Handbook for Youth
Brian Singer-Towns
Saint Mary Press, February 2008, 474 pp., $18.95, www.smp.org
Almost Catholic
Jon M. Sweeny
Jossey Bass, February 2008, 230 pp., $19.95, www.josseybass.com
For xpanded and expounded answers to the Catholic faith, Singer-Towns gives them to you from a youth’s point of view in the easy to read Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. You will discover what Catholics may make too much of, Protestants certainly make too little of. You can’t help but take away a respect and a yearning to see God as a mysterious Companion instead of a familiar MySpace Buddy.
Having grown up Catholic, I had my misgivings about Jon Sweeny’s book Almost Catholic. Was he going to be another postmodern pilgrim pillaging the rich history of Catholic spirituality to give me 10 new ways to pray with candles? To my surprise, Jon Sweeny giveth and not taketh away.
The quotes that open each chapter reveal my ignorance of fine literature but that did not stop me from pressing on to mine each chapter for nuggets of truth. I was not disappointed. Although Jon is not Catholic, you will find yourself, as I did, empathizing with his pining for mystery and wrestling with him about simplistic spiritual truths we learned long ago. The book will leave you wondering, “What have I been missing?”
Both The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth and Almost Catholic will cause you to reflect on your own spiritual disciplines and challenge you to embrace this mysterious relationship with God.
