Mr. Barrett has done his research and from this, has created a plausible tale regarding the wife of Siddharta Gautma (ap) later known as Buddha. Yasodara is not formally acknowledged as his wife. This is one of my favorite books. Read it.. I think it may become one of yours too. !

I just finished this beautifully written book by the author of "Lilies of the Field". It never ceases to amaze me how an author can put words together to form such cohesive thought. Mr. Barrett has this rare talent. Reading this book puts one inside the life and thoughts of a Russian Orthodox Monk shortly after World War II. The story leaves you just the right amount of questions answered and unanswered. This reader will be looking for the rest of Mr. Barrett's titles as I suddenly discover I have yet another favorite author!

I'm not going to quote from the book, and I'm not going review this book by telling you who did what to whom. This is what I believe is the jist of this story:

When someone is expected to do something, this someone has an opportunity to be loved by people who sought his work. If the expectation is unreasonable, or highly unprobable to be fulfilled, then this is faith. One who does not disappoint faith is the one who achieves greatness.

This is the story of one such person.

There is a young legend developing on the west side of the mountains. It will, inevitably, grow with the years. Like all legends, it is composed of falsehood and fact. In this case, the truth is more compelling than the trappings of imagination with which it has been invested. The man who has become a legendary figure was, perhaps, of greater stature in simple reality than he will ever be in the oft-repeated, and expanded, tales which commemorate his deeds. Here, before the whole matter gets out of hand, is how it was...

His name was Homer Smith. -The Lilies of the Field

And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you- you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the gentiles who strive for all these things. But strive first for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 'So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. -Matthew 6:28-34

It's maddening to see so many references to The Lilies of the Field, both book and movie, as "minor." Sure, it's a short book. Yes, the characters and situation are so idealized that it's nearly a fable. No, it does not accurately reflect the state of race relations in America in the early 1960s, nor at any other time anywhere, for that matter. But ask yourself this : how many books have you read in your life that actually made you feel more optimistic about the prospects of the species ? If it's really that easy to create sympathetic characters and write a story that uplifts the spirits, why haven't more authors written them ? Isn't it fair to conclude that the paucity of such stories, and the memorable nature of this one, indicate just how major an occurrence it is when one gets written ?

At any rate, hopefully everyone knows the tale, either from the great film or from a required reading in High School. As the opening lines above indicate, Homer Smith is a nearly mythological figure, a kind of John Henry, Paul Bunyan, or Shane. In an unlikely turn of events, this black Baptist former Army sergeant ends up helping some Catholic nuns, refugees from East Germany, to build a chapel in the New Mexico desert, despite a lack of help, tools, and materials.

Homer Smith brings an invaluable set of qualities to his task, chief among them : self confidence, self reliance, a puritan work ethic, and a healthy amount of pride. Mother Maria Marthe, the Teutonic leader of the tiny band of nuns, brings one great gift, faith :

Faith. It is a word for what is unreasonable. If a man believes in an unreasonable thing, that is faith.

Mother genuinely believes that God will provide, even that Homer has been sent by God, and that He will see to it that the chapel is built. The powerful combination of this mismatched pair's inner strengths serves as an inspiration to the entire community. Hispanic, Anglo, and Black; Catholic and Protestant; wealthy and poor; German, Mexican, and American; they come together to create a unique house of worship. And as the legend of Homer Smith grows in the desert, Mother Maria Marthe says of him :

'That is the chapel of Saint Benedict the Moor. ... That painting of the saint is the work of Sister Albertine. The model was a man named Schmidt who came to us under the direction of God. He built this chapel with his two hands under great difficulties. It is all from him.'

She pauses then and her voice drops. 'He was not of our faith, nor of our skin,' she says, 'but he was a man of greatness, of an utter devotion.'

Just as Homer's devotion to his task and Mother's faith give them a certain greatness, the aspirational beauty of this book gives it too a greatness that defies that parsimonious "minor" classification.

GRADE : A+

Where do you start with "Lillies of the Field?" Now the video movie with Sidney Poitier is wonderful and timeless, but have you read The Lilies of the Field, the book by William E. Barrett?

My wife and I were in the Parish Hall (built in 1868), and my wife loves to pick out books for the children from the library there. She came across this book. When I saw it, I had to read it; the movie is my all time favorite!

Well, let me tell you that it differs from the movie in several areas. I read it cover to cover without stopping once. Without giving anything away, have you ever wondered where Homer Smith goes when he left the nuns for the first time?

It is refreshing to say the least.

A 29 year old painter is confronted with a painting. It represents the inner court yard of Pontius Pilatus' palace. Pilatus has just washed his hands. There are Roman soldiers, a croud of agitated jews, and ofcourse a battered Jesus.

At first glance people admire the painting as a technical masterpiece. But very soon, scanning details of the picture, every spectator sees his own face somewhere in the painting. Perhaps a jew throwing rocks at Jesus, perhaps a stoic soldier. Some people run away, ashamed before the others (not knowing everybody only sees himself), some people look inward for the truth of things. And the young painter goes on a quest in order to find out who has painted this remarkeble painting.

Not 5 stars, because the painting gradually becomes secundairy on the quest, which is not my favorite plot twist.

In a painting depicting Jesus, just after Pilot has sentenced him to death, each viewer sees himself or herself as a hateful member of the mob crying for Christ's blood. The painting has been hidden for hundreds of years. Now, found by a New York gallery owner, it shakes the few he dares show it to, to their foundations. But this isn't the story of the painting, as much as the twentieth century artist who travels to Germany to piece together the story of the painting. Martin Heidegger the German Philosopher talks about art in terms of a temple where the gods have fled, and the true artist being someone who can bring them back. Barrett is a master at creating a sense of the spiritual in his readers. In Shape of Illusion he brings life into the temple of the human spirit. Don't get me wrong. Although Barrett was Catholic and his books reflect that, there is no secularism in this story. In fact the protagonist is a agnostic and his beliefs don't change. But his sense of something powerful outside himself does. And the way he figures out he's met the girl he's supposed to marry is worth the read alone.

Fr. Gregory Lind is a priest of God, dedicated to a life of celibacy. Into his life comes Pamela Gibson, who is not only Protestant but divorced. The old struggle in a modern setting. Somewhat predictable, but a surprise ending nonetheless.