Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on + 242 more book reviews
A lovely tribute to Tony Hendra's spiritual advisor/guide, Father Joe. Tony says it best in describing this man: "For more than 40 years....this lumpy gargoyle of a man has been my still center, the rock of my soul...He was the wisdom I craved - though it was never what I expected; his judgment alone I feared - though never once did he pass judgment on me.
All my conscious life he was my strongest ally; the cherished gatekeeper of my lost Eden, a lighthouse of faith blinking away through the oceanic fog of success and money and celebrity and possessions..."
Tony Hendra was an actor and then became a successful writer. But the more he put his soul into his fame and material things, the worse his life became. He still kept contact with Father Joe who, through the right guided questions, helped Tony unravel the mess and unhappiness of his life. Many times, Tony, was torn between entering one of the Catholic orders to become a monk and his worldly life. Father Joe, in his understated way, discouraged Tony from pursuing the former. He believed that Tony's path as a husband and father and successful writer was what God had chosen for him. Near the end, Tony accepts his path and achieves a lot more peace and happiness than he ever had in his life.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants a spiritual uplift. The will get that from this gentle, kind-hearted and wise little priest, Father Joe. He is also down-to-earth with no pretensions. For those of you on a deeper Christian spiritual path, I would recommend "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross. Yet Father Joe has something to say to even the most spiritually mature.
All my conscious life he was my strongest ally; the cherished gatekeeper of my lost Eden, a lighthouse of faith blinking away through the oceanic fog of success and money and celebrity and possessions..."
Tony Hendra was an actor and then became a successful writer. But the more he put his soul into his fame and material things, the worse his life became. He still kept contact with Father Joe who, through the right guided questions, helped Tony unravel the mess and unhappiness of his life. Many times, Tony, was torn between entering one of the Catholic orders to become a monk and his worldly life. Father Joe, in his understated way, discouraged Tony from pursuing the former. He believed that Tony's path as a husband and father and successful writer was what God had chosen for him. Near the end, Tony accepts his path and achieves a lot more peace and happiness than he ever had in his life.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants a spiritual uplift. The will get that from this gentle, kind-hearted and wise little priest, Father Joe. He is also down-to-earth with no pretensions. For those of you on a deeper Christian spiritual path, I would recommend "Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross. Yet Father Joe has something to say to even the most spiritually mature.
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