‘The Chronicles of Narnia’: ASpiritual JourneyIn a world grown cold without wonder, how do you reimagine thedrama and joy of Christianity? For C.S. Lewis, the answer wasto invite us into a different world that would help us seethis one with fresh eyes. That world was Narnia, and whenLewis wrote that world into existence, he created more than astory — he created the possibility for a moral and spiritualjourney.

“The Chronicles of Narnia” span seven books, each a narrativeunto itself, that come together to form a larger whole. Lewisstarted writing these stories with “The Lion, the Witch, andthe Wardrobe” (published in 1950) because he had this image inhis mind of a faun standing next to a lamppost, and he wantedto tell a story about that. In the course of writing thatfirst story, it soon became a Christian story because heimagined what kind of redeemer a world like the one he wasimagining would need.

By the time he published the last book in the series (“TheLast Battle,” 1956), he had managed to create an adventurefilled with beloved characters that did not tell children thetruths of Christianity but rather gave them images that wouldshow children the beauty. He had only meant to write a storyas a gift to his goddaughter, but he ended up creating one ofthe enduring classics of the 20th century. And since he wrotethem for a child, these stories are, of course, appropriatefor children. The kicker, though, is that they areinappropriate for anyone hopelessly convinced of their ownsophistication. You have to be childlike to enjoy thesechronicles, which also means that learning to enjoy them (orto enjoy them again) is an exercise of being restored tochildlike wonder.

Narnia is a place where the choices and actions, the desiresand dispositions of children affect their own destinies andthe fate of the world. It is a place where children learn whatit means to grow in maturity, to become responsible and todevelop character. They learn what it means to love the onewho calls them into being and who gives them a mission in life— a mission that matters on the grandest scale. Above all,what children learn in Narnia is the importance of remainingchildlike, and that means that Narnia is a place where adultscan always start over in relearning what is all too quicklyforgotten.

You can read “The Chronicles of Narnia” at any time, but sincethe books immerse readers in sorting out true desires fromfalse ones, strengthening the will and exercising courage, andbecoming evermore responsive to the voice of the Creator andRedeemer, these stories are especially well-suited for theseasons of Lent and Easter. This doesn’t mean that readingchildren’s literature should take the place of prayer, fastingand almsgiving, or even that it’s a substitute for readingScripture. Instead, engaging the Chronicles softens ourdefenses and opens up space within our hearts and minds forwelcoming the joy of Christ, in whom the drama of all lifebursts forth. This is especially important in a world growncold without wonder.

Leonard J. DeLorenzo, Ph.D., serves in the McGrath Institutefor Church Life and teaches theology at the University ofNotre Dame. His latest book is “What Matters Most: EmpoweringYoung Catholics for Life’s Big Decisions” (Ave Maria Press,$16.95).

How to make a spiritual journey throughNarniaIt takes no great insight to point out that relative to theEaster season, Lent gets the lion’s share of attention. There

is program after program, book after book, blog post afterblog post dedicated to making the most out of Lent, and thenEaster comes and all that intentionality and focus scatters tothe wind before the first week is through. So here’s a smallidea: Why not take on a commitment — a practical and enrichingexercise — that spans from the beginning of Lent to the end ofEaster? Reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” can be such acommitment.

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Beginning the week in which Ash Wednesday falls (March 3-8) tothe week that leads to Pentecost (June 2-8), there are 14weeks total from Lent through Easter. There are seven books inthe Narnia series. Reading one book every two weeks would meanreading a chapter or two every day. The practicalconsiderations for taking on this commitment in liturgicaltime are therefore pretty straightforward: This is acommitment that requires regular but not burdensome attention.

This commitment is more than a practical matter, though; it isalso a potentially spiritual one. Reading “The Chronicles ofNarnia” as a spiritual exercise does not mean being somber andstern-browed; it doesn’t mean reading without any enjoyment.What it does mean is doing more than just light reading and

requires just a little more work. That work is the work ofconscious reflection that might, at times, invite anexamination of conscience and inform how you pray. The easiestand perhaps best way to move from light reading to spiritualreading is to do two simple things. First, to keep a readingjournal and second, to engage with a reflection partner orsmall group.

The point of a reading journal is to foster regular, habitualreflection on the moral and spiritual themes running througheach of the chronicles. Since there are between 15 and 17chapters in each of the seven books, I would suggest takingabout 20 minutes every four chapters or so to journal aboutthe key instances where someone’s character is tested, or amoral decision is made, or a spiritual insight emerges. Youcan also just copy down any especially telling lines orparagraphs. You might ask yourself, “What is at stake inwhat’s going on?”, “How are the characters growing orchanging?”, and “What fears and hopes are motivating theiractions?”

Then at the end of each book, take 30 or 60 minutes to writeout your own spiritual reflection on the story. You mightthink about what sorts of spiritual qualities or characterdevelopment this particular journey through Narnia has calledforth. And you might reflect on those things in your own life.

The point of having a reflection partner or small group is toallow this spiritual journey through Narnia to become acommunal endeavor. If a couple or several adults (includingteens and young adults) agree to read the books on a commonschedule (again, one book every two weeks, beginning the weekof March 3 and concluding with Pentecost), then joiningtogether for substantive discussions after each book would betime well-spent. The basis for these conversations can be thereading journals each person keeps. Literary insights,personal resonances and liturgical connections may all followsuit.

What you might find while journeyingthrough NarniaThough it is always an act of injustice to a story (at least agood story) to say, “This is what it is about … “, it maystill be helpful to briefly name some of the broader themes tobe attentive to when reading through “The Chronicles ofNarnia” as a spiritual journey. And please note, the followingorder is definitely the order in which you should read thebooks!

These themes are all intentionally broad since the point of aspiritual journey is not to unlock some secret code. It is notthe case that we are meant to decipher these stories to findthe real or hidden message, and then move along as if thestory was only a carrier for the thing that really mattered.All too often we treat literature, and Scripture, and evenother people like that — as if there is something for “me” to“get from it” rather than something or someone to encounter.The motivation to just “get something from it” is notconducive to having our wonder awakened, our desires stirred,our consciences challenged or our gratitude enkindled.

It is also a good reminder that “The Chronicles of Narnia” arenot intended to deliver doctrinal claims outright but ratherto woo and inspire us by a way of seeing a world — a differentworld called Narnia — that allows us to become somehowdifferent than how we were before. Lessons and proclamationsrarely accomplish such a feat on their own; stories often leadthe way.

Why children and adults have something tofind together in NarniaUnlike many other forms of spiritual reading that people mighttake on for Lent or Easter, there is an opportunity with thechronicles to form a special kind of reading community: one

between adults and children. Taking up the practice of readingthese books to or with children, especially during theliturgical seasons of Lent and Easter, will provide ample andprecious opportunities for conversations about hope,adventure, fear, selfishness, generosity, trust, faith,responsibility, conversion and moral choices.

Lewis’s own hope for writing these stories was, as he hadAslan say to Lucy in “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” that“by knowing me [Aslan] for a little while here [in Narnia],you may know me better there [in your own world].” In otherwords, Narnia is a land with a narrative and a redeemer thatallows the childlike to better imagine this world and thislife as ones that matter, because our world and our lives doin fact have a redeemer who is even now working in and amongus.

Far from being just for the benefit of children, this kind ofreading community also benefits adults. Again, in a world inwhich we often feel weighed down by the seeming inevitabilityof the way things appear to be — a world where wonder often issuffocated within the grasp of “same old, same old” — plunginginto children’s literature with children can offer a gentleand welcome kind of liberation. Maybe, especially for those ofus who take some kind of pride in trying to be intellectuallyor literarily or spiritually “grown up” and “sophisticated,”the humility of giving ourselves over to simple tales withchildren will do us good.

Lewis himself felt that way. “When I was 10,” Lewis oncewrote, “I read fairy tales in secret and would have beenashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am 50, I readthem openly. When I became a man I put away childish things,including the fear of childishness and the desire to be verygrown up” (“On Stories: and Other Essays on Literature”). Thisis funny because, as a child he was craving to appear grown upand was ashamed of what delighted him. It was only when heoutgrew that shame and misplaced craving that he came to

embrace what he first tried to hide. It turns out thatChristian maturity has much more to do with childlikeness thanit has to do with the “desire to be very grown up.”Childlikeness is marked by a paradoxical kind of freedom,while that craving to appear grown up belies a hidden fear —the fear of not appearing to be enough. The freedom of a childis the freedom to actually be moved, to grow, to delight andwonder, and to always be willing to start again from thebeginning.

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Book 1: “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”Dates to read: March 3-16

Summary: While staying at the home of aneccentric professor during World War II, thefour Pevensie children — Lucy, Edmund, Susanand Peter — find their way into the world ofNarnia through a magical wardrobe. Meetingboth friend and foe, including a friendlyfaun, talking beavers, the mighty lion Aslanand the evil White Witch, the childrenquickly find themselves in the middle of awar to restore Narnia and take their placesas kings and queens.

Themes: Consider how each child’s personal character isexpressed in his or her first moments in Narnia. If you payattention, you learn quite a lot about each of them rightaway. This will be helpful for looking back later — at the endof this book and from the end of Narnia as a whole — to seehow each one changes, for better or worse. It is also worthpaying attention to how sweet things enchant and disorient us(e.g., Turkish Delight), what betrayal is, why atonement isnecessary, and where hope comes from.

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Book 2: “Prince Caspian”Dates to read: March 17-30

Summary: A year following their firstjourney to Narnia, the Pevensie childrenreturn to the magical land to discover thatcenturies have passed and war is once againon their doorstep. With the help of Aslanand Trumpkin the dwarf, the children joinforces with the rightful ruler of theTelemarines, Prince Caspian, who has sidedwith the Old Narnians to fight his uncle,King Miraz.

Themes: Ponder what it means for the children to recover theirregal manners and mission. The air of Narnia works on them,but really it is Aslan’s call and desire that restores them towho they are meant to be in that place, for the good of all.What is it like to be summoned, to feel called? Where are themoments of trust and of trial in responding to a summons, acall?

“You doubt your value. Don’t run from who you are.”— Aslan, “Prince Caspian”

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Book 3: “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”Dates to read: March 31-April 13

Summary: When Lucy and Edmund stay withtheir cousin, Eustace, all three findthemselves thrust into Narnia through apainting of a ship at sea, the Dawn Treader.Captained by King Caspian, the ship and crew— including a mouse named Reepicheep — areon a quest to find the seven lost lords ofNarnia. Their journey takes them to adragon’s cave, a land with invisibleoccupants, an island covered in darkness,and even the end of the world to Aslan’s

country.

Themes: Keep in mind the power of desire and of duty,especially in characters like Reepicheep and Caspian. Theprospect of adventure runs all through this tale, andadventure begins by peering into the unknown.

“… [O]ne of the most cowardly things ordinary people do isto shut their eyes to facts.”— Eustace, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”

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Book 4: “The Silver Chair”Dates to read: April 14-27

Summary: Eustace and his friend, Jill,narrowly escape school bullies by calling onAslan, who whisks them into Narnia. Aslanthen sends them on a quest to find the long-lost son of King Caspian, Prince Rilian, whodisappeared while searching for the greenserpent that killed his mother. Trying tofollow the four signs Aslan gave them,Eustace and Jill travel through marshes, a castle of giants, and the Underland wherethey find a man tied to a silver chair,

imprisoned by the Lady of the Green Kirtle.

Themes: The question of memory spans the book and is the keyto discerning truth from mere appearance. What is theimportance of memory for perceiving the world and one’s ownmission aright?

“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling toyou.”— Aslan, “The Silver Chair”

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Book 5: “The Horse and His Boy”Dates to read: April 28-May 11

Summary: During the reign of Lucy, Edmund,Susan and Peter as kings and queens inNarnia, a young man named Shasta and atalking horse named Bree begin a journey toescape enslavement in the southern kingdomof Calormene. Joined by Aravis, who isfleeing a forced marriage, and her talkinghorse, Hwin, they encounter a plot toconquer the land of Narnia and force QueenSusan to marry the Calormene prince.

Themes: Think about how divine providence works, oftenunbeknownst to the characters at the time. To really see thisand think about it, it’s important to see the whole story fromthe perspective of the end.

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Book 6: “The Magician’s Nephew”Dates to read: May 12-25

Summary: Friends Polly and Digory are set ona series of adventures when Digory’s evilUncle Andrew gives them rings he believeswill transport them to different worlds. Thechildren find themselves in a wood betweenall worlds with ponds of water, which areentrances to different worlds. While world-hopping, Polly and Digory accidentally wakethe evil Queen Jadis (the White Witch),witness the birth of Narnia, and are chargedto protect it before returning home.

Themes: Contemplate how a person’s willingness to wonder andbe awed affects how a person sees and hears what is going onaround them. And, though magic is present throughout the booksin the series, here it is especially worthwhile to perceivethe difference between rogue magic and magic that is obedientto Aslan.

“Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid themthe stars sang again; … and the deepest, wildest voice theyhad ever heard was saying: ‘Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake.Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Bedivine waters.'”— “The Magician’s Nephew“

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Book 7: “The Last Battle”Dates to read: May 26-June 8

Summary: Narnians have lived in peace sinceKing Caspian ruled, but deception threatensto divide the country during King Tirian’sreign. While calling on Aslan, Tirian sees avision of many friends of Narnia living inour world — Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Eustace,Polly and Digory — who return to Narnia tohelp. Battle ensues between those loyal toAslan and the troublemakers, which ends injudgment by Aslan to determine who willcontinue the adventure into his country.

Themes: Reflect on how there really is an end to all mattersof moral and spiritual judgment and how, at the end, choicesand desires really do matter. It is also, of course,worthwhile to consider how the end of the journey throughNarnia is the beginning of a journey into deeper and deeperjoy.

“But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.All their life in this world and all their adventures inNarnia had only been the cover and the title page: now atlast they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story whichno one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in whichevery chapter is better than the one before.”— “The Last Battle”

Where To Meet Others On The Journey

For more insights, a lecture series is being offered throughNotre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life under the

title: “The Chronicles of Narnia: A Spiritual Journey.” Theseries, which runs March through April, also will be

available online. Speakers include professors from NotreDame, such as David Fagerberg, Leonard DeLorenzo, Francesca

Murphy, Catherine Cavadini and Anthony Pagliarini, as well asthose from other institutions: Michael Ward (Oxford

University), Peter Schakel (Hope College) and Rebekah Lamb(University of St. Andrew’s).

Dates for the series and links to the videos following eachlecture can be found at: mcgrath.nd.edu/narnia.