By meditating on personal examples from the author's life, as well as reflecting on the inspirational life and writings of Thomas Merton, stories from the Gospels, as well as the lives of other holy men and women (among them, Henri Nouwen, Therese of Lisieux and Pope John XXIII) the reader will see how becoming who you are, and becoming the person that God created, is a simple path to happiness, peace of mind and even sanctity.
"For me to be a saint means to be myself," wrote the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. But what does it mean to be oneself? In this profound meditation on Merton's notion of the "true self," James Martin helps readers to understand who they are and, in the process, to discover their vocations in life. Using insights from the lives of the saints and contemporary spiritual masters, Martin shows how the quest to know oneself is, ultimately, the quest to know God.
"Probably nothing is more important to practical religion than the discovery of 'the self we have to lose and the self we have to find.' Jesus said it first, Thomas Merton made it clear, and James Martin, if you can believe it, makes it even clearer."
--F. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico
"Father James Martin joins the company of such men as Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen who sought the fulfilled life in the tradition inaugurated by St. Augustine."
--Rt. Rev, John Eudes Bamberger, OCSO, Abbot Emeritus, Our Lady of the Genesee Abbey, Piffard, New York
"This small gem of a book illuminates an insight at once paradoxical and deeply liberating: that God is calling us to be who we truly are."
--Robert Ellsberg, author of The Saints' Guide to Happiness
"Jesuit Father James Martin shows, in his latest book, how one may 'read' the saints and spiritual masters to deepen our knowledge of both theology and the spiritual life. He does this so well both because his writing is lucid and his approach so transparently authentic."
--Lawrence S. Cunningham, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology, The University of Notre Dame
"In so many ways James Martin's wisdom about his experience in Becoming Who You Are announces the need to be honest, accept that we are flawed, and keep searching in life. His insights, far from being burdensome, are alive with meaning and inspiration."
--Sue Mosteller, CSJ, Literary Executrix of the Nouwen Legacy
The Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and associate editor of America, a national Catholic magazine. Father Martin's writing has appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines, and he is the author of several books on religion and spirituality.
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