Book Review: Signs and Mysteries
Recent years have seen a rise of interest among Christians in discovering the treasures of the ancient Church. The writings of the Fathers continue to gain popularity as modern Christians seek to deepen their understanding of the wisdom present in the earliest Christian communites. Figures such as St. John Chrysostom and St. Ambrose present ideas that are centuries old, yet remain fresh to those who read their words today. There also seems to be a rekindling of curiosity surrounding the wealth of symbols that have been integral to the history of Christianity.
Mike Aquilina’s book, Signs and Mysteries, is a clear attempt to meet the needs of those seeking to explore both the symbols of the early Church and the rich commentary provided about them by the Fathers. He describes his book by saying,
This is not a work of scholarship, but an act of devotion–an act of piety toward our ancestors, so that we might learn to see the world once again with their eyes, and to pray and live as they once prayed and lived.
Aquilina succeeds in creating a work that connects modern Christians with those who lived in the first centuries. He invites his readers to reclaim symbols that may be unfamilar while deepening their understanding for those that remain common today. Twenty-five symbols are presented in a clear and straightforward manner along with the beautiful illustrations of Lea Marie Ravotti. The author’s clear expertise on the writings of the Fathers is evident as he easily brings together thoughts from various ancient texts. Examples from Scripture, homilies and early accounts of martyrdom are recounted in order to demonstrate how the early Church was able to strengthen its prayer, liturgy, and communal life by keeping these symbols central.
While reading this book my thoughts were never far from the mystery of the Incarnation. We Christians believe in a God who entered humanity in order to recreate the world. Christ’s presence as one of us is supposed to change the way we see the world. The early Christians understood this so well that they saw Christ everywhere. They saw him in bread, in fish and in a mother nursing her infant. They saw Christ in the wisdom of philosophers, in the victory of a king in battle, and in the lowliness of shepherds. Signs and Mysteries is an invitation to follow the example of the first believers, to allow the scales to be removed from our eyes so that like so many holy men and women before us, we may see Christ in every person we meet, in every place that we go, and in everything that we do each day.
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Signs and Mysteries.
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