Captive Flames

by Ronald Knox

The main theme of the twenty-one panegyrics collected in Captive Flames , as Ronald Knox writes in his Dedication to Arnold Lunn, is “something which does not alter with our shifting perspectives, does not grow old. The saints do not belong to a period.… They are fixed stars, not subject to any law of impermanence.” Illustrating this dauntless fixity of the Communion of Saints and their meritorious example to earthly wayfarers are sermons on the following “selected saints and Christian heroes”: Cecilia, George, and Gregory the Great; Edward the Confessor and Anselm; Dominic, Edmund of Abingdon, and Albert the Great; Roger Bacon and Henry VI; Joan of Arc, Thomas More, and Ignatius Loyola; Philip Neri and Charles Borromeo; the English, Oxford, and Derby Martyrs; Bernadette, Thérèse, and Francis of Assisi; and G. K. Chesterton. Without exception, each and every sermon here—like its subject—is a lesson in inspiration and encouragement in faith, hope, and love. Captive Flames is further evidence, if it were needed, of Knox’s prodigious talent for engaging, persuasive, and prayerful preaching.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Monsignor Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was a Roman Catholic priest, theologian, author of detective stories, as well as a writer and a regular broadcaster for BBC Radio.

Knox had attended Eton College and won several scholarships at Balliol College, Oxford. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1912 and was appointed chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford, but he left in 1917 upon his conversion to Catholicism. In 1918 he was ordained a Catholic priest. Knox wrote many books of essays and novels. Directed by his religious superiors, he re-translated the Latin Vulgate Bible into English, using Hebrew and Greek sources, beginning in 1936.

He died on 24 August 1957 and his body was brought to Westminster Cathedral. Bishop Craven celebrated the requiem mass, at which Father Martin D'Arcy, a Jesuit, preached the panegyric. Knox was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Mells.

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of homilies given by Father Ronald Knox in different locations as the need arose, but always for the feast day of a saint. They are short, pithy, and made me wish I could have enjoyed his homilies in person. I read one a day as a bit of a devotional.

The most enjoyable quality was also the most unexpected. Knox had the gift of coming at his saintly topics from a variety of unusual angles. Much like G.K. Chesterton, the subject of the last chapter, Knox often stood things on their heads so we could feel just how unusual a saint (or hero) was and how they related to everyday life or other parts of history. His insights were sometimes revelatory.

Highly recommended.

[Paul Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains 21 wonderful vignettes of saints, groups of saints, and a few unsainted figures. Fr. Knox's English charm, vast knowledge of history, and deep insight makes it a delight.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of these homilies are beautiful and inspiring. However, only a few of them tell us much about the person the being celebrated.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small vignettes of saints! Incredibly well written- masterful analysis of the relation between dates, persons, etc. culminating in motivating exhortations to holiness.

[Sskous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half way through; sermons given by Knox, an English convert to Catholicism, on selected saints and christian heroes. Lyrical writing, interesting connections and insights.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ronald Knox. Need I say more about the 5 stars?

This book is not about the lives of the saints but more of spiritual conferences based on them.