Courage to be Afraid

This book has a way of taking the things that you learned in 4th grade about your Catholic Faith, then re-iterating them in such a way that it makes sense in the context of your actual life. I can say with confidence that this book was/is the instrument by which God completely changed my life.

The way the author describes and expounds upon the fundamental pillar of the spiritual life, humility, puts into practical context all the quotes from the Saints that you already knew.

“The Courage to be Afraid is remarkably different from other spiritual books.” This can’t be more true!

The author helps us to “become as little children” as Our Lord desires - to be at peace with our weakness and let Christ save us, while at the same time to love and follow him with all the fierce intensity of a child.

I believe I marked this book up more than any other book I’ve read (except, perhaps, Marmion’s Union with God). I’m not sure how the author managed to continue to write with so much relevance for the entire length of the book! I would say there’s something there for everyone, no matter where they are in the spiritual life. Even for the scrupulous, there may be individual parts of the book that might be difficult, but if one takes into account the context, I believe it should be beneficial for them (follow your spiritual director, of course). What benefits we all receive when we let go and let God act!

There’s not much more I can say—besides that you should take up and read! It’s refreshing and so helpful to read a modern book on spirituality that is a far cry from being modernist. It certainly speaks to us and the psychological tendencies we have today, helping us to know ourselves—but at the same time feeding our souls with the solidity of Catholic doctrine.

I read the French version. So happy it is now in English to reach more souls! Enjoy!