“Happiness in This Life” by Pope Francis

Pope Francis; Happiness in This Life: A Passionate Meditation on Material Existence and the Meaning of Life.  Bluebird Books, hardback £14.99 eBook £10.99.  Translation by Shaun Whiteside.   

 Reviewed by Revd Maurice Stafford

This is a delightful book by the current Pope.  Its themes are pertinent in that it addresses the meaning of life, the search for true happiness and an exposure of some of the false trials (i.e. the pursuit of wealth) that do no deliver real happiness.   

The book has a short prologue which centres on the beatitudes as significantly offering a portrait of Jesus and the path to happiness.  The book is then broken down into 4 parts which is further broken down into several sections to each part.  What then follows is one extract after another usually about 4 – 12 lines in length.  The extracts are mainly from addresses and homilies that The Pope has given roughly in the last 5 years.    

How does one read a book like this?  One could read it quickly as if it were a continuous narrative. I sense that will not work for everyone.   It may be better to take one (or two) meditations a day and ponder and reflect and pray with them.  Counting, there are 114 meditations in Part 1, of the book, so it does not seem to work well as a Lent book more a devotional book to read slowly over a longer period. Or alternatively a book to dip into from time to time when an appropriate opportunity arises.  Reading one meditation after another, feels a little bitty as we move from one subject to another.  Better editing could have grouped subjects together more.  However, let that not put you off, the content is a sheer delight.  The writing style is superb – down to earth, even chatty, accessible to all people.  The smiling picture on the dust jacket tells you exactly what you get – Joyful!  Central to Pope’s Francis’s message is the vitality of the Gospel.  The wonder of the transforming friendship of God comes across through the whole book.  The book is not at all preachy or judgemental but in its own way it does challenge – for what matters is to live out this gospel and live out the life we are called to live in response to God.      

 

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