Souvenirs of the Holy
Encountering God Through Everyday Objects
By Laurie M. Brock
Broadleaf, 198 pages, $22.99
Broadleaf’s publicity page for Souvenirs of the Holy says it is “in the style of Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy of the Ordinary.†That comparison sets the bar very high, as Warren’s book was Christianity Today’s Book of the Year in 2018, and sold over 200,000 copies.
The Rev. Laurie M. Brock’s writing style is accessible and readers who choose Souvenirs of the Holy will surely expect a message about the Episcopal priest’s spiritual journey. Brock has a strong faith, and she communicates that throughout the book.
She also demonstrates that observation of everyday life and objects can increase our knowledge of God and the spiritual realm, which is particularly important to contemplative people. How transformed would the modern culture be if we recognized the holy in everyday places other than church?
Brock writes of breadcrumbs, “God, like a good cook, has a pattern of recognizing the worth of those things that are miniscule, seemingly unimportant, and that we too often dismiss or cast aside.†She writes of calendars, “Our modern calendars are often heavily laden with the functional and slight on the holy. … We fill our days with to-do and obligatory celebrations that drain the holiness from ancient days of solemnity and reflection.†And she equates quilts with redemption: “Redemption is the miracle that takes the shreds and pieces of life that we humans tear asunder and transforms them into something valuable, useful, and worthwhile.â€
Yet while Brock generally does well in relating everyday objects with our relationship with God and others, a couple of chapters made me wonder. The chapter on cast iron seemed to say that all of our experiences mix together and form a beautiful life. People who have experienced severe trauma might hear that their terrible hurt was sent from God.
I am confident that was not Brock’s intention, but such a reading might further injure those who are particularly vulnerable. And in Chapter 7 Brock writes, “Roads aren’t things that we deem deeply spiritual.†But Scripture and our religious heritage have repeatedly used phrases like the way, your spiritual journey, and your walk with God, which all sound like allusions to roads (or paths).
The book is valuable for contemplatives, as well as for those wanting to try an accessible contemplative practice. Brock demonstrates how everyday objects may be used to connect us to God, others, and ourselves. She ends with four types of meditative practices that will be helpful to use alone or in small groups.
Marcia Hotchkiss is program director of The Abbey in the City in Dallas. She recently wrote Hope-Peace-Love-Joy: An Advent Devotional (Bible Study Media Inc.) with Gilda Hurst.
