by Fr. Josh Johnson
I picked this book for First Son to read this year, in eleventh grade, because I wanted something that directly addressed the kind of apathy and mistrust he may encounter regarding faith in general and the Catholic faith in particular when he goes to college.
Over the years, we've read together many books about the truth of our faith. He's studied the Catechism and Scripture. We try to live our faith, not just with Mass on Sunday, but by praying as a family and being a part of the living community of our parish. This book is a little different from all of that. It's not a book that talks about how to evangelize his fellow students who think the Catholic faith is outdated, irrelevant, or inherently inimical to the American way of life. Instead, it's a book written directly to anyone who might feel that way or who might want to be faithful but is not sure how to explain that desire to themselves. In that sense, it's exactly what I wanted.
While Fr. Josh gives succinct explanations of the faith, his real goal is to show young people that the faith isn't what the culture tells them it is and to open their hearts and their minds to the possibilities. The next step would be to learn more, to join a parish, to develop a prayer life. It's just an invitation.
One of the main themes of the book is the sinfulness of us all. Fr. Josh shares some of his own failures in an effort to encourage readers that God knows all of their sins, loves them, and desires more than anything for a relationship with them within the Church. I think this is a message high school and college students can never hear often enough. Of course we are all sinners, but as a young person ventures further from home and family, the temptations and opportunities for waywardness increase proportionally more than they do at almost any other time in life. It is easy for a young person to feel he or she has fallen too far too fast to feel safe turning to parents or a priest, but of course that's when we want them to come to us the most.
It is important to recognize that it took St. Teresa of Avila decades to find freedom from her vices. [...] We need to trust that God is at work in our lives through his grace and is working with us in our desire to overcome our vices. We can have an intentional relationship with Jesus Christ and still struggle with a particular sin. The key word here is struggle. The task is to never give up the fight in our walk toward eternity.
Woven within the stories is practical advice for the young person in today's America. For example, Fr. Josh suggests limiting social media habits that encourage comparison to other people. He also discusses the importance of avoiding near occasions of sin.
A regular prayer life is repeatedly encouraged. Time in Adoration and reading the Bible are most often mentioned. For those who haven't established a prayer life, Fr. Josh shares his own method of Scripture reading: ARRR (Acknowledge, Relate, Receive, and Respond).
Likewise, we need the Church, and the Church needs us. Each of us has received particular gifts and talents from the Holy Spirit that we need to share with each other. If we leave, then the body of Christ is incomplete.
This book was written to and for people who are already adults, albeit young ones. I think a student in late high school will find much relatable and therefore a worthwhile read, but I wouldn't think it as useful for a younger student. There are also some mature references. Though handled gracefully, I would recommend pre-reading for younger readers.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this book new. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.
