My Life with the Saints (10th Anniversary Edition)

Fr James Martin is the best! Only he could get me to read a book about saints and make it relevant. I loved it and recommend every book he has written.

An all time favorite. Amusing, inspiring and informative.This is one to revisit repeatedly.

Engaging and sincere, Martin's "My Life with the Saints" is an unusual book in that its appeal isn't limited to just Catholics or even Christians. What holds the book together is Martin's personal voice, so that the essays aren't just about the saints, but about finding meaning and purpose in the world.

I have always been interested in the saints and was looking forward to reading more about them in this book. The author is a wonderful writer, I loved how he talked about his own life and personal experiences to introduce us to several interesting saints. Somehow his stories about his life interwoven with the stories of the saints made reading about these different people more meaningful and interesting.

There is not a long list of saints discussed in the book, just a handful of saints that were important to James Martin, some of the saints I knew and some were new to me. The most important thing I got from this book is a desire to learn more about the saints the author discusses in the book and also I would like to learn more about other saints as well.

This anniversary edition includes a delightful epilogue where James Martin discusses what has happened in his life after writing the book and answers several questions. It is a nice little addition to the book. I would highly recommend it.

Father James Martin's life with the saints began when he sent away for a small statue of St. Jude, the saint of lost causes. However, he grew embarassed about his little figurine and only took it out on special occasions. He had a similar attitude towards his faith, until he struggled with a life as a businessman that he found meaningless and saw a documentary about Thomas Merton which changed his life.
Father James Martin's

He read Merton's autobiography and went in 'search' of him. Merton struck Father Martin as bright, funny and creative - someone who could have been a good friend. He also struggled with the big questions, such as the purpose of life and 'Who is God'? Father Martin felt an invitation to the monastic life after reading Merton's book.

When he entered the monastery, he discovered that many of the Jesuits had special attachments to saints - one told him that he thought of them as siblings who gave advice and counsel. Martin began to read more about them and he learned that he could 'easily recognize' himself or parts of himself 'in their stories'. He read about the bravery of St Joan of Arc who also introduced him to the language of the saints, studied the life and the great spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, and read about the sufferings of St Therese who said that she would send a 'shower of roses' after she died.

I was a bit amazed to read that he had never seen The Song of Bernadette before he entered the monastery! I wasn't brought up Catholic, but it was on TV here often when I was young. He writes movingly about my favourite saint, St Bernadette, and how she helped him to remain true to his personal vision, and about his pilgrimage to Lourdes.

This is a wonderful book about Father Martin's relationship with the saints, what he learns from them and how they help him. It will certainly assist all Christian readers to grow closer to the saints themselves. For example, I felt a bit down last night and decided to ask St Jude to pray for me. This immediately made me feel better and gave me a feeling of peace.

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

Ten years ago, I was a college student and a recent convert to the Church. If I had seen this book in the bookstore, I wouldn’t have picked it up because I already had plenty on my plate to read. Although I was a Catholic nerd, I was more interested in Biblical studies and apologetics rather than reading about saints, much less memoirs that revolved around saints.

I’ve noticed in recent years, however, that this particular kind of Catholic memoir has been becoming more and more common. Maybe Fr. Martin started a trend.

Anyway, it was probably better this way, with me reading it 10 years after it’s peak in popularity. More age, more wisdom, more appreciation for the saints mentioned in this book.

And are their saints in this book? I counted at least 20 or so mentioned. Lots of background given to a very varied group of holy people. I can guarantee that at least one of them will be new to you and they are all very fascinating. He shares their stories interwoven with his own and may highlight parts of their lives that you never really thought about before. He certainly shed a different light on some of my favorites like Dorothy Day and St. Aloysius Gonzaga. (By the way, they aren’t all canonized saints, but they are all people who at least have a cause open. So, please, don’t be picky.)

His story which we see through these stories is highly relatable and perfect especially for anyone who has had trouble with discernment. His journey to the Jesuits mirrors many such journeys today. Haven’t we all, regardless of our destination, had trouble getting there and hearing God?

I want to thank Loyola Press for the opportunity to read this great book that I missed the first time around. I hope everyone who missed it has an opportunity to catch it this time. I was able to read this through my membership in Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.