A Fragile Kingdom - Reflections on Sunday Readings

Based on sermons from a selection of Sunday readings, Gary Wade s A Fragile Kingdom encourages us as Christians to appreciate the presence of God revealed in the secular. Drawing on an eclectic range of literature, from Scripture through to modern poetry and prose, A Fragile Kingdom tackles many topical issues from sectarianism and terrorism to personal issues of family loss and rebirth. As Christians we experience life on a precarious threshold between hope and despair, happiness and sadness; but by putting our trust in God and appreciating His work in the beauty of the world around us, we learn to live in the in-between world of the kingdom present and the kingdom still to come. A Fragile Kingdom is a thought-provoking and timely meditation on coping with the fluid and troubled world in which we live.

Gary Wade writes in an accessible yet lyrical way enabling the reader to share in... personal discoveries and the epiphany moments when new insight is born... Rather than being inundated by art and literature, the writer enables the reader to see the importance of beauty in the search for God. The reader, the seeker, the believer is invited to look at the world differently to have a capacity for awe, to cultivate a sense of wonder to search for the beautiful in everyday. The writer believes that beauty can be a path to God and can enable the reader to answer life s deeper questions. A critique is that the reflections are so personal that they could impede a preacher from adopting some of the ideas. A personal, point in time reflection can also date quickly as references can be to current issues. The writer, however, does not claim that this is a book exclusively for the use of preachers. I enjoyed this publication and benefited from it. I look forward to reading more of this writer s rich literary style and know that many will benefit form the intimacies shared and the questions asked.

- The Furrow

A Fragile Kingdom is a collection of homilies by a young priest, Gary Wade, who is Head of Classical Studies and Spiritual Director in St Columbs College, Derry. Based on a selection of the Sunday Mass readings, it tackles issues like sectarianism and terrorism as well as personal issues of family loss and rebirth. There is a freshness and topicality both about the themes and the treatment. As Christians we experience life on a precarious threshold between hope and despair, happiness and sadness; but by putting our trust in God and appreciating His work in the beauty of the world around us, we learn to live in the in-between world of the kingdom present in us now and the kingdom still to come. Readers will find this book both challenging and consoling as they struggle to cope with the fragile and troubled world we live in.

- CatholicIreland.net

A thoughtful and erudite book by a Derry priest uses a selection of Sunday readings as a basis for reflections. As his experience since ordination in 1997 is in the north, his reflections are naturally coloured by the particular difficulties of that situation. Sectarianism and the legacy of terrorism feature as do personal issues of family loss and tragedy. He brings the passages of scripture to bear on each situation but also a wide knowledge of poetry, literature and art. It is a worthwhile read.

- The Church Review