Mass Journal

by Matthew Kelly

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Genres: Catholic

135 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Matthew Kelly is a best-selling author, speaker, thought leader, entrepreneur, consultant, spiritual leader, and innovator.

He has dedicated his life to helping people and organizations become the-best-version-of-themselves. Born in Sydney, Australia, he began speaking and writing in his late teens while he was attending business school. Since that time, 5 million people have attended his seminars and presentations in more than 50 countries.

Today, Kelly is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and business consultant. His books have been published in more than 30 languages, have appeared on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists, and have sold more than 50 million copies.

In his early-twenties he developed "the-best-version-of-yourself" concept and has been sharing it in every arena of life for more than twenty-five years. It is quoted by presidents and celebrities, athletes and their coaches, business leaders and innovators, though perhaps it is never more powerfully quoted than when a mother or father asks a child, "Will that help you become the-best-version-of-yourself?"

Kelly's personal interests include golf, music, art, literature, investing, spirituality, and spending time with his wife, Meggie, and their children Walter, Isabel, Harry, Ralph, and Simon.

Reviews

[Kharah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was distributed by the Parish Council as part of a pastoral renewal attempt. While I don’t have a problem with the overall premise of the book, and there are some nuggets of wisdom, much of the text is what I think of as "Catholic schlock" - soundbites that are superficially profound but don't hold up to careful contemplation. More feel-good platitudes than anything else.

Moreover, how this book was used is deeply troubling. That the parish leadership assumed that you can renew a church that is in trouble simply by distributing something like this - with no engagement or follow-up, without mentioning it regularly and encouraging people to partake - probably reveals more about their grasp of the problem than they intended. (Or maybe perfectly demonstrated it).

[Atlantis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, basically Matthew Kelly is offering up the suggestion of keeping a weekly journal after going to Sunday Mass. Definitely not a bad idea and certainly something that could help bring a person a better understanding of their faith. This book was given to my daughter as an aid to her journey towards receiving the sacrament of Confirmation so I decided to read it. I am not a fan of Mathew Kelly and I say that with a heavy heart. I say this with no joy and no malice. Give all the glory and praise to God. No book or journal is the path to salvation. A person's faith is between themselves and God. God grants us the gift of free will and we must make the choice to develop our faith. God has a perfect plan for all of us and we must try everyday to take up our cross and follow it.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good idea and some very good brief notes for reflection. The idea is to record brief notes from going to Mass each week all year - and to do it every year - and then discuss with your spouse, children, or others where appropriate. The notes for reflection aren’t tied to particular readings. A simple and helpful practice.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had done better at keeping up with this, as it was a nice idea to remember a key point from each Mass to help me live my faith better that week. I will try this again!