One of the things I find most delightful is introducing good friends of mine to each other. That recently happened to me again. If any of you have checked out the “Biographies” section under the “Books to Read” tab in this blog, you’ve seen that I have read two books about Father Arseny, an Orthodox priest who served time in Russian prison camps, a number of times. Hence, he has become a good friend. I have often said about him, “I want to be like him when I grow up.” I recently introduced him to Anthony Esolen, a professor at Providence College (who has also become a good friend). Professor Esolen writes for Touchstone magazine and, as many of you have probably noticed, for Magnificat. He recently commented on an article about a priest in a concentration camp who heard the confession of one of his tormentors and the magnanimity of love he showed him. Having read Professor Esolen’s comments, Fr. Arseny immediately came to mind so I sent the two books off to him in the hope that he would value meeting him as much as I have. Here are his comments about the books: “The Beauty of the Saints.”
And my hope is that each of you get to know each of them. Remember I love it when my good friends meet each other.
(I know I included a lot of links in this post–all of them worth reading. If you only have time to read one, read the last: “The Beauty of the Saints”.)
Witnesses to Hope 