Book Review: The Journey of Faith
Posted on | May 21, 2010
by | Kim
A person I’m greatly intrigued by is Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Long time readers may remember that he was at my parish recently for our Parish Mission and Greg and I (and Elise) were blessed to meet him and share a few words. I have wanted to read some of his books for a while, but am still working on finding time to do so. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was to see that his book on growing in Faith was up for review.
What still intrigues me the most about Fr. Groeschel is that he is a psychologist. And a monk. I figured that if anyone would have a more intimate view of the things that can happen in people’s minds that could hinder their growth in the Faith (for me, depression and anxiety), it would be him. His book is not about “if you have X, here’s how you grow in your Faith.” The book was broken into three parts: Faith in God, Faith in Christ, and Faith in the Church before moving on to how to grow in Faith. He touches base on reasons WHY to have Faith – very much to the point (if you’re like me and when feeling particularly down, you don’t want to wade through oodles of fluff to get to the point).
In his discussion on how to grow in Faith, he talks about how there are different kinds of Faith – that it’s not one-size fits all. Some people are struggling with their Faith. Others are gliding right along. Some are right in the middle. Some have no Faith. Some are losing theirs. He mentions something for everyone in that regard, and that’s something I appreciate. I know I can revisit this book during periods of darkness and dryness and find something that speaks to me in that particular situation. Something I can relate to.
I’m not sure if Fr. Groeschel meant it, but this book would be a great little apologetics manual, at least in terms of the reasons why we have Faith in God, Jesus, and the Church in the first place. It’s a small book and could easily be tucked into a pocket or a purse if need be. I’d recommend this book for people who are struggling (especially in light of the scandals), people without Faith who are curious about what Christians (specifically, Catholics) believe and why beyond, “it’s in the Bible”, and people who just need a little reminder about why we need Faith.
This review was written as part of the Catholic books reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Journey of Faith – How to Deepen Your Faith in God, Christ, and the Church. I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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2 Responses to “Book Review: The Journey of Faith”
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Associations
May 22nd, 2010 @ 12:23 pm
Glad your blog came back!
I love Fr. Groeschel’s to-the-pointness as well. Some spiritual classics are so hard (read: I gave up) to get through, but he makes it easy without watering down. I will add this one to my wish list!
How are you feeling?
May 22nd, 2010 @ 2:57 pm