Customer Reviews

On Hope

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German Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper (1904-1997) discusses with clarity and erudition the issue that grips all of us: what is the basis of our hope on the pilgrimage we call life? He points out that our status is that of people "on the way" who can easily fall into a meaningless existence. He calls us to high virtue. His description of the greatness of spirit of the Christian-- of Christian magnanimity--captures the exciting challenge of going on the pilgrimage of life as a Christian. He points out in this small book how essential hope, as opposed to despair or presumption, is to the Christian life. This book will challenge you to examine the status of your own pilgrimage.

This is a very helpful book on looking closely how we see life. It helped me realize how my search for God is a process with many obstacles. The author calls despair a true form of sin, in that we are despairing of how God made us, as well as losing faith in the character of God. He reminds us that we are 'on the way' or 'becoming' Christians. It helped ease a lot of anxiety for me to slow down and take smaller steps in my faith journey. It's a very scholarly and thoughtful book that really brings to light a vague subject for many of us. I wholly recommend it.