The first book arrived in September of 2023. The second was published in November of this year. But really, the books began more than 20 years ago when Father Fernando Torres started writing reflections for a radio program.
Little by little, he said, the material accumulated. His reflections ended up not only on the airwaves, but in the weekly bulletin at his parish. Eventually a series of bilingual books, titled Let’s Enter the Church, or Entremos a la Iglesia, was born.
The most recent book is a collection of Father Fernando’s reflections on the Sunday readings of Cycle C of the Church’s liturgical calendar. Cycle C began Dec. 1, 2024 and concludes Nov. 29, 2025. (The first book relates to Sunday Cycle B and the third relates to Sunday Cycle A, he said. In the Catholic Church, Sunday readings repeat every three years.)
In each weekly entry, Father Fernando offers one poem, or meditation, that encompasses his thoughts on the Sunday readings, which are usually one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament and one from the Gospels.
“I think it was a good exercise,” he said of the book’s biggest challenge, which was translation. The entries were originally written in Spanish but needed to be translated to English in a way that was theologically accurate, reflected the spirit of the original entry and did so with about the same number of words in English and Spanish to fit the book’s footprint. The translator, he said, understood the imagery and how to communicate it in both languages.
Throughout the process he’s felt many emotions, including joy at dedicating the first book to his parents. He offered the second book with “gratitude for the celebration of the centennial of the Diocese of Raleigh” and for all who “contributed to the creation, extension and life of the Catholic Church in eastern North Carolina.”
He’s also had many occasions to smile or laugh when readers ask him questions such as “Did you really write this one?” when they feel like the style is different or they are surprised by something. Readers, he added, sometimes share with him that the reflections help them live more spiritually and encounter Jesus.
“This is the intention,” Father Fernando smiled. “[By reading the reflection for the week] the people can prepare for the Mass for themselves. This simple work can help to inspire … or you can go to Mass and after the Mass, you can read these to help understand for the rest of the week.”
Entremos a la Iglesia – Let’s Enter the Church: Ciclo C-Cycle C is available on Amazon in hardcover. Entremos a la Iglesia – Let’s Enter the Church: Ciclo B-Cycle B is available on Amazon in hardcover and paperback.