THE WORLD IS A BOOK – GOD, TRAVEL AND READING by Joan Foo Mahony
Smitten By Faith Issue # 000089 25th May 2024
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
( Saint Augustine of Hippo)
Right : A globe showing all the countries of the world. In the forefront is the continent of Africa where St. Augustine was born.
Left : ‘Hand Study with the Bible’ -1506; See the fine detail of the hands gripping the pages of the bible in this extraordinary sketch by the master artist of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Durer ( 1471-1528). Albertina Museum, Vienna.
The great theologian, philosopher and writer, Saint Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo Regius was born and lived in what is now Algeria in North Africa more than 1,600 years ago ( 354-430 BCE ) during the time of the ancient Roman Empire. St. Augustine’s profound writings continue to inspire millions and he has already appeared countless times in ‘Smitten By Faith’. Each time when I think I may have exhausted all the many remarkable things I could write about this rare and magnificent man of God, I learn something new and then, I can’t wait to share this with my readers! Today is one such moment.
St. Augustine’s quote above which compares travel to reading a book just completely bowls me over. This eloquent preacher from Carthage, the great Roman City in North Africa commands us to get out of our comfort zone and travel – go far – see the world beyond our small neighborhoods. The world is like a book and if we don’t travel and find this great big world outside, it would be just like reading one page instead of reading an entire book with all its wonderful pages filled with knowledge and energy ! When we travel, we gain new perspectives, deal with different challenges, make new friends and learn fresh and amazing things.
St. Augustine’s conversion and transformation occurred late in his life and he was already 30 years old when for the first time, he left his home in Cartharge to take a boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. For Augustine who never travelled, Italy seemed so far away and the beginning of his journey must have been an anxious moment. But St. Augustine heard and obeyed his calling. God had given him special talents of oratory, rhetoric and writing and he was expected to travel – not just to spread the word of God but to open up his own eyes to the world of God. So, St. Augustine stayed 5 years travelling all over Italy preaching and writing. When he returned to his beloved North Africa, he was immediately consecrated as the Bishop of the immense diocese of Hippo Regius covering all of North Africa. So, his travels continued; this time in Africa – through inhospitable deserts to fertile river valleys and oases; and from ports to little towns and villages in his diocese. St. Augustine’s journeys often placed him in great and consistent danger from bandits and he suffered huge discomforts from the weather and lack of the most basic creature comforts. Yet, he did not cease his travels. Did Augustine like travelling? Well, this great saint absolutely did not! Still, he obeyed and roamed the most intolerable places of north Africa - at a huge cost to his health.
Left : St Augustine by Carlo Cignani 1628-1719 ); oil on canvas at the National Museum in Warsaw. See the well-read book in his hand.
Right : St Augustine - with a book; oil on silk painting (1510 ) by Pinturicchio, originally painted as a processional banner; now at Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria,Italy.
St. Augustine travelled, prayed, preached and wrote. Copiously. St Augustine wrote at least 113 books and essays which have been translated into various languages, printed and sold by the millions all over the world. St. Augustine’s literary output included his ‘Apologies’ where he defends Catholic teaching against the attacks of heretics; the ‘De civitate Dei’ or ‘On the City of God’ where he succinctly and brilliantly summarises the core tenets of Christianity; the ‘De Trinitate’ or ‘The Trinity’ where he provides an analogy for understanding the Holy Trinity; and his magnificent autobiography, the ‘Confessiones’ or the ‘Confessions’ where, with great humility, he lays bare to the reader how God is at the centre of his life. This work was probably St. Augustine’s magnum opus, his greatest work; his most important work.
What then is God's magnum opus? We are God’s magnum opus - all of the earth in a state of perfection with a sinless mankind in a pure and moral state – just as Jesus Christ showed us how to be when he took human form to be among us.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
( 1 John 3:2 )
Left : The Codex Sinaiticus, compiled around 350 CE, contains the oldest known complete New Testament in the entire world. It was discovered in St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt.
Right : Various editions of the Holy Bible
For Christians, the Bible is the name for the collection of scriptures separated into the Old Testament ( 39 books ) and the New Testament ( 27 books ). Although there is still some debate as to the origins of the Bible, Christians accept God’s ‘authorship’ ( whether directly or indirectly ) of the holy books. In 1869-70, the Council of the Roman Catholic Church known as the First Vatican Council declared that both the Old and New Testaments were “written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; they have God as their author.”
Above : ‘Travelling To The Moon And Back’, a book I wrote in 2018.
I travel because I read. I read because I travel. I feel blessed that in the many decades of my life, I have been able to travel with an open heart and curious mind. This has prompted so many wonderful experiences and indirect blessed consequences.
In 2018, instead of having a birthday party, I decided to write a book to give to my friends, putting together a compilation of some of the more interesting and memorable journeys of my life. I had no intention of writing a travel book nor a collection of annotated and re-hashed travel itineraries. I just wanted to share my passion for travelling and reading. I called my book: ‘Travelling To The Moon And Back’. Why the moon in the title? Definitely in terms of the thousands of kilometers I travelled, I must have covered many times the distance to the moon and back. Here are some interesting statistics. The distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km. The distance, round trips from Hong Kong to Europe is about 19,200 km, flights which I have been doing at least twice a year for say the past 34 years. That’s 1,267,200 kilometers. And this does not include my trips to the rest of the world from the Americas, to Africa, to the Antipodes and to all of Asia. So, yes, according to the mathematics, I have definitely travelled many times the distance to the moon and back. St. Augustine would have patted my back !
‘Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.’ ( Anna Quindlen- ‘How Reading Changed My Life’ )
Each journey I have made in this beautiful planet of ours has been special, different and incomparable. And, for sure, I have never felt lost. Instead, the trips have opened up new horizons and purposeful dimensions. I continue to learn. For most of us, reading time is very precious. So, how many books can we read in a lifetime? A book a month would make this around 12 books? Less? More? I have tried very hard to read at least more than the so-called lower average of a mere 12 books a year – which is a paltry record. For sure, I hope I have done better. If you assume that I started reading very young ( which I did ! ), how many books can I reckon to have read so far ? If I use an upper average of say 24 books a year, that would make it at least 1,600 books I have read in my life time - so far. Only 1,600 books ? That makes me want to cry.
What kind of reader do you want to be? What books and authors have not just stimulated your imagination but also deepened your spiritual life. Lately, I choose what I read with care and it is not difficult to find God everywhere in the books I read. The world is a book. So, let’s all cherish every minute we have in this beautiful universe of ours - being able to read more books and to travel the world.
Post-Script : Beginning this June 2024 to September 2024 - for the summer break, I will write my articles once a month instead of every fortnight. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer - of travels !
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Editor’s Note :
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