Volume twelve of Spice and Wolf can only be described as boring. (The Japanese have a proverb that only a fool buys complete collections of books. It just might be true!) The story features a journey undertaken by Lawrence and company with a famous silversmith named Fran Vonely. Fran has a near encyclopedic knowledge of local lore and history. So, our heroes help her for the sake of at last obtaining a map pointing out the location of Yoitsu. Finding Holo’s homeland happens to be the main point of the series, and we’ve already seen novels focused on this idea. Not much sets it apart from other such novels. As someone who craves variety, I cannot stand this overused plot.
One line casually spoken by a villager stood out to me however: “She gave such wonderful sermons that even God would be enchanted by them, they say” (90). This struck me not so much because a woman was preaching as because it implies that God is not impressed with much. One might think that God finds creation dull, since nothing is new under the sun. The truth is quite the reverse.
St. Faustina Kowalska tells us that God is enchanted by our prayers. In truth, this does not matter whether we pray spontaneously or by rote. Though the Our Father is said the same way, there are millions of conditions, hopes, longings, desires, motives, and emotions which can accompany each repetition. The Rosary appears to be formed of a repetition of six Our Fathers, six doxologies, and fifty-three Hail Maries, but God sees each as slightly or profoundly different. This is like how the phrase “I love you” takes on a myriad of nuances between lovers.
What about a sermon? Many complain that sermons contain the same subjects. But, the only sermon which bores God is one which does not proceed from a good will. But, for all God’s childlike wonder, something does bore God: sin. Sins have all been done before with the same malice or weakness. They choke the life out of life and the creative out of creation. Some hardened sinners claim that goodness is boring, but it is far more common to find a bored globetrotting playboy than a bored Missionary of Charity. Why should that be? The playboy enjoys the choicest food and drink, adventures galore, beautiful women of all shapes and sizes, and entertainment without end. The religious sister has the same companions, the same food, the same Mass, the same prayers, the same poor, and the same routine. But, the sister has God at her rising, throughout the day, and is even visited with holy dreams at night. Where there is God, there is joy. Without God, there is only the sorrow and ennui of sin.