Thursday, August 07, 2008

A Book Well Worth Your Time

I've been spending some time poring over a wonderful book, A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World by Carl Anderson.

Anderson is Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and he shares plenty of wisdom in this book. I was dog-earing pages all over the place; the chapter on "The Domestic Church" was fabulous. Anderson asserts, "the family is--and will be--the chief witness to the active power of the love of God in the world" (p. 82). Think about that and see how it changes the way you view family life, and your goals for your family.

Each chapter ends with "suggestions for contemplation and action." Those are excellent--don't skip them!

While the book is short, only 173 pages, it is meaty. It's not a fast read. This is a book to be savored in small bits, reflecting over them and considering how to apply the ideas in your own life. I appreciate that Anderson does not talk down to his audience but instead has written a challenging book, realistic but not simplistic.

Consider this:
"ultimately the power of Catholics to transform America into a culture of life and a civilization of love will lie in the power of their example more than in the power of the ballot box, even though the ballot box is important. The early Christians did not take over the Roman Empire by electoral choice: there were no elections to speak of in those days. Rather they did so by their example, by holding out the possibility of a life that was higher, more beautiful, and above all more authentic than the vulgarity, violence and greed of late antiquity. Christians today have the same opportunity to offer another way to a world that is also surfeited with these same problems" (p. 171)


I recommend this book for your personal library as well as for parish libraries.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Civilization of Love.



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