By Leonora Seinfeld

Human curiosity has always been piqued by a good story. As a child I listened raptly to the storybooks narrated by my parents, unaware that I was also internalizing an ethos through the example of brave and compassionate protagonists. As an adult I find myself gravitating towards authors who possess a keen appreciation for a set of ideals or philosophy. At the same time, I love these authors for the way that they dramatize their ideologies through characters that appeal to the reader on a personal level, illustrating how philosophy can also resonate strongly through robust and imaginative literature. One may think of the power of the existential anguish experienced by the characters in Jean-Paul Sartre’s plays and novels to the entertaining biblical anecdotes interspersed throughout the work of Jonathan Kirsch.

Joseph F. Girzone is my latest discovery of this type of author. Although once actively part of the priesthood, Girzone does not preach his Christian beliefs but presents them engagingly through fictional works such as The Parables of Joshua and The Messenger: A Parable. In The Parables of Joshua, our protagonist is the son of God set against the backdrop of contemporary life. Joshua also knows how to tell an entertaining but illuminating story in the form of parables, whether it be when having breakfast with his friends at a diner or when walking through a bustling metropolis to give comforting words to the homeless. This modern context, coupled with Joshua’s warmth and humor, makes our sublime figure accessible to the reader. In spite of his divinity, Joshua is not beyond the mischievous smile and can even be sarcastic when confronted with hypocritical union leaders.

Joshua also makes Christianity itself accessible to the modern reader, conveying Girzone’s compassionate vision. He reminds us that "…my Father is not a bore. He is a playful God…" Moreover, Joshua demonstrates that Christianity is not about dogmatic adherence to biblical law; in fact, these laws can even be outdated and counterproductive to kindness and love for other human beings, the core of Christianity’s essence. In The Parable of the Two Priests, our model is a priest who shows compassion to the troubled as opposed to his foil, who rigidly follows Church doctrine. Girzone, through Joshua, also describes God’s realism about biblical law in the face of human complexity. In The Parable of the Woman at the Well, God tolerates a severed marriage when the relationship is unhealthy and destructive. If we were to use political terms we could even describe Girzone’s God as a bit of a liberal, even though he does disagree with homosexuality and abortion.

The Messenger: A Parable also explores the themes of peace and forgiveness through Francis, an emissary of God whose quest is to rekindle the loving essence of Christianity and teach unyielding leaders how compassion transcends the rigor of the law. The Messenger is also particularly notable for its appreciation of the sensual. Our examples of good, religious men are not austere monks who pray within cold, monastery walls. Francis, like the joyful, carefree young man In The Parable of The Two Young Men, revels in the vital beauty of nature.

Andre, a friend of Francis who left the priesthood to marry a beautiful Cajun woman, lives amongst those who possess "an earthy passion for life." Francis flourishes in their environment, which is akin to his dream of a peaceful, impassioned group of villagers who embraced life and creation. Food also takes on a powerful quality, appearing frequently throughout the novel as something to take pleasure in while bonding with others in a lively social interaction. For Girzone, the physical world is a testament to the power of God’s creation, a vehicle for connecting with the divine as well as with other human beings.

The Parables of Joshua and The Messenger offer the modern Christian a God who encourages human connection and empathy over religious lip service. But even more notably, Girzone’s ideals can appeal to a reader of any faith. Joshua and Francis, like heroes in any poignant, secular narrative, inspire the reader to question and better himself. Possessing the compassion of Hugo’s Jean Valjean or Dicken’s Sidney Carton, Joshua and Francis illustrate the exquisite nature of love. As Joshua explains, " A good relationship is a lifetime’s work, but for those who have the patience to nurture a relationship they will see how beautiful and rewarding it can be." By embodying this principle through his protagonists and narratives, Girzone achieves universal resonance.