Customer Reviews

The Catholic Passion: Rediscovering the Power and Beauty of the Faith

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read many recently published books on the substance and meaning of the Catholic faith--Weigel, Groome, Greeley, etc. I've also read recent books by and about John Paul II, and Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI). And, lots of historical, even famous, books of Catholic theology and apologetics: Newman, Chesterton, Merton, etc. Lots of those books were very good, and each in their own way added a dimension to my own understanding of a faith I love. But, David Scott's Catholic Passion is the single best book I've ever read on Catholicism.

I cannot say I actually learned anything new (other than a few interesting facts about some saints I had not met before). Rather, Scott captures the richness and joy Catholic life and belief, and with an easy prose encourages in the reader the attitude that a right understanding of Catholicism should inspire in all of us.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to discover or rediscover what it means and how it feels to be a Catholic. It should be required reading for everyone involved in an RCIA program. Catholics should buy a copy for their Protestant friends who may think (or are even sure) they know what Catholicism is about. Mail a copy to that relative who has left the church.

To be sure, this is not academic theology, nor a catechism lesson. It is the inspired work of an author who loves his church, and who has found a way to communicate the best elements of that church, and his faith, to his readers. Scott's book is the most honest and joyful expression of the faith in print today!

No politics or triumphalism here, not even much that 'cradle Catholics' won't recognize, just essentials of our relationship with God, expressed with simplicity and great beauty. The author says right off that this will not be a rehash of technical catechism, and keeps his word. This is not a sterile legalistic text, and doesn't deal in negatives. This is a 100% positive living account, drawn from the lives of real people, from 1st-century martyrs to Eugene O'Neill and Dorothy Day. A work of love, of beauty and calm spirituality, it brought me peace. Highly recommended.

David Scott is interested in Catholicism as made vividly manifest by artists, poets, and saints. In "The Catholic Passion," he seeks to get to the romantic, dramatic, visionary, vibrant core of Catholicism, in all its cultural manifestations. It's a rewarding and rewarded effort.

This book takes as its starting point Chesterton's assertion that the most perilous and exciting path is not heresy but Christian orthodoxy. Scott is not interested in detailing doctrine and dogma, but in dramatizing and fleshing out the faith as it is embodied and lived out in the Church. Scott tells stories of people such as Blessed Charles de Foucauld, Dorothy Day, Francis Thompson, Eugene O'Neill, and St. Catherine of Genoa. Certainly not all are saints -- some are not even believers. But all stories lead the reader to an intimation of what it is that draws so many of us to the Church.

The "passion" of the title is a word that evokes romance, suffering, and engagement. Scott shows us how this passion is a part of life as lived, with a voice that is committed and honest. His words give us not a set of catechetical propositions, but a body, a corpus of Catholicism that is set before the eye of the reader. If you get a chance, pick it up -- it's an excellent, enjoyable, nourishing read.

Forget about the infamous volume presumptuously entitled "Catholicism" by Richard McBrien of Notre Dame that distorts the faith. Scott's book gives you a real guide to Catholicism. He doesn't get bogged down in polemics and argumentative apologetics. He presents the Catholic faith as a whole in its passionate urgency about our destiny and the destiny of the world. Scott accurately presents Catholic teaching. He is orthodox. In addition, Scott sprinkles the book with quotations from great Catholics and from the Scriptures so that you are exposed to the best. For non-Catholics, the book is a great overview of Catholicism. Catholics should not hesitate to give this book to non-Catholics and to those entering RCIA. Long-time Catholics will also do well to read it to remind themselves of what they may have forgotten or taken for granted.

This is a great book, David Scott has done an excellent job. The book keeps your attention all the way through, and reading it will help renew your faith experience. It is one of the most meaningful books that I have ever read. Thank you to the author for writing this powerful book on the Catholic faith.

Mr. Scott has written a well researched and thought out book, that will help Catholics and Christians to deepen their understanding and Love of God.
As a life long practicing Catholic, I am wanting to journey deeper in my Love of my Faith, and Mr. Scott's book enabled me to do this. His use of Saints (known and unknown),examination of Prayer,and his detailed study of the Mass will allow the reader to have a better understanding of the miracle taking place up on the Altar.
I highly recommend this very readable/ approachable book, and hope it will help others on their Faith journey as much as it has for me.

Roman Catholic or Byztanine (Eastern Rite) Catholic ... it is as true as the statement that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ... anyone who has diverged from their original Catholic upbringing and perhaps seek to integrate early spiritual lessons with their adult selves ...would find this a very helpful guidance back into the fold. All roads do lead to Rome.

David Scott has written a very capable introduction to the Catholic faith without, as he says, quoting dogmatic documents or church law. Instead, Scott writes practically and biblically (not to be understood in a "preachy" manner) in presenting the Catholic faith.

This books makes an excellent companion to Thomas Howard's *On Being Catholic* (Ignatius Press).

For the last three decades, the church has been under attack by dissident theologians, anarchist feminists, mediocre priests, and a lukewarm laity. Dismayed by the lack of leadership among our bishops, many disaffected Catholics have left. However, many disaffected Catholics have chosen to stay. This book is an exquisite summary of why we stay waiting with "joyful hope" for the full restoration of our church.

There is no doubt that one day David Scott will hear "Well done my good and faithful servant."

David Scott - thank you for this book!