Reading through this collection of excerpts from various Orbis Books authors, we felt like we were attending a college reunion. Time to catch up with people we didn't know very well and time to renew our relationship with those we do know well. We are grateful to Michael Leach, publisher emeritus and editor-at-large for Orbis Books. and Doris Goodnough, assistant to the publisher, for gathering this material and making the hard decisions on what to include and what to leave out. It is worth noting that over its 40-year history, this publishing house has received 150 awards from the Catholic Press Association in the past 10 years and 12 Pax Christi awards. Leach and Goodnough summarize the mission of Orbis Books as enlightening the mind, nourishing the spirit, and challenging the conscience.
Here are some of our favorite spiritual writers who provide inspiration in this daybook: Henri Nouwen, Joyce Rupp, Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr, Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, Megan McKenna, Joan Chittister, Anthony De Mello, Leonardo Boff, Daniel Berrigan, and many others. They cover a diversity of topics including faith, hope, love, justice, silence, peace, play, God, poverty, and sainthood. Here is an example of one of the pieces — "It's Never Too Late" by Paula d'Arcy:
" 'No, it's never too late to heal and start anew.' It is not too late because life is this moment, and only this. There is now — this day — and its full potential to open wide a new door. And even though we may tremble at the immediacy and intimacy of the threshold we face, there is within us the power to walk through these new openings. There is within us a power greater than anything we will ever face, greater than anything we have ever done — a power that enables us to learn from our missteps and begin again.
"Beginning again is possible because life is possible. We can choose to go on, entering the fullness that is at the heart of all things. Starting over is the step we take because of a small vow we make to ourselves. I choose to live. I choose to heal and grow. I agree to meet the circumstances in my life with the power of spirit that lies within."
