by Geoff Fox
Rev. Jack Lombardi has written eight books during his time at St. Peter’s and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hancock and Orleans, respectively, with each book being a reflection on different aspects of life through a religious lens.
His newest book, Paradoxes & Parables: Metanoia Messages to Enlighten a Weary World, Lombardi said he is listing paradoxes and parables and then doing expositions on them.
“The more you think about it, the more of them you think about,” he said.
In the book, Lombardi said he goes through those parables and paradoxes and what they mean today.
Lombardi said he got the idea to write the book after years of priesthood, ministry, and being a disciple. He said you start to think of God/Man, Mary as a virgin and mother, and Jesus saying, “If you want to find your life, you must lose your life.”
Jesus as both God and Man presents a paradox, as does the Virgin mother Mary.
He added there’s those, and other paradoxes as well as parables in the Bible, like the Good Samaritan, that “twist you up” and make people think.
Lombardi said the “to find yourself, lose yourself” example, you can look to the saints and scripture verses for the “answers” – to not cling to your ego or pump up or advertise yourself, but rather negate yourself to be humbler, smaller and become a servant.
He said that might be one that could get people to scratch their head and try to understand what it means.
In today’s culture, Lombardi said, we’ re taught to pump ourselves up, promote our brand, and advertise ourselves, which is opposite of what the “to find yourself, you must lose yourself:” example means.
There’s two truths in the world, Lombardi said -straight truth, like God is love, and there’s indirect truths, which he said are the parables and paradoxes that seem like opposites – “things like that that seem opposites that go together,” he said.
“But that’s common in the Bible and in the Hebrew world, Jesus’ world, to use paradoxes,” Lombardi said.
The metanoia in the title refers to “change your mind” with meta meaning “after” and metanoia meaning “after thinking” how being a God follower, how you act after reading a parable or a story or a paradox.
“So, when we think about these stories, parables, paradoxes, that helps us to realign, change our lives,” Lombardi said.
Lombardi is a Catholic priest and his books are being bought by his fellow Catholics, but those outside the Catholic Church are buying them as well.
He said this book can appeal to those inside the church and out, as there is an Eastern feel and dealing with mystery and paradox, which serves as an entry point for everyone.
“You don’t have to be a believer, so that can help people to get interested,” he said.
Lombardi said he enjoys writing his books and it’s a process.
“Like a lot of things in life, like a jigsaw puzzle, you get a piece here, a week later you
get this piece, a day later another piece, and sort of the more pieces, paragraphs, chapters you put together, it eventually all comes together and forms a manuscript or book,” he said, “and it’ s fun to put all those pieces together.”
Lombardi also said there’s fun in producing the book like getting pictures. His new book is introduced with a picture of his dog Bella sitting in front of a Manger scene at the Hancock Christmas tree on Main Street.
There are “three or four” books in the works, Lombardi said, with titles like Odyssey where he talks about serving in the city; another on mantras, where he talks about short little short prayer phrases that help keep us guided by God; and appearances where he talks about how people say we’re in a matrix, but it’s God giving us the software and go through life guided by His providence.
Lombardi’s books are available on Amazon and at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Hancock.
There will be a few book signings in the coming weeks:
—January 28 at Buddy-Lou’s in Hancock from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
—February 3 at the Hancock Memorial Library from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
—February 3 at Bill’s Place in Little Orleans from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
—February 10 at the Oak Barrel Cafe in Little Orleans from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
—February 13 at the Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
