My Life with the Saints
by James Martin SJ
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Martin SJBrand: Spring Arbor/Ingram
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-01
ISBN: 0829426442
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Loyola Press
Book Reviews of My Life with the Saints
Book Review: " A Man's Spiritual Friendship with the Saints"
Summary: 5 Stars
Today is "All Saints Day"; a day in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church where all saints canonized or not are remembered and revered. As such, it's an appropriate day to post a review of "My Life with the Saints". This book is a fitting way to introduce an individual to the saints, or if you are somewhat familiar with the lives of some of the saints as I am, a way to gain a fresh perspective.
I first saw the author Father James Martin, S.J., a Jesuit priest on the cable television show "The Colbert Report" earlier in the year. I admired the way Father Martin handled himself with the good-naturedly irreverent Stephen Colbert; he was intelligent and articulate, while maintaining a quiet poise and dignity, and even revealing little glints of humor. As a fellow Roman Catholic, who often lately has to struggle to come to terms with the current situation of the Church and reconcile it with my own beliefs, I also liked what he had to say. My curiosity was piqued to do some research, in the interview it was mentioned he was a writer, so I channeled into the Amazon website to get additional information on his published works. Having had an interest in the saints since I was a young boy, and after reading some of the positive editorial reviews, "My Life with the Saints" seemed a natural starting point.
Father Martin entwines both autobiography and hagiography in his narrative writing in a lucid, engaging style that made me feel as I read as if I was listening to a new, often enthralling friend. The tone is not proselytizing or sanctimonious, but warm, honest and leavened with humor that is more often than not self-deprecating. Each chapter is devoted to a particular saint or probable saint, but from Father Martin's perspective as to how each individual has helped him along as a stepping stone on the circuitous path of his life just as one good friend would help another. There is an emphasis on the spiritual side of his life, although the physical is not neglected. For example, Father Martin writes of Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, and how watching a television documentary about Merton literally was a life altering force. At that point, Father Martin was twenty-six years old working the fast track at General Electric, climbing steadily up the corporate ladder but miserable and burned out as a result, as a former GE employee I could certainly empathize with that! Seeing this biography of this sinner turned saint started Father Martin on the first tentative steps towards his true vocation as a Jesuit priest.
Some of my favorite saints are well represented: Mary, Joseph, Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Ignatius Loyola and one of my personal favorites Therese of Liseaux, always a pleasure to read about them, and to gain new insights. But there are others whose stories I didn't know as well, such as Aloysius Gonzaga and the Ugandan Martyrs, or more recent lesser-known potential twentieth century saints as Dorothy Day and Pedro Arrupe in addition to the renowned Pope John XXIII and Mother Teresa. I especially liked the way Father Martin disengaged the saints from the stained glass, marble and plaster sanctity, had them step down from their pedestals and out of their protective niches. By doing so, he restored them to flesh and blood human beings, flaws, frailties and all, making them less austere and remote, more accessible and approachable to the average reader. Back in 1969, the esteemed poet and humorist Phyllis McGinley had accomplished the same result in an adroit, light-hearted manner in her wonderful book "Saint Watching", which I also highly recommend as follow up reading for those who are so inclined.
At the conclusion hopefully having whetted our appetite for further in depth research of the saints, Father Martin includes a section on further reading for each saint plus overall compilations of lives of the saints. I can only speak for myself, but I found myself spiritually refreshed at the finish, as if my wavering faith had been at least temporarily, reinvigorated. I hope this book will do the same for you. I'd like to close with a quote from Father Martin that struck a chord with me. " This gave me enormous consolation, for I realized none of us are meant to be Therese of Liseaux or Pope John XXlll or Thomas More. We're meant to be ourselves and meant to allow God to work in and through our own individuality, our own humanity. As Saint Thomas Aquinas said grace builds on nature."
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