A Retreat for Lay People



I started A Retreat for Lay People by Ronald A Knox a long time ago but only got back to it recently. Ronald Knox reminds me of St. Francis de Sales and Archbishop Fulton Sheen in that he always makes me feel like being a Catholic is doable and not some kind of impossible nightmare.

I especially liked his reflection on St Mary Magdalene in which he insisted that it is enough for us to follow her example. She 'did what she could' and that is all God expects from us. I may not be getting it quite right, but I know that when Catholic spiritual writers suggest things like, 'think of yourself as snail that slimes everything it touches,' I just feel like giving up completely. That certainly isn't Knox's style at all.

I also thought his reflection on the Rosary helpful. He talks about how, in His Passion, Jesus endured all the different kinds of suffering that God calls us to endure, from mental anguish to physical pain and death. It's upsetting to think about Christ's suffering, but I find it comforting to think about my own suffering in the context of His because I know that His suffering had meaning and that it ended in triumph in spite of how hopeless it all seemed. 

This book is full of such comforting reflections and well worth a read, especially for anyone who is struggling or feeling discouraged. Can't recommend it enough.

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