Customer Reviews

Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Former player and coach Danny Abramowicz lays out a plan to improve your spirtual life. Drawing upon years of football playing an coaching that taught him physical discipline--he applies the same standards to the spiritual life. Practical and very interesting as he tell stories about his football days with the Bears and New Orleans Saints.

This is an awesome, well-written book. It is written with great humility. An example of the humility is the author's statement, "The disease of alcoholism was the best thing that ever could have happened to me, because God used it to get my attention." (p. 23). The book uses the author's life of preparing for success in football, as a way to prepare us for success in life based on faith in Jesus Christ. The book speaks the truth"... we tend to the easiest path and that path is seldom the most beneficial." (p.31) The book provides men by a man the tools for success of which the most important is the Holy Eucharist and Mass as well as the Holy Word in the Bible. Other excellent tools are stressed such as the Rosary, prayer (most effectively done in silence), reliance on the Holy Spirit, the Saints and regular use of Confession. The author also refers to great books to assist men in a life based on Jesus such as the Imitation of Christ and Abandoment to Divine Providence.

This book was needed and clearly was meant to be written in today's age of temptation for men!

This is a great book which is easy to read, but filled with two thousand years worth of revealed truth about how to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. In a market dominated by books on female spirituality, this is a welcome addition. One of the best books on authentic male spirituality I have seen. Highly recommended.

Today Danny Abramowicz is very active in the Catholic faith. He serves several Catholic organizations, including on the Board of EWTN, the Board of Directors of Catholic Foundation, the Executive Committee for Archbishops Annual Community Appeal, the National Catholic Men's Fellowship, the President's Council at St. Joseph's Seminary College and the Director of the John Paul II Culture Center. This was not always the case, however. For quite a while, Abramowicz was very luke-warm about his faith.

In "Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint," Abramowicz tells of how he turned his spiritual life around. He had never completely abandoned his faith, but it was far down on his list of priorities. Football fans will recognize his name from his eight years playing for the New Orleans Saints and his long coaching career. Abramowicz was living in the fast lane and had become an alcoholic. As he states, "My conduct placed a tremendous strain on my marriage. I remember waking up in the morning with a hangover, telling my wife I was sorry, and promising her that I wouldn't do it again. And lo and behold, sometimes I would be back at it the very next day. This behavior continued even after I retired from football. My wife was at her wit's end with me. So she, along with some of her friends, began to pray that God would intervene in my life." One morning, he woke up and decided he needed to talk to a priest. He began attending AA meetings in 1981. The way he words it, "God used [alcoholism] to get my attention." He soon began attending a Bible study and began hosting a prayer group for men in his home.

Abramowicz compares strengthening one's spiritual life to strengthening one's physical condition. He advocates getting the Holy Spirit as one's personal trainer, scouting out the enemies of the spiritual life, stretching out in prayer, running away from temptation, receiving spiritual nutrition, and resting in the spirit. He offers concrete, practical ways to focus on each of these areas.

While women will profit from reading the"Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint," it was written by a man for men. It has been recommended by the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. At a time when fewer and fewer men are found in the pews on Sunday, it is sorely needed. It would make a wonderful gift for the men in your life.

This is an excellent book to read for an alcoholic.

The author is a former All-Pro WR and coach, and he talks like it in this book. It's man-to-man and in a format football fans will relate to. In ministry, we sometimes have trouble reaching those men who would prefer watching the game to going to church. Like the TV and radio program "Crossing the Goal," this book can speak to those men. There is also a new audio-book edition for those guys who hate to read!

I'm about half way done and I love it so far! A few glaring grammatical errors and sentences that are clearly missing a word, and therefore don't make sense, but other than that a great book with a great message!