The Art of Being Human

If this book is a harbinger of what Catholics can expect from the efforts of the recently formed Spiritual Life Institute of America, of which the author is executive director, a new day in day -- and religious, too -- spiritual publishing is indeed here translates what could be a dry rehash of the principles of Christian humanism into a set of guide lines for living which anyone -- who will take the time to read them -- can and will appreciate and be able to apply what the author proposes to his own philosophy of living. He decries spiritual egotism -- the indifference to suffering of the world and man while demanding selfless piety from men -- the care and concern fellowman and the improvement of the world. Perfection is seen as achievable as a by of his human effort to glorify God by human work well tone. Examples make the theory he advances real. He quotes literally and pertinently from such sources as , Maritain, Newman, Pascal, Camus, Sam Johnson and others. quently, Fr. McNamara for living and loving fully --that is, living and loving everything in . To glamorize the popular application of mystical theology to the level of everyman is an achievement of first order. Fr. McNamara has done this well. May his efforts be rewarded by wide application of what he proposes to personal living of hundreds of thousands of men and women.