BOOK REVIEW: A Living Gospel: Reading God’s Story in Holy Lives

In his letter Gaudete et Exsultate Pope Francis calls us all to holiness. Often our response is: “Surely not me!” or "How can I be holy?", but in this book Robert Ellsberg encourages us to “learn to read our own story with new eyes”, leading us towards holiness.

Through nine chapters, “saint watcher” Robert Ellsberg explores stories of the lives of Catholic greats such as Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen alongside those who may be less known to us. They are saints immersed in life and responding to the realities of their day. We are invited to journey with them through the highs and the lows of their lives. Ellsberg skilfully weaves together his experience, and often his personal interactions, with these holy people — an approach that makes them seem so humane and real.

A Living Gospel not only drew me into the lives of a range of saints as human beings, it also gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own life and how I can respond to the needs of today. 

This book will have wide appeal as it connects the lives of holy people with our own reality, encouraging us towards spiritual growth and holiness.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 248 May 2020