God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest
by Edward L. Beck
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edward L. BeckEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-16
ISBN: 0385501811
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Image
Book Reviews of God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest
Book Review: God Underneath-comes to the surface
Summary: 5 Stars
Fr Beck writes with a journalist's facility and brings the story of his tentative first steps toward the priesthood to his ordination to his life as a Passionist priest and itinerant Retreat Master. Eminently readable,he shows the life of a priest in the modern era who hears confessions with compassion,says Mass with great devotion to God and yet jogs frequently-one time while wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt with the long red tongue..His brushes with the worldly and the enticing teach us that we are all loved by God and that we can resist the temptations of everyday life and still carry on a full Catholic life-he as a Passionist priest,others like us as ordinary laypeople. He is saddened by what is happening to the modern Catholic Church and his concern shows through..He is also brave enough to point out the lack of leadership from the top and at the parish level that is sometimes lacking and that has allowed some of the misfortunes to happen within our beloved Church.
He also points out the personal miracles he saw-miracles of a relic of St Martin De Porres.a Dominican lay brother-who administered to to poorest of the poor to men of all races.Born in Lima,Peru of Spanish and black parentage,honored even by the animals who recognized his blessedness, and venerated by the local population as soon as word had gotten out that he had passed on to his Eternal Reward..Very appropriate as Fr Beck ministered to the poor African Americans in Chicago and New York while he was undergoing his seminary training and his Retreats all across the country now are for all men and women of whatever race or faith..
He is a good Priest-a Priest forever..we hope he goes on to have a good literary career and that his Retreats thrive for many years..
Summary of God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest
A delightfully different approach to religion and spirituality, this collection of engaging personal tales transcends specific doctrines to reveal the presence of God in everyday life.Father Edward L. Beck spins tales like a master, presenting with candor and a touch of irreverence incidents and events that will resonate with readers. Exploring such universal themes and concerns as friendship, sexuality, illness, alcoholism, loss, and death, the vignettes and stories in this collection are animated by intriguing characters, pitch-perfect dialogue?and a surprising twist. Probing beneath the surface of ordinary life, each selection contains a hidden message, a subtle but powerful reminder of the signposts that mark a spiritual journey.
Quotations from the Scriptures introduce the tales, providing a context that will help readers uncover the meaning the story holds for their own personal lives and beliefs. To encourage further reflection and rumination, Beck offers insights into the specific religious and theological themes that inspired the writing of each tale.
A lively, unabashed look at the challenges of living a spiritual life in contemporary times, God Underneath will appeal not only to Catholics, but to all spiritual seekers, regardless of religious affiliation.
God Underneath, a memoir by the Catholic priest Edward L. Beck, is composed of moving, funny, and profound vignettes that blur the line between sermon and story. Beck's reflections meander through a variety of topics, including friendship, sexuality, illness, alcoholism, death, demanding mothers, reticent fathers, and the political struggles that doomed a spiritual retreat in Peoria, Illinois. Like a homily, each chapter begins with a verse of scripture, then proceeds to tell a story that helps readers understand that verse and, even more, learn to live it. In the book's introduction, Beck describes his belief in "incarnational spirituality," which he explains as follows:
God chooses to be revealed in the people and events of our lives. ("Incarnate" comes from the Latin incarnati, to be made flesh.) Thus, this spirituality is of the very stuff of our lives. God becomes incarnate, a God with skin.Beck's way of telling stories is faithful to this mode of spirituality: he describes people whose lives describe truth, welling up from the God who is underneath and in all. -- Michael Joseph Gross
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