What is All That Shocking About Holiness?
Philosopher urges readers to find the romance of everyday life through holiness
SAN FRANCISCO — Is holiness actually shocking? What is romantic about the everyday life of a holy person? Philosopher and professor of economics Michael Pakaluk seeks to answer those questions and challenge readers to pursue both holiness and romance in his new book, THE SHOCK OF HOLINESS: FINDING THE ROMANCE OF EVERYDAY LIFE (Ignatius Press).
Pakaluk (Ph.D. Harvard, philosophy) is professor of political economy in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was appointed an Ordinarius of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas by Pope Benedict XVI. He is the author of several books, including The Memoirs of St. Peter and Mary’s Voice in the Gospel According to John.
THE SHOCK OF HOLINESS acts as a guide on many of life’s most pressing issues: marriage, sex, sacrifice, daily stress of everyday life and how to live out holiness as a professed Catholic. Each chapter can be read in a few minutes but offers several points to contemplate about how to live a life of holiness, taking inspiration from incredible saints, humble figures in everyday life and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Pakaluk, in THE SHOCK OF HOLINESS, attests that Christian sanctity is far nearer and more beautiful than we think, especially when we delve into some of the simplest truths of the Catholic faith from the graces of Baptism to the fatherhood of St. Joseph to the earth-shattering realization of transubstantiation.
“Holiness is indeed shocking; Pakaluk’s essays provide the shock therapy needed to rouse our hearts to the possibility and raise our minds to the eternal,” said the Very Rev. Paul Scalia, author of That Nothing May Be Lost. “His pleasing prose and winsome style make holiness so attractive that we feel we’ve been made for it. Which we have. He beautifully conveys both the grandeur and the simplicity of sanctity.”
For more information, to request a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Michael Pakaluk please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or [email protected]) of Carmel Communications.
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