Many will know the subject and author of this book from Of Gods and Men (2011), a deeply human and spiritually enlightening French film about the mission of seven Catholic monks serving a poor Muslim community in Algeria. De Cherge — who has since been beatified by Pope Francis — was the prior (leader) of that community of monks who were kidnapped and killed.
Revealed in these pages are his profound commitments to hope and humility, faithfulness and love — to the point of dying for it. The book’s translator — a French-speaking Muslim from Algiers — points out in his preface why he was attracted to the project: “I was drawn to Christian de Cherge for the depth of his spiritual inquiries and his commitment to Islamic-Christian dialogue.” Indeed, the moments when this Catholic priest uses Arabic expressions, quotes from the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad, or quotes the Qur’an in one of his talks, homilies, letters, or articles are the most interesting moments in this collection of short writings.
Some of the talks were given in “chapter,” meaning, to his fellow monks only. These can be insular and specific, lacking relevancy for the more general reader. But some reveal the prior speaking on essential topics of faithfulness, witness, hope, and how to live in a place (Algeria) where there were rarely indications that anyone wanted them there. And yes, martyrdom — what it means, is it desirable — is ever-present.
In one chapter talk, de Cherge tells the monks that their abbot general, when hearing the monastic community might be in physical danger from neighboring Muslims who felt a Catholic presence in their midst was threatening, responded “The Order needs MONKS more than martyrs. So you must do everything you can to avoid a tragic end that would benefit no one.” It did in fact end tragically, and this book will be part of the conversation as to whether or not the monks’ deaths were a benefit, and how.
The section of letters reveal de Cherge as intimately involved in Catholic-Muslim dialogue in ways that moved beyond his monastic vocation and living situation. So does an article called “The Mystical Ladder of Dialogue,” which should be of interest to many readers.
Every letter, chapter talk, article, and homily receives a thorough introduction from the editors, making it easy to move from one to the next with a growing understanding of this prophetic, late twentieth-century Christian life.
