Herman Melville illuminated by The Message
He may have assigned Moby Dick in high school, but Paul Boudreau first entered the world of Herman Melville’s great tale as an adult while vacationing on Nantucket. “I had no idea that, before this amazing read was over,” he writes in his introduction, “I would have discovered hundreds of biblical allusions in the text. As a student and teacher of Scripture, I was delighted.” Boudreau’s delight shines through in his selections from Moby Dick, Typee, Billy Budd, and other works, and in his enlightening selection of passages from The Message.
The underlying lessons and morals intertwined in his enchanting stories teach about loving one another, right and wrong, and the consequences of bullying, lying, and cheating. He also writes of siblings and friends caring for one another. And many of his characters pray and call on God in their times of need.
Paul Boudreau is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut. He has served in various pastoral and teaching ministries for over 30 years. He is co-author along with Alice Camille of The Forgiveness Book and Fearless: Stories of the American Saints. Before entering seminary, Paul enjoyed a 10-year career racing motorcycles professionally and was editor of Motocross Action magazine. Paul’s award-winning articles have appeared in various religious and racing publications. He is the pastor of Saint Mary Church in Portland, Connecticut.
The Literary Portals to Prayer series is the first truly new resource for personal prayer in years. Designed to be a prayer-starter in the "Lectio Divina" tradition, the portal has a passage from the Bible side-by-side with a selection from an author whose work has stood the test of time. Each turn of the page ties together literature and scripture with an insightful theme.
