This is my 2nd Andrew Greeley book (The Catholic Imagination was the first) and I found this one highly meaningful for a few reasons. He tackles the mysteries of Catholicism, and explains them in a way that is both reflective and relevant to any human being today. This book is especially meaningful for any Catholic who has forgotten the WHY's of what we do, such as the importance of the Eucharist and Mary. He does a beautiful job explaining the history of these rituals and traditions, along with the relevance to today. This would also be meaningful to any person who is trying to understand Catholicism, and the rituals that are sometimes hard to comprehend. What is also nice is at the end of each chapter, the author has theological and scriptural notes. This is always important in opening your mind to a religious book in any form.

Fr. Andrew Greeley, noted sociologist, novelist, and Catholic priest, originally wrote and published "The Great Mysteries: Experiencing Catholic Faith from the Inside Out" over twenty years ago. This new revised edition features a forward by Rev. Robert Barron. Barron states that "The Great Mysteries" is an attempt by Greeley to "re-attach faith and life, doctrine and experience." Greeley relies on the teaching method used by Jesus and the apostles. They depended on story-telling rooted in the experience of their listeners to make their point. In his introduction, Greeley states that he "begins in human experience, in the story of our lives, and puts these stories and experiences in dialogue with the richness of the Catholic faith tradition."

Each chapter begins with a question based on a query from the traditional "Baltimore Catechism" which generations of Catholics learned by rote. Greeley then describes the human experience that relates to the question and then offers insight into how the Catholic faith helps to provide an answer.

For example, Chapter One "The Mystery of God" asks, "Is there any purpose in my life?" which restates the previous question of "Why did God make me?" Greeley describes the feeling of discouragement that we all get when life loses its newness, our plans fail, and our sense of purpose eludes us. He then acknowledges that despite that sense of disillusionment, there are those "occasional flashes that shake us out of the dull routine, the ordered chaos, the noisy desperation of every day - and they make us wonder."
What, then, does Catholicism offer in response to the basic human yearning for purpose? It answers that the reason for our existence is that God is "hopelessly in love with us" and that we exist in order to respond to that love.

Other chapters in "The Great Mysteries" focus on Jesus, the Holy Spirit, evil, salvation, forgiveness, the Holy Eucharist, what it means to be Church, baptism, the role of Mary, heaven, and the last judgment. While obviously all the nuances of Catholicism could not be addressed in this relatively slim volume, Greeley does a wonderful job of addressing all the big questions. This is a catechism for a humanity trying to make the best of life and its relationship with God. It acknowledges a world that includes many shades of gray and does not pretend to offer black and white answers. "The Great Mysteries" is essentially a message of hope and salvation. It is well-worth reading.


Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of www.spiritualwoman.net and author of "Letters to Mary from a Young Mother" (iUniverse 2004).