Catholic Book Journal

We Plan, God Laughs

This past week I just finished reading We Plan, God Laughs. This book came at a great time since the position I had with a publishing company came to an end Now that I am unemployed I see God laughing away.

Favorite Quotes

"The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. They could have made it in six. But their fear held them back."

"You discover that without all the junk, you can make a sense of calm and serenity."

"We never think that today, right now, could be the beginning of living the life we dreamed of."

"When Moses asked God to 'show me who you are' God used thirteen attributes to describe himself. When translated into English, they can be summed up by the following ten: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, truthful, faithful, abounding in love, kindness, merciful, and forgiving of iniquity, transgression and sin."

"Once you know what awakens your soul, you are ready to light up the world."

Go in Peace: A Gift of Eduring Love

Go in Peace: A Gift of Enduring Love
By John Paul II
Edited by Joseph Durepos

During his lifetime, Pope John Paul II blessed the world with his wise words. Edited by Joseph Durepos, Go in Peace: A Gift of Enduring Love is a collection of some of his most compelling teachings and prayers. 

This book is divided into several sections, in which a variety of topics are discussed, including: God, Jesus, faith and belief, living and working in the world, prayer, forgiveness and reconciliation, morality and Christian conscience, the Church, the Eucharist and the Mass, family, suffering and Christian vocation. 

Within these sections John Paul II encourages us to view aspects of faith in different ways. He presents messages of peace and comfort while incorporating father-like advice that can be encouraging in today’s world. John Paul II offers unique reflections that readers will find enlightening, moving them to remember a beloved Pope. 

“The difficulty of forgiving does not arise only from circumstances of the present. History carries with it a heavy burden of violence and conflict that cannot easily be shed. Abuses of power, oppression, and wars have brought suffering to countless human beings; and even if the causes of these sad events are lost in the distant past, their destructive effects live on, fueling fear, suspicion, hatred, and division among families, ethnic groups, and whole peoples. These are facts that sorely try the goodwill of those who are seeking to overcome their past conditioning. The truth is that one cannot remain a prisoner of the past, for individuals and peoples need a sort of ‘healing of memories’ so that past evils will not come back again.” --Excerpt, page 27

Finding My Way Home

Finding My Way Home
By Henri J.M. Nouwen

Having written over 40 books in his lifetime, Henri Nouwen, considered one of the great spiritual writers of modern times, spent the last 10 years of his life with physically and mentally challenged individuals. He relates his experiences as examples and reflections to his readers, while delivering an overall message of peace.

This is an inspirational book that asks the reader to look at the surrounding world in a new light and question the individuals we’ve become. It is a relatively short, easy read that has a significant message. The book is separated into four parts: “The Path of Power,” “The Path of Peace,” “The Path of Waiting,” and “The Path of Living and Dying.” In each section, Nouwen shares his stories and relates Christ’s journey to our own spiritual journeys in understandable, simple ways.

With his comforting message, Nouwen reminds us to slow down and look at the world around us. Whether you’re young and struggling with the pressures of school, busy with a demanding career, retired, frustrated with the current state of the world, or are just living life as it hits you, this book has some beautiful reflections and messages from which anyone can benefit.

“… Be surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old, we will have to stretch out our arms, be guided and led to places we would rather not go. What was true for Peter will be true for us. There is suffering ahead of us, immense suffering, a suffering that will continue to tempt us to think that we have chosen the wrong road and that others were more shrewd than we were. But don’t be surprised by pain. Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the depth of our pain.” --Excerpt from the book

The Faith Club

                                        

Order at Amazon.com

The Friendship of Women

Order at Amazon

Inviting Silence

Inviting Silence is a thoughtful and poetic manual published by BlueBridge Publishing.

Order from Amazon

Desiring God's Will

Desiring God's Will

Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God

David G. Benner
123 pages
InterVarsity Press, 2005

Synopsis

In Desiring God's Will, psychologist David Benner investigates the journey of the human will in Christian spirituality through an examination of our desires. His book explores the ways in which our choices can willingly meet the path God wishes us to follow.

Commendations

"Desiring God's Will is a fresh alternative to today's common spiritual writing. David Benner has written a penetrating book...that goes beyond the facile 'how to' and seeks to confront the heart of our rebellion, independence, and pride. This is a welcome gift to those who want to move past easy answers as they surrender to a truly authentic faith and walk with God."

Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Pathways and Sacred Marriage

"This is for people who want God. Even more, it is for people who want to want God. It is about not the taming of the will but its transformation."

John Ortberg, author, teaching pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

"David Benner never disappoints. he is intelligent without being academic, psychologically astute without being trendy, spiritually profound without being pious. He clearly knows the landscape from which he dares to speak."

Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

About the Author

David G. Benner is Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Spirituality at the Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta. Dr. Benner is recognized internationally as a lecturer and retreat director. He is a licensed psychologist specializing in spiritually sensitive therapy, dissociative disorders and spiritual direction. He is the author of many books including Sacred Companions, Surrender to Love, and The Gift of Being Yourself.

Links

Amazon.com

Powell's.com

Psychological Studies Institute

Fumbling

Fumbling

A Pilgrimage Tale of Love, Grief, and Spiritual Renewal on the Camino de Santiago

Kerry Egan
232 pages
Doubleday, 2004

Synopsis

As a young pilgrim journeying over 450 miles south and west from the French Pyrenees mountains to Spain's cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Kerry Egan discovered the depth of grieving and the beauty of God's presence in everyday life. In Fumbling, she chronicles her internal struggle with her faith during the difficult voyage, telling a moving tale of dealing with the grief of her father's death and of rekindled love and spirituality.

Commendations

"Kerry Egan's Fumbling tugs the reader into the rich mystery of pilgrimage--in her able hands, not only a physical trek to a spiritual hot spot but also a moving exploration of love, grief, and wonder. This lovely book called me back every time I strayed away from it, and it will probably haunt me for years."

Kristin Ohlson, author of Stalking the Divine

"The book is more than mere travelogue. ... When Egan embraces the essay form, particularly when she shares her moments of confusion and weakness on the journey, her writing is confident, sharp and engaging. ... A satisfying account of the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of religious pilgrimage."

Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Kerry Egan earned a master's of divinity degree from Harvard University Divinity School. While attending Harvard, she worked as an ombudsman (an investigator and arbiter of complaints) for a nursing home, and as a chaplain intern at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Egan also served as a research assistant at the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions. She currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa with her husband and travel partner, Alex Ruskell.

Links

Amazon

Powell's

Stalking the Divine

Kris Ohlson, author of Stalking the Divine: Contemplating Faith with the Poor Clares sent me an email with the lovely review of her book. The review appeared in the January 14, 2005 issue of the Catholic Chronicle, the free online news sponsored by the Catholic Chronicle – Catholic Newspaper for the Toledo Diocese and Beyond.

In a review in Commonweal, Lawrence S. Cunningham, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame noted, “I have more than once observed in these pages that some of the finest contemporary spiritual writing comes from women, who bring a certain critical edge to their work, along with a deep appreciation for the Catholic tradition. I am thinking of writers like Kathleen Norris, Patricia Hampl, Annie Dillard and the late Denise Levertov. To that number I would like to add Kristin Ohlson, who has given us a powerful account of the faith of the Poor Clares her own honest search to connect to that faith.”

Congratulations to the Catholic Chronicle for introducing its readers Stalking the Divine and to Kathleen Norris, Patricia Hampl, Annie Dillard, Denise Levertov and Kristin Ohlson for providing us with literary works for individual reflection and parish reading group discussion.

For more information about Stalking the Divine visit faithAlivebooks.com. Discussion questions are also available.