, Gregorian University, Rome, from 1964-77, and a member of the Government Department, University of San Francisco, from 1968-77. He has been a member of the Government Department at Georgetown University since 1977.
Fr. Schall has written hundreds of essays on political, theological, literary, and philosophical issues in such journals as The Review of Politics, Social Survey (Melbourne), Studies (Dublin), The Thomist, Divus Thomas (Piacenza), Divinitas (Rome), The Commonweal, Thought, Modern Age, Faith and Reason, The Way (London), The New Oxford Review, University Bookman, Worldview, and many others. He contributes regularly to Crisis and Homiletic & Pastoral Review.
He iss the author of numerous books on social issues, spirituality, culture, and literature.
He was born in Pocahontas, Iowa, January 20, 1928. Educated in public schools in Iowa, he graduated in 1945 from Knoxville, Iowa High, and then attended University of Santa Clara. He earned an MA in Philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1945.
After time in the U.S. Army (1946-47), he joined the Society of Jesus (California Province) in 1948. He received a PhD in Political Theory from Georgetown University in 1960, and an MST from University of Santa Clara four years later. Fr. Schall was a member of the Faculty of Institute of Social Sciences, Gregorian University, Rome, from 1964-77, and a member of the Government Department, University of San Francisco, from 1968-77. He has been a member of the Government Department at Georgetown University since 1977.
Fr. Schall has written hundreds of essays on political, theological, literary, and philosophical issues in such journals as The Review of Politics, Social Survey (Melbourne), Studies (Dublin), The Thomist, Divus Thomas (Piacenza), Divinitas (Rome), The Commonweal, Thought, Modern Age, Faith and Reason, The Way (London), The New Oxford Review, University Bookman, Worldview, and many others. He contributes regularly to Crisis and Homiletic & Pastoral Review.
He iss the author of numerous books on social issues, spirituality, culture, and literature.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 19, 2020
This version of this book was published in 2018. It looks to be a revised and expanded version of Rejoice and Be Glad (ISBN 9781622822966) that was published in Match of 2017. The subtitle of that earlier edition was ‘Celebrating the Great Feasts of the Church’. Both subtitles work. I will admit the book is not nearly what I was expecting, I was expecting something along the lines of The Church's Year: Unfolding the Mysteries of Christ by David W. Fagerberg. But this book is a collection of 52 essays and articles. And there are some ream gems in this collection. Many of the pieces appeared previously across 10 publications and websites. The pieces had appeared in: The Catholic Thing, Catholic World Report, Gilbert Magazine, Crisis Magazine, MercatorNet, Aleteia.org, The Hoya, National Review, Inside Catholic, and The University Bookman. And as with any anthology or collection like this one there are pieces you will absolutely love, some you will like and maybe a few that just do not do it for you. I can state that many deeply impacted me and I will likely return to the volume and reread it following the seasonality of the pieces.
In the introduction Father Schall states:
“Over the years, I have written a number of relatively short essays on various Church feasts. These feasts are always an occasion to ask: “What is the point of the celebration?” “Why is it a case, not just of rejoicing, but of knowing the truth that makes real joy possible?” We cannot be joyful without ultimately knowing why we should be joyful, without having something to be joyful about.
In particular, I have written (and include here) many reflections on Christmas, Easter, and the days surrounding them. Also in this text are considerations of Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day as well as of the “End Times” that come up in the last Sundays of the Liturgical Year.”
And that is evidenced by the weighting in the sections. The book is broken into 5 sections, and the sections have between 21 and 3 reflections. They are:
Part 1 From Christmas to New Year’s (21)
Part 2 From Ash Wednesday to Easter (15)
Part 3 From the Ascension to Pentecost (5)
Part 4 Ordinary Time (3)
Part 5 From All Saints to the Immaculate Conception (8)
At the end of each piece that was previously published it references the source and publication date. In the conclusion Schall states:
“At the beginning of this book, I quoted five authors — Josef Pieper, G. K. Chesterton, Samuel Johnson, St. Augustine, and Karl Adam. My selections were not arbitrary. They are designed to anticipate, to alert the reader to the flavor and thought that goes into the various texts that follow. As the reader goes through the book, the themes found in these initial citations keep recurring.”
And he does just that. There is part of me that wishes the sections in the volume were more evenly balanced. Or that Lend received as much weight as Christmas. But Father Schall has his reasons. And as the author of over 70 books there is much I could read across other subjects. In that conclusion he also states:
“Each year the liturgical cycle, in contrast to the chronological counting of days, but reflective of it, leads us through the history and nature of our salvation. No doubt, in one year, we can but touch on the riches that are found in each of the events of our redemption. As can be seen in these chapters, each year, each feast or memorial becomes a new starting point. We look again, with the new events of our own life and times, at the fact of Christ’s presence in this world, during the time of Caesar Augustus.”
And further along:
“No better way can be found to make sense of our own lives than to see them in the light of the drama of God’s calling us through Abraham, through the Incarnation and Redemption of Christ on the Cross, through the awareness we have that neither we ourselves nor the world itself is made fully to satisfy us, even though it can satisfy us in many good things.”
One of the pieces that impacted me most was his essay on Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson’s novel The Lord of the World, and that pieces and some of his references to C.S. Lewis have stirred in me a desire to return to the writings of Lewis, Benson and Chesterton.
This was one of those books I could hardly put down. But it is also one that I should have taken more time with. I will likely return to it and next time only read an essay every day or two. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic would benefit from reading.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
In the introduction Father Schall states:
“Over the years, I have written a number of relatively short essays on various Church feasts. These feasts are always an occasion to ask: “What is the point of the celebration?” “Why is it a case, not just of rejoicing, but of knowing the truth that makes real joy possible?” We cannot be joyful without ultimately knowing why we should be joyful, without having something to be joyful about.
In particular, I have written (and include here) many reflections on Christmas, Easter, and the days surrounding them. Also in this text are considerations of Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day as well as of the “End Times” that come up in the last Sundays of the Liturgical Year.”
And that is evidenced by the weighting in the sections. The book is broken into 5 sections, and the sections have between 21 and 3 reflections. They are:
Part 1 From Christmas to New Year’s (21)
Part 2 From Ash Wednesday to Easter (15)
Part 3 From the Ascension to Pentecost (5)
Part 4 Ordinary Time (3)
Part 5 From All Saints to the Immaculate Conception (8)
At the end of each piece that was previously published it references the source and publication date. In the conclusion Schall states:
“At the beginning of this book, I quoted five authors — Josef Pieper, G. K. Chesterton, Samuel Johnson, St. Augustine, and Karl Adam. My selections were not arbitrary. They are designed to anticipate, to alert the reader to the flavor and thought that goes into the various texts that follow. As the reader goes through the book, the themes found in these initial citations keep recurring.”
And he does just that. There is part of me that wishes the sections in the volume were more evenly balanced. Or that Lend received as much weight as Christmas. But Father Schall has his reasons. And as the author of over 70 books there is much I could read across other subjects. In that conclusion he also states:
“Each year the liturgical cycle, in contrast to the chronological counting of days, but reflective of it, leads us through the history and nature of our salvation. No doubt, in one year, we can but touch on the riches that are found in each of the events of our redemption. As can be seen in these chapters, each year, each feast or memorial becomes a new starting point. We look again, with the new events of our own life and times, at the fact of Christ’s presence in this world, during the time of Caesar Augustus.”
And further along:
“No better way can be found to make sense of our own lives than to see them in the light of the drama of God’s calling us through Abraham, through the Incarnation and Redemption of Christ on the Cross, through the awareness we have that neither we ourselves nor the world itself is made fully to satisfy us, even though it can satisfy us in many good things.”
One of the pieces that impacted me most was his essay on Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson’s novel The Lord of the World, and that pieces and some of his references to C.S. Lewis have stirred in me a desire to return to the writings of Lewis, Benson and Chesterton.
This was one of those books I could hardly put down. But it is also one that I should have taken more time with. I will likely return to it and next time only read an essay every day or two. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic would benefit from reading.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
December 26, 2021
This was an excellent selection of previous writings from Fr. Schall to articulate the various Catholic seasons. I've heard him called the "thinking man's priest" and I know what they mean, but most of these essays are approachable without having the same level of reading as him. I learned some new aspects to the seasons and very much enjoyed this book.
December 25, 2020
I try to better understand my religion as I grow older and sometimes the texts are still too intellectual and theological that I don't understand them and get frustrated quickly. This one had an accessible voice with Father James V. Schall, S.J. and explains some of the celebratory understandings with the first half of the book about the Christmas season. Finally something that I can take notes on because I can understand what I'm reading!
"Isaiah 25:6 proclaims that 'on this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines: juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.' These are the menus we Christians anticipate for Christmas."
"This sad matter referred to those men in the modern world 'who really make a protest on behalf of that antiqua pulchritude (ancient beauty) of which Augustine spoke. They 'long for the old feasts and formalities of the childhood of the world."
"Christmas is now a feast without a cause. Folks do not, however, want to give up the days off, the presents, the good feelings, the 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire.' So they are kept without the religious mood that caused them to come about in the first place."
"Christmas, Chesterton insisted, is the Feast of the Home, our Home. On Christmas Eve, we should lock our doors and be with our family, with those we love and who love us."
"The fact that the birth of Christ is primarily associated with an unexpected gift, the Child Himself, reminds us of the fact that children are not the products of economic or scientific enterprises. They are gifts."
"Christmas is not what we call a 'holiday'. Christmas is a 'holy' day, which is what the word holiday really means."
"Isaiah 25:6 proclaims that 'on this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines: juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.' These are the menus we Christians anticipate for Christmas."
"This sad matter referred to those men in the modern world 'who really make a protest on behalf of that antiqua pulchritude (ancient beauty) of which Augustine spoke. They 'long for the old feasts and formalities of the childhood of the world."
"Christmas is now a feast without a cause. Folks do not, however, want to give up the days off, the presents, the good feelings, the 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire.' So they are kept without the religious mood that caused them to come about in the first place."
"Christmas, Chesterton insisted, is the Feast of the Home, our Home. On Christmas Eve, we should lock our doors and be with our family, with those we love and who love us."
"The fact that the birth of Christ is primarily associated with an unexpected gift, the Child Himself, reminds us of the fact that children are not the products of economic or scientific enterprises. They are gifts."
"Christmas is not what we call a 'holiday'. Christmas is a 'holy' day, which is what the word holiday really means."
November 19, 2020
Excellent essays to use as reflections on the major feasts and seasons of the liturgical year. This was my first time reading Fr. Schall (who I later learned was raised in my own parish), and I plan on searching out more of his writings. I will definitely be reading this again in future years. It's a great year long read, as you spread the essays amongst the feasts they reflect.
December 29, 2021
Probably not worth the time.
February 6, 2022
A collection of occasional essays on the holy days of the year. Very little repetition, even in the Christmas ones that are the largest group.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews