Christ in the Margins

The iconography of Robert Lentz has always pushed the margins and this book would be valuable for the illustrations alone, any one of which could serve as a spiritual focus for meditation. The brief stories of each subject invite the reader to delve further into that person's life and work. Gateley's longer reflections -- interspersed throughout the book -- explore some of the people represented here more fully and open up the complexity of the person in ways that the normal biographies of saints often avoid. As a spiritual director, I find this an invaluable book as it reminds us all that Christ is found on the margins of life and in the witness of those who live on the margins, often unnoticed by the news media or those in the centers of power and prestige. I would enjoy using this book with spiritual friends, but also with young people (14 - 25) who seem to yearn for stories of those who made a difference in spite of poverty, lack of education, disease, voicelessness, or age.

This handsome book can be enjoyed in diverse ways: meditating on Lentz' beautiful contemporary icons or pondering the penetrating and provocative reflections by Edwina Gateley following each of the eight groups of icons. Subjects of the icons range from Christ of the Desert to Black Elk, from the Syro-Phoenician woman to Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago, from Julian of Norwich to Cesar Chavez, and from St. Brigid to Michal Judge, OFM. Grouped under such headings as Founders, Prophets, Outcasts, Holy Fools, Mystics, and Artists, the 41 icons include such surprising subjects as Einstein and Tolkien, along with more traditional saints. The visual appeal alone of this book makes it a valuable addition to any library, but the inclusion of Lentz' texts and Gateley's essays more than doubles its worth as a holy book to be treas-ured.