Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5
Enjoyability: 5 of 5
I've really read very little of Patrick Madrid's work in the past. I think the only thing of his that I'd read from cover to cover was "the Godless Delusion," which, if I recall correctly, was the work of two authors. It wasn't perfect, but it was faithful enough, so I was eager to see what else he had to offer. This book of spiritual reflections on a number of scripture passages (guess how many...) seemed like just the thing.
Boy, was it ever. Covering a wide range of church teachings like the sacraments, divine revelation, the communion of saints, the sanctity of life, the escaton and so forth, the verses chosen in this book are spot on, and, I have to admit, some of the ones I've found most useful for reinforcement in my own faith journey.
In reflecting on these verses, Madrid shows a strong understanding of the culture of Jesus' time, of the doctrines of the church, sacred tradition, and especially theology. I tend to latch on to any imperfections I find in a book (as readers of some of my other reviews can attest,) and the fact that I have little to say in that respect about this text says something by itself.
To give you some idea of just how I pleased I was with this book, however, I'm going to tell you my biggest problem with it. On page 148, Patrick Madrid claims that Matthew 7:3-5 implies that we should mind our own business unless we're somebody's parent/teacher/coach, etc... I don't agree. Prohibitions against gossip, slander and condemnation are not alien to the bible, but I don't feel this particular verse is such.
As I said, this is the biggest issue I had with this book, and I hestitate to even call it an issue, because it fits so well into the "we can agree to disagree" category.
I think what impressed me most was his solid, scriptural support for all seven sacraments, as well as for the conclusion that faith and reason are entirely compatible, and in fact, totally connected, but it was all good. Check it out. As a scriptural reference text, and a modern one at that, I've seen very few books that can top it in terms of faithfulness -or- insight.
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