My spiritual director of happy memory, Fr. Jerome Young, loved Cather's Shadows on the Rock. One of his confreres, Br. Claude the King of the Icon Way, reported that Fr. Jerome read his copy of Shadows so many times that the book fell apart. He never mentioned it to me in the years that I knew him; I only heard about the book after he passed away. My wife gave me a copy of the book for my birthday in January, and I finished it a few weeks ago. What a charming story!
The central characters are Cecile Auclair and her father, Euclide, who live in Quebec at the turn of the 18th Century. Cecile is a 12 year old girl who helps her father with his apothecary shop and keeps the home. The book follows Cecile over the course of the year. The book is thoroughly Catholic but not all the characters are.
Even though those are some details about the story, it seemed like there was something deeper. What was it really about? This took some thought and I don't think I've come up with the right answer. One more remark before I lay out my grand conclusion...
Cecile was the most delightful girl, and she had the ability to make everyone feel special. She was kind to every townsperson, from the prostitutes to the local Bishop. She had an incredible personality that radiated out from the pages. What I realized after reading it was that Fr. Jerome shared that very gift with Cecile. I had this feeling whenever we met; he made me feel special, like I was his favorite. He loved me as a friend and a spiritual father. After he passed away, I talked to many people who encountered him at the Abbey. Many more people left comments on Facebook. I found out that I wasn't the only one! So many people talked as if they were his favorite, too. I wasn't jealous in the least; if anything, it made me respect him more. That's a unique gift of loving that he possessed. Praise the Lord for wonderful people like Fr. Jerome, who are among His most amazing gifts!
Back to the book. I was sorely tempted to look up Wikipedia or something to find out more on what the book was truly about. (my procrastination and forgetfulness won the battle there) Was it simply a story about life on the Canadian frontier? My best guess was that Cecile represented the Church. There she was, taking care of an orphan. There she was, bestowing nothing but love and kindness upon her troubled next-door neighbor. No matter who it was, she welcomed them.
Perhaps it's a stretch, and Wikipedia may call me nuts. Thanks to Willa Cather for writing such a wonderful book!
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