Jacques Maritain as the Evangelical "Peasant of Garonne"

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This begins my intermittent series of book reviews. Due to my time constraints I will write the reviews in the sleeve cover style, namely in short fashion.

While on my travels to Rome, I happened upon a little book by Jacques Maritain called, "The Peasant of the Garonne: an old layman questions himself about the present time." The lore behind the text is that it was the last project Maritain undertook, and from the beginning to the end you can tell that it is the work of a man that is not in the least interested in making friends, but instead feels as though there is a debt to his soul he must pay before his curtain is closed.

Here is the review:

"Every Christian of conservative color will find Maritain's potency and poignancy refreshing. He sees right through every issue, and in the satiric yet prophetic Maritain mode, has you laughing, crying, and praying in just a matter of pages. If you want to start somewhere with Maritain, "The Peasant of the Garonne" is a good choice. Join him at the end of his spiritual journey in this life and join a soul that is committed to the cause of truth, sound exegesis, and a charismatic fire that will change the world. This book will enliven your spiritual life and enlighten your mind."

Baptism

The word baptism comes from the Greek "to wash". As a Protestant, who believed that baptism was an external sign of an internal reality, I never stopped to ask myself why our Lord gave the sacrament such a name. If in fact it was meant to wash, wash what?

If anyone has ever been to a baptism, they might notice that afterwords (an evangelical baptism or otherwise), no one has been sufficiently cleansed externally by the ritual. In the case of the SB, the fresh smell of the chlorine might actually leave one in need of a bath following the ritual. If done in the Jordan river the afore is even more obvious. Yes, this cleansing cannot be external, which leaves us with only another option:

Baptism transforms the inner man. It washes us clean, from the inside-out.

I guess one still might argue that the washing was a metaphor for the symbolic nature of the salvific act of Christ that had already been accomplished. However, a reading of the end of Matthew, "Go make disciples, washing them (baptizing) in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit...", makes no real sense with that reading. Instead, I am content to now have a coherent view of the sacrament of baptism. When Christ washes you, beware, he is coming for your soul!

Welcome Home!

I CREATED THIS SPACE TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS IN WORDS MY JOURNEY INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. I AM NOT THERE YET, BUT CAN FEEL THE WARM AND TRAVERSED SAND OF THE EASTERN BANKS.

This was my post over a year ago. It is beautiful to read it.