Thursday, May 28, 2015

Review of "Our One Great Act of Fidelity"

First let me start off by saying that I'm not Catholic. Yet ever since my studies in undergrad and graduate school, I've always found a freshness when approaching books and writings from people of different 'flavors' than myself. While I find myself disagreeing on some points (sometimes that some turns to many), I can usually bet on finding at least a few tidbits that really spoke to me and provided a freshness to my theology and thoughts. That being said when I saw that this book was available to read for a review, I jumped at the chance. Anytime there's a book on the eucharist (or communion), it's going to peak my interest. First let me start with what I liked. This book is decently short. It doesn't take long to read (even though I spent about a month's time reading it because of the start and stop of life), having only 135 pages. I really enjoyed many of the ideas that Mr. Rolheiser presented in this book, to challenge his readers to deepen their understanding about the eucharist. One of my favorites was the idea that the eucharist should and must lead those who partake in it to service. Rolheiser brings our attention to the picture painted in the Gospel of John at the Last Supper where unlike the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), John tells of Jesus washing His disciples' feet rather than issuing any kind of words of institution. I really like the thought that as we meditate together in celebration of communion and what Jesus has done on the cross, we allow the greatest act of service inspire, renew, and move us to serve others as we go on with our week. In regards to what I didn't really care for, I felt that Rolheiser tended to ramble at times (or at the very least, I felt myself losing my spot and getting lost rather easily because I felt he was either repeating multiple times what he had already said or was saying something that was very 'lofty' (when I say 'lofty' I refer to something that's a little hard to follow through the writing on a page, not necessarily something that's overly 'smart'.) Overall I would say that this book gives a nice break from typical books I've read on the eucharist and speaks more hypothetical, mystic, and faith based. It provides a fresh look at something that Christians from all over celebrate. I recommend this book for those who like to think on a more theoretical thought process or maybe for those who might be interested in taking a chance to read something other than a 'textbook' on theology and church practices. "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."