Customer Reviews

Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints (Christian Classics)

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The author of "My Life With the Saints" (Loyola Press, 2006) explores the path to holiness in "Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints." Fr. James Martin's life was profoundly changed by reading the writings of Thomas Merton, a 20th century Trappist monk who came to his own vocation via a rather circuitous route. In his book, "New Seeds of Contemplation," Merton wrote "For me to be a saint means to be myself. . . Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and discovering my true self." This brief book is an exploration of that idea.

Martin offers a short biography of Merton's life as well as an overview of his own life. Then he delves into the heart of the issue. We are all created for holiness, yet our particular brand of holiness is unique to each one of us. In the process of reaching for holiness, "one's own individuality, one's own brand of holiness is gradually revealed. Our personalities are not eradicated as much as they are made fuller, more real, and finally more holy."

Martin briefly touches on the unique brands of holiness illustrated in the lives of the first Apostles, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, St. Bernadette and St. Therese. He also offers a longer exploration of the life of Henri Nouwen, another major influence in the author's life. Perhaps the most interesting chapter of the book focuses on the life of Jesus Christ. He speculates on how Jesus came to realize who he was and how to live out his mission in the world.

In "Becoming Who You Are," Martin encourages all of us to embrace the way that God made us, the circumstances of our lives, and our unique path to holiness. While purists may object to Martin's use of the word "saints" to describe Merton and Nouwen who have not been formally recognized as such by the Church, one cannot argue with the dramatic effect that these men had on Martin's life. Martin embraces a broad understanding of sanctity, and in doing so, opens the door for us to appreciate the sanctity within each one of us. It is a much-needed message.

I have yet to be disappointed with a book by James Martin. While much of this little paperback is reminiscent of the ideas floated in Martin's "My Life With The Saints" (perhaps his masterpiece work), a good number of his thoughts are expanded and buttressed with additional material.

The Length of this book, its size and its content makes this book perfect for segmented devotional reading. Providing much to meditate on, "Becoming Who You Are" is a great read for the subway commute or the quiet time in the morning/evening/before church.

The message of this book is key. Without becoming superfluous in an "I'm ok, you're ok, we're ok" manner, Martin challenges the reader to really search deep within her or himself to find God's grace in his or her life that will enable that person to become the saint they always have been and the God created each person to be. This is a very nice book. I await the publication of Martin's "Lourdes Journal."

I loved "My Life With The Saints" and as a subscriber, enjoy Martin's writing in America Magazine. I am also a devotee of Thomas Merton's writing, and have read a majority of Merton's rather voluminous body of work. So I approached this little book expecting great things, and was left disappointed. Among other things, a fair percentage of this thin book simply re-uses writing from Martin's very popular book, "My Life With The Saints." Further, Martin's stated objective - to shed more light on Thomas Merton's concept of the false self versus the true self - was not accomplished. Frankly, I was left with the impression that Martin was simply fulfilling an obligation to his publisher when he tendered this manuscript. It does not rise to his usual level of writing excellence. For those who really want to explore Merton's approach to the emergence of the true self, I would suggest they instead buy a copy of James Finley's "Thomas Merton's Palace of Nowhere." Written nearly thirty years ago, it is still in print and full of insights Finley gleaned from studying under Merton as a novice in Merton's monestery, and as a practicing psychotherapist. But skip this volume.

I'm afraid I have to agree with the reviewer who concludes that this little book isn't one of Martin's better works. I'm a great admirer of his My Life with the Saints (2007), and thought his coming-out memoir, In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience (2000), one of the best spiritual autobiographies of the last quarter century. But Becoming Who You Are is, alas, a bit of fluff.

The Mertonian (actually, it's quite ancient, but Merton made it famous in our day and time) distinction between "true" and "false" self is pretty well known and has been formulated and reformulated time and again. The false self is the persona we present to the world; the true self is who we are before God. We can be just as deceived about our true identity as others around us are deceived. The spiritual journey is to grow into an awareness of true self, because this necessarily means growing into an awareness of God as well.

In exploring the true self/false self distinction, Martin basically culls some quotes from Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Mother Theresa and intersperses among them autobiographical reflections (these latter are actually what make the book interesting). But nothing new is said.

To be fair, perhaps the book is intended as an absolute primer for absolute beginners (after all, it grew, Martin tells us, from a popular lecture he gave in a NYC church), and so is bound to disappoint readers who have even a passing acquaintance with Merton or Nouwen. But I suspect that it also might be an example of yet one more book the world could've done without, but which the rising reputation of the author made marketable. Whichever the case, the book's back cover enthusiastic endorsements (all by people I immensely admire) seem---well, rather overdone.

Almost 80! When you get to be my age, you need some ideas to get started on your inner journey and Thomas Merton has done that for me for 30 some years. Merton's concept of "the false self" proved to be the starting block for me; the mask I wore was not the physical one of Parkinson's Disease but one I had put on as a young girl who had to be "perfect" in everything. Admitting my sins and mistakes showed me "the false self" and turned out to be a life-giving grace as i shepherded 9 children through their teen years.

The author, James Martin, SJ took Merton's ability to write about his spirituality and, with vignettes from his own life, sent me on the right way. Martin has done a fine job.

I'm a James Martin fan, I have read some of his other books and they are never disappointing. This book spoke directly to me in terms that I could understand. It may be that I am always being asked, so "What to you want to do?". I get this in my career, in my home life, even from my friends. I often wonder, therefore, what am I meant to do? How do I know what I should be doing with my life? If these questions are on you mind, this book will help. My favorite part is the quote from Merton, "For me to be a saint is to be myself" and how Martin develops this over about 100 pages. This book is really about discovering your true self and the various ways that God speaks to us about who we really are. Its very practical and freeing. I say "freeing" because one of the main ways God speaks to us is through our desires...sounds almost like heresy! If your one who grew up in a church or family that always questioned your desires or indirectly labeled them as "selfish", then you will find some freedom by reading this.

Our scripture group is setting aside a half hour each week before our meetings to discuss each chapter of this book. Several members have already read it once and are eager to read it again so that we can talk about how it applies to each of us. I just can't say enough for Father James Martin--what a great, somewhat new, voice from the Jesuits to the "people in the pews."

This book insightfully helps you understand why and how our lives change as we pass through them. By analyzing the lives of two prominent Christian authors, it looks skilfully at the life of Christ. He gives ample opportunity to make a comparison with our own lives. The author has an engaging style that makes a deep subject easy to read. He gives sense to why we change and removes the anxiety about why we change. It was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in years. I highly recommend it to fans of Thomas Merton and Henry Nouwen.

I saw Fr. Martin on The Colbert Report last summer and have had this book on my "to read" list for that long. I started reading it one night and stayed up all night to finish it. I loved it so much, I read it again, 3 days later. Fr. Martin does a great job of showing that God made us the way we are for a reason, sinful tendancies and all. It is an intellegent read, not over-promising or trite. I can finally relax and be myself, knowing that I was created to serve just the way I am, not how I think I should be. Life changing! Will read everything he writes from now on.

From the first sentence, quoting Merton's statement that "For me, to be a saint means to be myself......therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who i am and discovering my true self" this book presents an excellent discussion of the evolution of Martin's thoughts on worshiping God by being what He made us - and wants us - to be. It is not an easy path and he is very clear on this fact citing humorous - and not quite so humorous - recollections from his own path of spiritual development, and the paths of others. Particularly interesting - or aggravating - to many will be the statement that "Many gay men and lesbians for example have told me that a foundational part of their own spiritual development has been accepting themselves as gay men and women; that is, the way God made them" (a theme that recurs in some of his other writings) (page 33). Those not familiar with the Jesuits in general or Martin in particular may find themselves saying "wait a minute, I thought this guy was Catholic" occasionally - a concern perhaps behind the one star reviews.(And yes I am a Catholic, a lector, and a eucharistic minister with 16 years of the Sisters and the Jesuits, and I do truly empathize with very conservative Catholics - I just ain't one any more) Indeed, one is almost surprised that he has not yet gotten slammed by the Conference of Catholic Bishops - as Sr. Elizabeth Johnson has recently been. It would, after all, improve sales...