Faith Can Give Us Wings: The Art of Letting Go - Softcover

As I read and pondered this delightful book, I easily imagined that I was sitting in a casual chair in the office of the author (Abbot Primate in Rome), as he smoked his pipe while sharing some of his Benedictine wisdom. The tone of the book is casual, reflective, personal. The reader may want to keep a yellow marker handy to highlight the bits of practical wisdom that can be found on every page. The book was prompted by a simple question asked of Wolf by a visitor: "Why do you look so happy?" His answer--which grew out of his life experiences as a monk, abbot, and abbot primate--eventually developed into this book which is readable, informal, and practical. The content is subdivided into four sections: I. Why Have Faith? II. Faith--How Does That Work? III. Life with God IV. Faith that Gives Us Wings. Each of these sections has several short essays, each of which can be read in a few minutes--and pondered for an hour or a lifetime. Wolf writes that our faith is shaped by mosaic stones entrusted to each of us in childhood. These stones, which are colored with hope, welcome, and care, will lay a foundation for prayer, music, witness, and community in our life. Faith is a gift that develops slowly within us day by day, through our varied experiences, where it is nurtured by love. He writes; "At the root of our monastic lives is the realization that we are deeply loved by God. But this truth is not only for monastics; everyone can experience it. God's love does not waver and is never unfaithful" (9). Her offers some ideas for developing our faith, suggesting that the first step is trust in God. This means much more than studying theology. It involves a commitment to set aside time daily to be with God, to read God's word, to associate with God's friends. God can also be discovered in what might be called unusual events and places, such as drama, art, music. As an example of God's versatility of gifts and presence, Wolf enjoys playing both classical and contemporary music on his flute and also on an electric guitar in a rock band! Throughout the book Wolf draws on the image of birds and butterflies, which are gifted with wings, but which are useless without courage. He concludes: "We must climb out of the nest life fledglings and dive off the cliffs like eagles, falling into the depths in order to discover the use of our wings..... We learn to be carried by our trust in God's love, like butterflies drifting on the wind" (201). --Ruth M. Fox, O.S.B., Sacred Heart Monastery, Richardton, ND, American Benedictine Review

"Why do you look so happy?" people have been asking Notker Wolf for years, now. So he set out to answer them in this lively book.