Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems

Book cover: Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems
Author(s): 
Fr. Joseph Esper
Number of pages: 
379 pages
Copyright: 
2001
ISBN: 
1928832377
Publisher: 
Sophia Institute Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Review: 
For more than twenty years, Fr. Esper has been a priest as well as an author, conference speaker, and authority on the lives of the saints. He has written this book to serve as a guide to perfecting our own weaknesses through the examples and experiences of the Communion of the Saints. This book isn't intended to be read straight through from cover to cover, but rather to be picked up and studied in short segments, so it is especially appealing to a busy, homeschooling family.

With more than forty different problems addressed, there is sure to be help for whatever is troubling. Just a few of the chapter topics are anxiety, criticism, distraction during prayer, gloominess, irreligious children, marital problems, old age, tardiness, and unpopularity. Each chapter begins with a meditation of several pages describing a particular saint (or saints) who had experience with the problem, with many valuable quotations and passages of encouragement. Following this is the "For Further Reflection" section with additional quotations, the invaluable "Something You Might Try" section with specific, detailed suggestions, "Further Reading" section with recommended sources from Sacred Scripture, Spiritual Classics, and Contemporary Works, and finally a Prayer.

The advice in this book is straight to the point and will be helpful throughout life. Most of the topics discussed apply as well to our teenaged children as to our elderly parents, and with Fr. Esper's recommendation to work on only one fault at a time, it could take a lifetime. Each reading and re-reading of the chapters in this book can help us along the path to Heaven.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
11-8-03