While there are many cons that comes with this time in history, being stuck inside, going through Lent and Easter without the celebration of Mass and Holy Week, one of the pros is that now that my University exams are completed, I am able to dedicate a lot of more time to reading. There is a title that I have been reading on and off for over a year now – that is On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
I did not know much about Justice Scalia prior to reading this book. The only instance I learned of Justice Scalia was a coincidence: I was surfing the web one day in early 2016 and bumped into a livestream of the Mass of Christian Burial for Justice Scalia. What lingered with me the most from the funeral Mass was Fr. Paul Scalia’s (the late Justice’s son) homily for his father’s Mass.
As a Canadian, why read a book by an “American Believer”? I honestly don’t know why… but I was attracted this title. “On Faith” – such a bold statement in today’s society. The reason why this book took some time to read for me – more than a year – is that I did not spend time reading it in one sitting. Rather, I read it in segments and pondered upon what Justice Scalia said in his speeches. His speeches in my opinion is a mouthful to take in but it really gives you some food for thought.
It was interesting to read such bold Catholic speeches from not a bishop, priest, deacon, not even a religious brother or sister, but from a regular lay Catholic who happens to be a Justice working at the Supreme Court. However, as a lawyer and a Justice working with the law, it is evident throughout the book (and Fr. Scalia also affirmed this) that Justice Scalia always distinguished his identity as a Catholic and as a Justice. He did not let his religious beliefs affect the way he interpreted the law. But outside of his day-to-day job with the law, he was a devout Catholic and when he had the opportunity to give witness to his faith, he did so – and his speeches contained this book is a testament to that.
However, this book has also showed me a Catholic who was a sinner, but strived his best to seek “the best”. He loved traditional Catholic liturgy, and upon reading, that picture Justice Scalia clutching that missal that was mentioned in this text really captivated me – he treasured the Catholic liturgy. While Justice Scalia had his own ways, there was something about the role of faith in Justice Scalia that made a positive impression on people and the testimonies located at the end of each section of the book were really helpful in doing that.
The book consisted of mainly Justice Scalia’s speeches and testimonies from people who knew him well is crowned with his son, Fr. Scalia’s homily from the Funeral Mass on February 20, 2016 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. No eulogy – the Mass of Christian Burial for Justice Scalia was summed up well in the homily his son gave, as everything pointed to Jesus Christ, the one whom Justice Scalia longed to imitate. However, like everyone of us, the late Justice is a sinner as he recognized indirectly in his speeches, “We are here, then, as he would want, to pray for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner; to this sinner, Antonin Scalia. Let us not show him a false love and allow our admiration to deprive him of our prayers.”
I found reading the homily and this interview on EWTN between Fr. Scalia and Raymond Arroyo really gave me a better understanding of Justice Scalia’s life and legacy.
Overall, this was a very interesting read. It comes to show how even lay Catholics holding high positions in an American society understand and live their faith, especially those in the legal field where yes – there are major challenges and obstacles to leap over. At the end of the day though, like Justice Scalia recognized, we are all sinners but knowing that, how are we striving to live our faith in Jesus Christ?
You can purchase a hard copy of this title here.
Or, you can also order an e-copy here.
The Catholic Man Reviews 