A few months ago, Bishop Robert Barron’s Word On Fire Institute invited members of their writing groups to submit a short article recommending books that would “help Christians share the good news of Christ in a culture that is all too often starved of goodness, truth, and beauty.” They called it “The Evangelist’s Bookshelf.” I was fortunate to have my submission selected for publication: “The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown: In Pursuit of Childlike Faith.”
That piece follows and, along with the other selections, it can be found at their Writer’s Showcase: https://www.wordonfire.org/writer-showcase/
If you are looking to add to your bookshelf or just on the hunt for a good read, these are some excellent books for sharing our faith and could be a helpful resource for evangelizing.
“The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown: In Pursuit of Childlike Faith” by Rick Majewski
My first encounter with this warm, imaginative book was while ministering as Chaplain in a children’s hospital. Years later, my dog-eared copy has found a prominent place on my bookshelf, serving first as a visual reminder of the spiritually uplifting message within, and second, providing easy access as a valuable evangelization tool.
This children’s classic contains a profound message of God’s unconditional love and steadfast pursuit of His children guised in the story of a bunny’s desire to run away from home, countered by his mother’s loving response. Based on the connection with that message I witnessed with parents and other adults over the years, this book is not solely for entertaining children.
Reminiscent of Adam and Eve attempting to hide from God in the garden, our little bunny learns there is nowhere he can run to escape his mother’s care. Having been created by God for God in the very image of love, we are safeguarded by His all-encompassing presence, unable to avoid God’s grace. In many ways, we can relate as the bunny endeavors to run. The persistent mother, however, adapts her quest with acts of creation and re-creation, nurturing us via the reassurance that God continues to seek us, even in the present moment, despite our attempts at hiding within our worldly pursuits.
In a world that places a premium on personal freedom and choosing to go our own way, how then are Christians – let alone evangelists – to practice the childlike faith Jesus calls us to in the Gospel? This delightful book, with its reflective message of God’s resolute love and uncompromising pursuit of every one of us, can serve that purpose in several important ways:
- Ministering with children or reminding adults and parents that they are never alone amid life’s travails.
- Nourishing the imagination in Bible study and RCIA groups by sparking discussion about the creative ways adults run from God, what childlike faith looks like, and how to practice it.
- Illustrating in grief support groups how love is never lost, but remains a part of us even when we are running from the pain, providing healing memories of love relived.
Additionally, this little gem offers a reminder that we can find God in everyday life and in the reality of His relentless quest for each soul. Once we choose to give in, as our little bunny discovers, God will eventually catch us in His arms and hug us.
Finally, every evangelist should have a self-care section on their bookshelf; resources they turn to when feeling spiritually weary and needing to have their soul refreshed. More than once, I have taken this book off the shelf, letting its message of love and childlike faith refresh my spirit.
The Runaway Bunny would be a versatile and joyful addition to any evangelist’s bookshelf. With its grace-filled assurance of God’s steadfast love, we can attempt to run, but we can never hide.
Reflection questions:
- The story of The Runaway Bunny is reminiscent of the Francis Thompson 1890 poem The Hound of Heaven, where the first five lines read:
“I fled Him down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him, and under running laughter.”
The complete poem can be found here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/hound-of-heaven-4117.
Thompson was a tortured soul who suffered with an opium addiction. In his poem, he captures the human desire to run from God, from love, and even ourselves – not unlike the little bunny. And just like the mother in The Runaway Bunny, Thompson poignantly articulates the relentless pursuit of the ever-present God that loves us unconditionally, waiting to welcome His prodigal children back into His loving embrace.
2. “In so many spiritual traditions, the emphasis is placed on the human quest for God, but this is reversed in Christianity.” On this theme, check out Bishop Barron’s Gospel reflection where Jesus identifies Himself as the one sent from God to fulfill God’s plan of redemption: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17 https://www.wordonfire.org/reflections/lent/b-lent-wk4-friday/
3. Take some time to read and reflect on Psalm 139; it is a wonderful ode to our inescapable God:
“O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!
Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
For thou didst form my inward parts,
thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.
Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;
in thy book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”
– Psalm 139: 1, 7, 13-16
Scripture References
John 3:16-17, 7:25-29 Psalm 139
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