the book fiend

Source

The book:

Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly

What's it about?

Kelly's book is divided into four different sections: We Become What We Celebrate, The Authentic Life, The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality, & Now is Our Time. As he moves through each section, Kelly tackles questions about why the Catholic Church is still relevant & what that means for individual Catholics. 

What did I think?

To be honest, this book was not at all what I expected. What I thought I was reading was a book that went in depth into Catholic traditions and discussed why we do what we do. Only one of the four sections dealt briefly with this topic. That being said, I would still recommend the book. Over the years I've experimented with different branches of Christianity. In the course of pursuing different options I've read a variety of books and there's something that I've noticed about Protestant books that tends to be lacking in Catholic ones. In Protestant books, the author often seeks, very directly, to light a fire in the reader and kindle a passion for their faith. You walk away from the book with the feeling that these people are intensely alive and extremely passionate about what they believe. Over the years, Catholicism has been labeled as devoid of true passion & instead been reduced to a series of mindless rituals by opponents. And as Catholics, we've accepted this label freely, turning to books like the Protestant books that I described. While there's nothing wrong with these books & I will continue to read them, they don't turn our passion towards our Church. This book actually does that. The more I read, the more I want to learn more about the Church. I want to dive into the rich texts that make up our histories. I want to read more Catholic authors. I want to go to Mass. I want to go to Reconciliation. I want to be a part of this tradition. Kelly demonstrates that passion and zeal are not solely for the Protestants. You can be an active, practicing Catholic and still find that same joy in your religion. He makes you excited to go to mass and proud to be a member of this great tradition. He also reminds Catholics of the huge contributions we have made to Christianity, social justice, & the world in general. The reader walks away feeling that this Church is still relevant and still has something very important to contribute and say. 

In conclusion...

If you're looking to reignite your love for the Church, this is a great place to start. The book will remind you of the great passion and deep spirituality that resides in everything Catholics do, even if too many of us have lost it.