Thomas Dubay (1921–2010)

Anyone can achieve a reasonable level of sanctity, but the saints are in a league of their own. What sets them apart? Does holiness come more naturally to them than to the rest of us? Do they endure severe temptation? How do grievous sinners become saints? How has history been influenced by the saints? Are the saints relevant today? What do they mean for you? In answering these questions and many more, Father Thomas Dubay not only reveals what makes the saints tick, but also nudges readers toward the heights of sanctity themselves. It's an uphill battle for everyone, but the lives of the saints make it clear that great holiness is possible for all if we allow ourselves, as they do, to fall radically in love with God.… (altro)

This books is not a review of the canonized saints but a book that answers many of our questions about them. Just a few of the questions answered include whether the saints are relevant for us today? Why does the Church give them such primacy and what characteristics differentiate them from the rest of humanity? What are the essentials for anyone becoming a saint? To what extent is their merit for sainthood achieved through human effort and to what extend through divine grace? If divine grace is necessary, the curious question is how does it come to be manifested in them? Are the saints by birth an exception to the rest of humanity? Fr. Thomas Dubay answers these questions and more by providing facts and offering historical examples while giving real insight into the lives of many of the saints.… (altro)

Simply a must-read if you are in fact serious about taking the Christian life more seriously. Provocative and challenging in the nature of the message and yet careful, balanced, precise, and forthright, the late, great Fr. Thomas Dubay takes the issue head-on: does the Gospel call Christians to a simple, frugal life or not?

Few books have so challenged and convicted me in my complacency and none have left me more concretely motivated to become a more perfect imitation of Christ.

(Note - endure with patience the first few chapters. Dubay takes his time setting up this delicate issue. Persevere and you will be rewarded.)
… (altro)