The Ten Commandments first declare, "I am the LORD your God... You shall have no other gods before me." (Ex 20: 2-3 rsv). And yet, we do. This thoughtThe Ten Commandments first declare, "I am the LORD your God... You shall have no other gods before me." (Ex 20: 2-3 rsv). And yet, we do. This thoughtful and thought-provoking book, Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life, exposes to our chagrin, yet ultimately to our benefit, that this premiere command of the Decalogue cannot be overlooked if we are to ever dare to live the other nine. Armed with faith in the graces that that sustain us in our failures, plus witty sensibilities regarding the nature of fortitude and wisdom, author and blogger extraordinaire, Elizabeth Scalia, offers us mortals in search of grace, a thorough reality check:
"We dismiss the golden calf story and its lessons at our peril. It's true we are no longer literally flinging our precious metals into a crucible and buffing up stolid beasts of burden to worship. In some ways matters are worse, for we do not know the idols we bow down to. Our present-day idols are much less obvious, but they are also less distant and more ingrained within us. Idols begin with ideas. From there we shape them in the psyche, grow them in the ego, and then engage with them intimately, throughout our lives, in our families, our culture, our entertainments, and our political discourse. We create idols out of our norms of behavior, our material possessions, and social status. We even create them out of our faith."
Who among us has not bowed down to something we have really wanted? Or maybe we've used different language for it -- we might be flinging ourselves toward someone or something, or actively achieving something that consumes us -- even the seemingly good things in life? Or what about all the trophies we line up for ourselves -- the way we make plans, use time, or even play or work with technology? Whatever captivates or demands our attention has the distinct potential to become an idol standing between the verity that is our true life with God -- an encounter we may miss, delay, or betray in favor of our strange gods. Ouch! Do you really what to read this book? Yes and yes.
Yes, open this book, and prepare to feel, perhaps momentarily, panicked that all of your life is an unexposed idol minefield, fraught with spiritual missteps that you can never avoid. But, YES, take courage! Like an experienced special ops mission commander unlocking the mysteries of night vision goggles and other tactics to detect the presence of The Enemy at close range, Scalia teaches plebes and veterans alike how to see more clearly so they can wisely navigate the previously unseen dangers of modern idolatry. A particular strength of this book, and why it will be successful in furthering the new evangelization, is that Scalia offers a self-effacing demeanor and candor in describing her own idol worship. But more than that, Scalia affirms, ultimately, that Christianity as a yes -- at its heart is a benevolent and loving God Who really is worthy of all attempts at idol smashing. Scalia writes of G.K. Chesterton who believed "the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion, but... of its liberality and humanity because most things are permitted." Scalia explains,
"We are so conditioned to think of religion as being a bunch of rules -- of the commandments as being a sometimes sensible, sometimes irrelevant, sometime annoying list of restrictions... [but]... There is nothing wider than God's mercy or deeper than his love, if we consent to bend to him, rather than toward our own inclinations."
When we are willing to throw off the things we have purposely or inadvertently consented to place between God and ourselves, we begin to live more open to God's best for us. And the more we experience that, the better we detect the early warning signals of would-be idol building and avoid it.
This book's underlying theme is the great hope that God's commands really do have our eternal good in mind, and when we become aware of our propensity for false idols and seek to eliminate them, our soul's' vigor to live all the commandments grows proportionately.
Perhaps, over time, Elizabeth Scalia will grace us with a series of books delving into each of the Ten Commandments as she has with this first one? Until that time, Strange Gods, is highly recommended.
First, a word about this 4 star rating. Not being a man, it is hard for me to tell if "this book is amazing" as the 5 star rating would like us to indFirst, a word about this 4 star rating. Not being a man, it is hard for me to tell if "this book is amazing" as the 5 star rating would like us to indicate. That being said, I think this book is a very solid "introduction" to the Rosary, and it's theology and stories from the author are engaging. So, not being a guy, my "amazing" meter might not correspond, but this is clearly not a negative review. I loved this book and I highly recommend it. Now to the review...
Just as it is helpful for women to talk to women now and again regarding the spiritual life, the same holds true for men! David N. Calvillo's book, Real Men Pray the Rosary: A Practical Guide to a Powerful Prayer, is a forthright conversation with men (and us women who sneak a peek) about his own surprise and subsequent delight in discovering the Rosary, otherwise known as a prayer he had almost mistakenly written off as "for old ladies and funerals."
What comes across in Calvillo's writing is a likeable, honest, work-in-progress kind of guy who admits his former bias, and now moves ahead with Spirit-filled enthusiasm for the power --capable of doing some heavy lifting when it comes to life's problems -- that comes from prayer, especially the Rosary. Admittedly transformed by his faith, this husband, father, and lawyer by trade, offers deep reverence and appreciation for what he was missing... a real life-changing encounter with Christ. He found it, of all places, sitting in the early morning mist, surrounded by 80 men praying a Rosary outside a Benedictine retreat house...
Calvillo writes: "I wept at the reality of eighty rough-looking men from all walks of life, humbly and sincerely raising their hearts and minds to God... I felt a prayerful happiness, a warm comforting presence.
As weird as it sounds... I felt as though I was praying with everyone who had ever prayed the Rosary. I felt my grandmother Vera praying with me. I felt my mom. I felt the hearts of those eighty men. I felt like I was praying with and to Jesus himself..."
After a healing encounter with Christ on retreat, Calvillo confesses, "The Rosary was the path vividly open for me... and my mom's previous lessons that I had previously ignored were now front and center."
The rest of the book is an accessible how-to for Rosary beginners and novices alike, with an unpacking of Rosary's wisdom gleaned from the Scriptures, the many popes and saints who've written extensively about the Rosary through history, and real-life stories of contemporary men who've inspired Calvillo's on-going conversion and his subsequent apostolate from which the book draws its name, Real Men Pray the Rosary (RMPTR).
I enjoyed Calvillo's personal narration of what's inspired him as he encountered these truths about the Rosary, especially the idea that prayer is a dialogue with God, not a monologue, or a "saying" of prayers, but a true entering into them. He captures, also, what has been my longtime experience of the Rosary, that within that prayer is a Mother who wishes to draw us closer to Jesus, like a personal spiritual director or mentor.
More from the book: "The Rosary has a body and a soul. The body of the Rosary is composed of the prayers. Some of those prayers are prayed in groups of ten, called a "decade". The Rosary invites us to contemplate twenty important points in the life and teachings of Jesus and his mother, Mary. These points make up the Rosary's soul and are referred to as the Rosary Mysteries. As we pray the Mysteries, we contemplate how the biblical messages apply to our daily lives -- therein lies the Rosary's transformative power...
Pope Leo XIII had described the familiarity of those prayers... over a hundred years ago: "The Rosary... floods the should of those who recite it devoutly with an ever new sweetness of piety, giving them the impression and emotion as if they were hearing the very voice of their most merciful Mother explaining these mysteries to them, and conversing with them at length for their salvation..."
The familiarity evolves into an intimate dialogue with our Blessed Mother. Thus, when one is in the midst of deep prayer in the Rosary, Mary becomes spiritually present to meet us and lead us by the hand through each of those important points of meditation know as the Mysteries. When we pray the Rosary, we are permitted to live those mysteries through her eyes, through her perspective. That is the beauty of the Rosary: to understand and live those twenty salient points in the life and teachings of Jesus and Mary, with Mary's familiar voice narrating the way."
Besides chapters covering the basics for learning the Rosary, and how a man might meditate on its Mysteries, at the end of each chapter the book offers a "Tool Box" with practical suggestions for making it all real.
Calvillo offers this advice: "Real men pray for women" and he even hands a chapter over to his wife, Valerie, for insights from a feminine perspective on the being married to a man who prays the Rosary, and ways to encourage other husbands to take up this practice. Valerie Calvillo's advice is for women to embrace the Rosary, too, and develop Mary's virtues in their lives: "I have seen firsthand that when women live Mary's virtues, real men respond. Women can live Mary's virtues by meeting chauvinism with ardent charity and by meeting intransigence with heroic patience. We can do it by meeting materialism with unceasing prayer and by meeting selfishness with constant self-denial. In short, when we meet our own shortcomings and those of the men in our lives by being a living Mary to them, they will respond, "Ave Maria." "
Like an encouraging personal trainer who wants to pump up one's spiritual muscles, David Calvillo issues men a challenge to take the Rosary on for 33 days. If after 33 days a man still remains unconvinced of the Rosary's efficacy and power, David extends a personal offer for a man to get in touch with him through his ministry, Real Men Pray the Rosary.
This is a book I can highly recommend. Give it as a gift for the men in your life, or buy some copies for your parish priests to share with the men in the parish....more
A great continuation from Vol. 1. Most readers will benefit from the insights Benedict makes regarding the scriptures that touch the familiar liturgicA great continuation from Vol. 1. Most readers will benefit from the insights Benedict makes regarding the scriptures that touch the familiar liturgical cycle for Lent and Easter. Chapter 9 on the Resurrection is must-reading, as the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is critical to all things. For new readers to Benedict's writings, you may wish to read Chapter 9 first, to zero in on where all his exegesis is going, then re-read from front to back. ...more
If this is the first time you are reading Benedict XVI (aka Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger), you may find the early chapters a bit daunting as he wades intIf this is the first time you are reading Benedict XVI (aka Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger), you may find the early chapters a bit daunting as he wades into the historical-critical questions regarding scripture study. However, I think the chapters on The Lord's Prayer, and the Beatitudes are worth the price of the book alone. ...more
I've read most of what Christopher West has written, and while this book does not add anything new to what I've heard him teach about the main ideas aI've read most of what Christopher West has written, and while this book does not add anything new to what I've heard him teach about the main ideas and themes surrounding the Theology of Body, I'm very impressed by the synthesis and delivery of this volume. Every chapter makes succinct points, uses careful analogy, and offers thoughtful and straight talk from a man who is totally immersed and personally transformed by this subject matter. While I've heard this message before, from a craft perspective I think this is West's finest writing to date.
I highly recommend this book as both an introduction to theology of the body to new readers, as well as a great executive summary for those familiar with it, especially for those looking for accessible language and a popular and foundational text through which to share it. ...more
The Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Catholic Faith, the heart of the Creed. That is reason enough to read The 'One Thing' is Three, to sureThe Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Catholic Faith, the heart of the Creed. That is reason enough to read The 'One Thing' is Three, to sure up one's theological knowledge. Fr. Michael Gaitley's style is very linear, yet conversational, making this a popular book for a general Catholic readership, as opposed to an academic reference work. Yet, great end notes offer clarity and further study if you want it. This book could also be a good book for a Catholic book club, or an addition to a catechism study series, or even a high school religion curriculum. ...more
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