The Risen Christ

by Caryll Houselander

2021 Reprint of the 1958 Edition. Facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. A prolific writer of spiritual books, Caryll Houselander (1901-1954) wrote this title during her years of poor health. In The Risen Christ she focuses on Jesus' Resurrection and the joy that is the mark of every Christian life. She brings to life the forty days of our Lord after the Resurrection. Written while she herself was dying of cancer, it offers supreme comfort to those facing the trials and challenges of human life. The Risen Christ , very beautifully and with Houselander's characteristic simplicity and poetry, suggests how we are to reflect in our own life the risen life of Christ. When she is reminding us that not only must the wise man suffer the fool gladly but also the fool must suffer the wise man gladly; when she is reflecting on the mystery, on the wonder and joy of the mystery, that we who are members of Christ's body are so; when, in the chapter 'The Crown of Thorns', she meditates more especially on the aspect of prayer as the raising of the mind to God, always she keeps before us as the main motive of the book, our responsibility to prove to those who are unaware of it, to prove it by our own life, that Christ has risen from the dead and lives still, in his physical body in heaven, in his mystical body, in you and me, on earth. It is not a large book but it contains a wealth of statements of the deepest truth set out in a way that shows their relevance to us today.

Genres: Spirituality, Catholic, Nonfiction

118 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Caryll Houselander (1901-1954) was a British Roman Catholic laywoman; a mystic, writer, artist, visionary and healer. Born in London in 1901, Caryll was the second of two daughters born to Willmott and Gertrude (nee Provis) Houselander. Her first book, This War is the Passion. written during World War II, launched her prolific writing career. Houselander's talents included painting and many woodcarvings.

Caryll's "divinely eccentric" life was principally a devotion to contemplating Christ in all and men and women and in all life circumstances. Maisie Ward (a friend of Caryll and author of her principal biography, Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric (Sheed & Ward, 1962), states, "Her message can be summed in a single sentence; we must learn to see Christ in everyone." Msgr. Ronald Knox was quoted as saying about Caryll's writing style, " . . . she seemed to see everything for the first time and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she finished it."

Though she remained a single woman throughout her life, Caryll was engaged for a time to Sidney Reilly, who was the model for Ian Fleming's character, "James Bond."

Caryll Houselander has been described as being a mystic in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila. She is best known for her works such as The Reed of God.

Caryll died of cancer on October 12th, 1954. Her bibliography consists of more than seven hundred written works including poems, short stories and articles, articles for juvenile publications and children's books (for some of these she did artwork for as well), articles for various Catholic publications, and, of course, her own books.

Reviews

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. Going to just be a lifelong Caryll Houselander fan, here. The writing was excellent. Her contemplations on the post-resurrection Christ and the life of the Risen Christ in us are just so poetic and real and truly stunning. What I love about Houselander is that she even finds beauty in the grit of the life of faith but it’s not cheesy. It’s simple (not easy!), but profound.

In second reading I especially appreciated the chapters on Work and Rest.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some highlights to give the flavor of how great this is.

> All day long, all over the world there is resurrection. A puny infant is baptized; Christ lives again, strong in his new life. A convert is received into the Church, a little appalled and disappointed by the sense of emptiness in his own soul, after the long tension of his conversion; Christ comes back to the world. A boy murmurs the monotonous story of his sins in the cramped confession box, the words of absolution are spoken; Christ lives again in the heart of mankind. A forgotten old woman dies in the workhouse. To those who close the eyes and cover the quiet face nothing extraordinary has happened; in the eyes of the Eternal Father, Christ has risen again from the dead

***

> Christ himself prepared for his Resurrection by resting in the tomb, just as he had prepared for his birth by resting in his mother’s womb. He did not call the legions of angels whom he could have called to fight back the forces of evil that had crucified him; he simply lay in the tomb at rest and, at the appointed moment in time, rose from death to renew the life of the whole world.

[Vanessa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Our Lord has told us how we are to lead the Risen Life, and he has shown it to us.... It is to be a life of love, love that creates, love that fills up the measure of each life with joy. Love that is light and peace. Love that forgives and heals and sustains, that makes us one. Love that gives life to the world and gives beauty to life. Love that is food and clothing and water for thirst. Love that is bread."

"If we see everyone in our life as 'another Christ' we shall treat everyone with the reverence and objectivity that must grow into love, and as a matter of sheer logic we shall accept whatever they bring to us, in the way of joy or sorrow or responsibility, as coming from the hand of Christ; and because nothing comes from his hand that is not given for our ultimate happiness, we shall gradually learn that the things they do, the demands they make, all are part of God's plan for us."

"The meaning of Creation is love; God created for love, and what he created is love."

This book was a wonderful companion to "The Way of the Cross." Caryll Houselander's sacramental vision is a treasure. Her beautiful meditations are worth reading during the Easter season.

[Taskgal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was selected by a small group of women in my parish. I read it during my time in Adoration, and it was wonderful for meditation and journaling.

I am surprised this author is not more prominently discussed in Catholic circles. I find her works insightful and uplifting. Profound but with a simplicity that makes her observations accessible and understandable. Yes, there are some dated references but nothing so significant that is detracts from her deep faith.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who needs some guidance in meditation or prompts for journaling.

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Houselander has a poetic style that expresses the faith beautifully.

[Judith Babarsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, this has been my least favorite of Houselander's books. It's certainly closer to a 4 than to a 3--perhaps a 3.5 or 3.6. Another short book, it is not without merit, but the message resonated less with me than some of her other books, notably The Reed of God and Christ in Our Midst. Part of the reason for this, I believe is that the chapters are long, there seem to be more Briticisms that missed the mark for this American reader, and the writing tended to wander without making the incisive points so prevalent in the author's other books. While I certainly intend to reread the aforementioned other books of Houselander (and am currently reading Rocking Horse Catholic), I doubt I'll pick this one up again. Again, not bad at all, but in comparison to her other writings, this one falls short.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Houselander masterpiece. Written with her usual accessibility, it is profound in simple language. She has the rare ability to lead the reader to deeper spiritual insights about scripture while providing inspiration on how to live the gospel practically in our lives today. Tremendous spiritual reading.