Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey [Paperback]

Michael Crosby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2009

Solanus Casey would never have considered himself a mystic but, paradoxically, his very insights about atheism point to his being so. Furthermore, he was not only a mystic, but a mystic in action: one who combined in himself the contemplative and active dimensions of the God-experience in such a way that he became a Christ-figure for many people. From Chapter Nine

Appointed by the Vatican as the External Collaborator to the Relator for the cause of canonization of Capuchin Father Solanus Casey, the first man born in the United States to be declared Venerable by the Catholic church, Michael Crosby gives us an inspiring and insightful story of one person s unswerving faith in God s abiding presence throughout the universe.

For Solanus, Crosby writes, knowing God demanded a threefold response: appreciation, love, and service. Solanus wrote that everyone's purpose as a rational creature is to recognize and to know his Creator, so as to be able, intelligently to love him, confidently to hope in him, and gratefully to serve him.

Besides the gift of healing which brought happiness to many, Solanus Casey also used his gift of prophecy to encourage and challenge and to bring back hope to others. But the humble Capuchin's greatest gift was charity charity that not only characterized his happy relationship with God but that overflowed in the warm, caring, fraternal and even humorous way he related to his neighbor.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MICHAEL CROSBY, O.F.M. CAP., lives in community with other friars in a downtown Milwaukee parish that serves the urban poor, homeless and marginalized. His ministry attempts to develop a spirituality of discipleship for U.S. and other "First World" Catholics, primarily through corporate reform and church reform. He gives retreats, workshops and parish missions and is author of seventeen books. Visit his Web site.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press (March 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867169192
• ISBN-13: 978-0867169195
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book., August 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey (Paperback)

This book is about a way of life of gratitude, and about being open to God's will. It is an easy read, and you can't put it down. I am buying a copy for a friend who just took the bar exam.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-balanced, well-written, July 31, 2009

By 

Jane Lebak "tabris02" (sunny New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey (Paperback)

The book is adapted from the research Crosby did for the Vatican when it investigated Casey for sainthood. (He's now "venerable.") As such, it's thoroughly researched and footnoted, with none of the hagiographic sense of many saint-biographies. The style is balanced, almost academic but with none of the dryness. In fact, Casey's humanity comes across foremost, along with compassion for him and those to whom he ministered. The text is very readable. Although there are hundreds of footnotes, most of them are citations and not clarifications (meaning you don't have to keep flipping to the back of the book for the full story.)

Crosby does not hesitate to discuss some of Casey's shortcomings, giving a well-rounded treatment to the man as a human being who lived within his culture and his time.

The best part, for me, was how Crosby chronicled some of the changes made in Casey's spirituality over time. Too often we read about saints as if they were fully-formed by age twelve (unless they had a cataclysmic conversion experience) but Crosby notes at times that a certain trait was just in its beginning stages, or that such-and-such was the first notes of what would become one of the hallmarks of Casey's later ministry. This documentation of his spiritual progress should be a comfort for all of us saints-in-training who know we have a long way to travel.

I highly recommend this book with five stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Inspirational, October 26, 2009

By 

JMN "My Time Is Valuable" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey (Paperback)

I took more notes on this book than any I have ever read. His simplicity of approach to God's Divine Providence inspires me daily and is a great help to me.