Book Reviews and Selected Reading
The Reviews may be provided by members of the staff, local spiritual directors or nationally recognized spiritual leaders. It is our hope to provide a wide range of topics and perspectives. Current book offerings will be kept visible for 1 year. After after one year they will be archived on another page.
What Makes Us Catholic: Eight Gifts for Life
Thomas Groome, What Makes us Catholic, Harper San Francisco, 2002, print or kindal
I was recently talking with someone who had read Thomas Groome's WHAT MAKES US CATHOLIC. She said "I did not recognize the Church in this book." While this may sound like a good reason not to read the book, it was actually a ringing endorsement. This woman was recently returning to the Church and it helped her realize the richness of her faith, a faith that has been tested, and in recent years marred by scandal, but none the less a faith that at its best mirrors Jesus Christ.
Groome focuses on eight areas that affect the lives of Catholics: grace, the sacramental way of life, community, scripture and tradition, social justice, reaching out to others, and spirituality. In each he focuses on what it means to live each of these areas, which for a Catholic is essential, since the Catholic faith is one that is based on lived experience. He also uses the gift of Catholic imagination, so much a part of Catholicism, but often neglected. The end result may be a Catholic faith that is not instantly recognizable, but if one looks through history and the way in which many Catholics live today, it is a Catholicism that is real and very much a part of human life.
From a spiritual point of view, it is a great book to re-infuse a person's faith and give it a fresh perspective. It is a readable book that will be an important resource for years to come.
- Timothy Kearney (Amazon)
Thomas Groome, What Makes us Catholic, Harper San Francisco, 2002, print or kindal
I was recently talking with someone who had read Thomas Groome's WHAT MAKES US CATHOLIC. She said "I did not recognize the Church in this book." While this may sound like a good reason not to read the book, it was actually a ringing endorsement. This woman was recently returning to the Church and it helped her realize the richness of her faith, a faith that has been tested, and in recent years marred by scandal, but none the less a faith that at its best mirrors Jesus Christ.
Groome focuses on eight areas that affect the lives of Catholics: grace, the sacramental way of life, community, scripture and tradition, social justice, reaching out to others, and spirituality. In each he focuses on what it means to live each of these areas, which for a Catholic is essential, since the Catholic faith is one that is based on lived experience. He also uses the gift of Catholic imagination, so much a part of Catholicism, but often neglected. The end result may be a Catholic faith that is not instantly recognizable, but if one looks through history and the way in which many Catholics live today, it is a Catholicism that is real and very much a part of human life.
From a spiritual point of view, it is a great book to re-infuse a person's faith and give it a fresh perspective. It is a readable book that will be an important resource for years to come.
- Timothy Kearney (Amazon)
Letters from the Desert
Carlo Carretto, Letters from the Desert, Orbis Books, 2002, print or Kindal
In middle age, Carlo Carretto left a full life as an "outstanding Catholic layman" to begin a new life as a hermit-priest of the Little Brothers of Jesus, a religious order inspired by the example of Charles de Foucauld, the playboy-turned-priest who left France a century ago to live as a hermit amongst the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara. Carretto is a worthy successor to the example of Foucauld, living a life of prayer and poverty and silent witness in a precarious Islamic environment.
Carretto speaks movingly and without apology in the language of his inherited Catholicism, yet always succeeds - without affectation or pandering - in making ancient teachings seem new, alive, and relevant. His theology is solidly based in the Bible and in Catholic tradition, yet he speaks with a personal authority grounded in sacrifice and a lifetime commitment to God, the Church, and his fellow man.
Above all, in a Church increasingly riven by struggles between right and left, liberal and conservative, Carretto combines in himself the best aspects of both, i.e., an inward piety grounded in prayer, meditation, and the sacraments, coupled with a social awareness open to the problems and concerns of the world, especially the world of the poor and disaffected.
This book is both timeless and contemporary, the hallmark of a book written from the heart and to the heart.
- Steven Tresche (Amazon.com)
Having read this book on a whim, finding it in a box of books at the parish, I am so grateful for having picked it up. Carretto, a good writer, simply shares with the reader his experience of ministry, prayer and solitude. I felt myself simply invited into a deeper relationship with God and a solid path to follow. I found that he was able to articulate the proper source of energy for living a life of faith in and with God's people. He has a way of explaining contemplative prayer that is down to earth. I highly recommend this book.
- Fred Johnson
In middle age, Carlo Carretto left a full life as an "outstanding Catholic layman" to begin a new life as a hermit-priest of the Little Brothers of Jesus, a religious order inspired by the example of Charles de Foucauld, the playboy-turned-priest who left France a century ago to live as a hermit amongst the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara. Carretto is a worthy successor to the example of Foucauld, living a life of prayer and poverty and silent witness in a precarious Islamic environment.
Carretto speaks movingly and without apology in the language of his inherited Catholicism, yet always succeeds - without affectation or pandering - in making ancient teachings seem new, alive, and relevant. His theology is solidly based in the Bible and in Catholic tradition, yet he speaks with a personal authority grounded in sacrifice and a lifetime commitment to God, the Church, and his fellow man.
Above all, in a Church increasingly riven by struggles between right and left, liberal and conservative, Carretto combines in himself the best aspects of both, i.e., an inward piety grounded in prayer, meditation, and the sacraments, coupled with a social awareness open to the problems and concerns of the world, especially the world of the poor and disaffected.
This book is both timeless and contemporary, the hallmark of a book written from the heart and to the heart.
- Steven Tresche (Amazon.com)
Having read this book on a whim, finding it in a box of books at the parish, I am so grateful for having picked it up. Carretto, a good writer, simply shares with the reader his experience of ministry, prayer and solitude. I felt myself simply invited into a deeper relationship with God and a solid path to follow. I found that he was able to articulate the proper source of energy for living a life of faith in and with God's people. He has a way of explaining contemplative prayer that is down to earth. I highly recommend this book.
- Fred Johnson
The Wellspring of Worship
Corbon, Jean. The Wellspring of Worship, Ignatius Press, 2005
- This is a beautifully written work of theology, drawing us more deeply into the mystery of the Trinity through the Divine Liturgy. In Part I, Jean Corbon delves into the Mystery of the Liturgy revealed through the life of Christ and the Church. Then, in part II, he unfolds the beauty of the Liturgy Celebrated. Part III reveals "The Liturgy Lived", emphasizing how the Eucharist is an integral part of human daily living, "the mystery of the river of life that streams from the Father and the Lamb ..." (137). Jean Corbon assists the reader by providing a key to liturgical vocabulary; and, this book has only 200 pages. - Fr. Andrew Colvin
- This is an “advanced” read. Centering on the Liturgy of the Church it is a wonderful reflection on the work of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity and the Life of the Church. - Don Heydens - Spiritual Director
On the Other Side of Chaos: Breaking Through when Life is Breaking Down
Silf, Margaret, The Other Side of Chaos: Breaking Through when Life is Breaking Down. Loyola Press, 2011, Print and Kindle
When life may seem to be full of upheaval and sudden transition, Margaret Silf encourages readers to view the chaos – the “mess” – of our lives not as something to fear or eschew, but something to be embraced. Through Scripture stories and verses, personal accounts and other anecdotes, Silf helps us develop an authentic “spirituality of transition” that leads us to live our lif’s inevitable changes constructively, creatively and confidently.
- Don Heydens Local Spiritual Director
When life may seem to be full of upheaval and sudden transition, Margaret Silf encourages readers to view the chaos – the “mess” – of our lives not as something to fear or eschew, but something to be embraced. Through Scripture stories and verses, personal accounts and other anecdotes, Silf helps us develop an authentic “spirituality of transition” that leads us to live our lif’s inevitable changes constructively, creatively and confidently.
- Don Heydens Local Spiritual Director
The Holy Longing
Rolheiser, Ronald. The Holy Longing: Guidelines for Christian Spirituality, Random House, 1999. Print.
- “In the waters of baptism we are reminded that we are not born in a vacuum, nor do we journey entirely alone (although loneliness is often part of the burden). Being reborn, being made alive, involves being born into a community. So there are strings attached to this adventure. Far from being the spiritual journey of the solitary individual in search of God, it drags a people, a church, a nation, the human race, along with it.”
- "Without doubt, Ronald Rolheiser's The Holy Longing is one of the best books about Christian spirituality that has been published in many a year. It's insights are just what all of us need at this moment of history. It blends the old and the new in ways that few others can do.
- Ronald Rolheiser makes sense of what is frequently a misunderstood word: spirituality. In posing the question "What is spirituality?" Father Rolheiser gets quickly to the heart of common difficulties with the subject, and shows through compelling anecdotes and personal examples how to channel that restlessness, that deep desire, into a healthy spirituality. This book is for those searching to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to apply it to their own lives. Rolheiser explains the nonnegotiables--the importance of community worship, the imperatives surrounding social action, the centrality of the Incarnation, the sustenance of the spiritual life--and how spirituality necessarily impacts every aspect of human experience. At the core of this readable, deeply revealing book is an explanation of God and the Church in a world that more often than not doubts the credibility of both.
The Wounded Healer
Nowen, Henri. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, Doubleday, 1979. Print.
- The Wounded Healer is a hope-filled and profoundly simple book that speaks directly to those men and women who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways often threatening and ineffective. In this book, Henri Nouwen combines creative case studies of ministry with stories from diverse cultures and religious traditions in preparing a new model for ministry. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen has come up with a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. Emphasizing that which is in humanity common to both minister and believer, this woundedness can serve as a source of strength and healing when counseling others. Nouwen proceeds to develop his approach to ministry with an analysis of sufferings -- a suffering world, a suffering generation, a suffering person, and a suffering minister. It is his contention that ministers are called to recognize the sufferings of their time in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. For Nouwen, ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional role and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering -- in the image of Christ. In other words, we heal from our own wounds. Filled with examples from everyday experience, The Wounded Healer is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.
- More than three decades have passed since this important work was first published in 1972. Its enduring popularity demonstrates how clearly Henri Nouwen sounds the chord that reveals ministry as an encounter and identification with those who wait for Good News. While the earlier edition might have attracted mainly people in Church ministry, the present volume is a universal call for compassion within relationships, on our journey to becoming more fully human.
He Leadeth Me
Ciszek, Walter J., S.J., He Leadeth Me, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, ISBN 0-89870-546-0, 202p.
- This book is the deeply moving personal story of one man’s spiritual odyssey and the unflagging faith which enabled him to survive the horrendous ordeal that wrenched his body and spirit to near collapse. Captured by the Russian army during World War II and convicted of being an”Vatican spy”, American Jesuit Father Walter Ciszek spent some 23 years agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. The books tells the inside story of how his deep inner spirituality saw him through it. It is a book to inspire all Christians to greater faith and trust in God – even in their darkest hour
Falling Upward
Rohr, Richard, O.F.M., Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Wiley Imprint, San Francisco, 2011.
- I recommend it to all directees between the ages of 46 and 64 (or more). Here is what the book flap says about it: “In the first half of life, we are naturally and rightly preoccupied with establishing our identity – climbing, achieving, and performing. But those concerns will not serve us as we grow older and begin to embark on a further journey, one that involves challenges, mistakes, loss of control, broader horizons and necessary suffering that actually shocks us out of our prior comfort zone. Eventually, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-giving way. This message of “falling down” – that is in fact moving upward – is the most resisted and counter intuitive of messages in the world’s religions, including and most especially Christianity.
- “In Falling Upward Father Richard Rohr – the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation – offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life’s mysteries: how our failings can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honored myths, heroic poems, great thinkers, and sacred religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or “gone down” are the only ones who understand “up”.
- “With rare insight, Rohr takes us on a journey to give us an understanding of now the heartbreaks, disappointments and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half of life has in store for us.”
Living in God's Embrace
Fonseca, Michael, Living in God’s Embrace: The Practice of Spiritual Intimacy ISBN 0-87793-939-X.
- Getting started and staying on the right path in your spiritual journey isn't always easy. It requires hard work and perseverance to develop an intimate relationship with God. "The true starting point in a healthy spiritual life is to begin by emphasizing God's love for us more than our love for God. Only after our hearts have been inundated with God's bountiful love and mercy will we reciprocate God's love for us through a life of generous and faithful service."
- In this world of changing values and declining ability for people to seek out a holy and knowledgable spiritual director, this book is a primer to enter into the mystery of the Holy Trinity by prayer, reflection and action.Michael Fonseca has proven to be a simple, but holy promoter of God's love. This book should be on every Christians bookshelf only after it is read and implemented in their life.
Crossing the Desert
Wicks, Robert J., Crossing the Desert: Learning to Let Go, See Clearly and Live Simply, 2007, 186 p. ISBN 101933495081
- This brings from the desert mothers and fathers of the early Church wisdom for our daily living today. It is not at all technical, but down to earth. If you have liked other works of Wicks, you are sure to enjoy this one.
- Robert J. Wicks, a professor of psychology at Loyola College in Maryland and the author of over 40 books for professionals and the general public, regards the wisdom of these Christian Fathers and Mothers as a treasure trove of insights for those who are undergoing their own special desert experiences of stress, desolation, or loss. In this well thought-out and delivered volume, the author challenges us to become spiritual apprentices to these fourth-century seers. The Desert Fathers and Mothers knew the key to inner freedom. Wicks discusses their practice of humility and the art of letting go. He also explores the four types of friends that can assist us on this journey and the value of gratefulness as a virtue that enables us to walk in the dark and not be afraid. The sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers enable us to ponder the four central questions that come up during the journey to inner freedom: (1) What am I filled with now? (2) What prevents me from letting go? (3) How do I empty myself? and (4) What will satisfy me yet leave me open to more? The last chapter examines three necessary steps which must be taken on the quest for inner freedom. Wicks maintains that these early Christians appreciated their own ordinariness and as a result were able to realize intuitively what theologians call "the divinization of the human person." This single-mindedness, purity of heart, and peace enabled them to handle any difficulties or dark nights of the soul. Wicks believes that the art of letting go is very relevant to our modern insecurities and attachments. We agree, and this erudite little work offers much food for thought.
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