Eric Sammons. Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2022. Hardcover $17.95. 160 pages. Available from the publisher.
I have a confession to make. When I taught in a public school I kept a religious book in my desk that one of my brothers gave me as a teenager and I often read some of the short reflections during my lunch period to help restore a sense of sanity. It was St. Josemaría Escrivá’s The Way and one of my favorite quotes was: “Don’t flutter about like a hen, when you can soar to the heights of an eagle.”
In Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá, Eric Sammons lays out how cultivating “holy ambition” in ordinary life leads to heroic virtue.
Scott Hahn wrote in his foreword of the book: “Eric Sammons shows that St. Josemaría has recovered the most powerful truth of classic Christianity and restated it in a way that is compelling for men and women (and children) of our time.”
Through these powerful pages, Sammons shows readers how to implement a rule of life based on St. Josemaría’s philosophy of spiritual childhood. Above all, they will learn ways to answer the call to sanctify the day through their simplest prayers, occupations, and activities. They will discover how:
• Peace comes from abandoning ourselves to God with childlike confidence like Mary
• God is always present with us in our sufferings and uses them to draw us closer to Him
• Following God’s will like St. Joseph affords the greatest treasure and true freedom
• To make a plan to become “a contemplative in the midst of the world”
A reviewer commented: “Excellent book on how to apply Saint Josemaría Escrivá’s spirituality to one’s life. We’re all called to be holy, not just those who’ve chosen religious life. This book is a big help in perceiving the possibility that we can all live saintly lives despite our earthly circumstances or professions.”
It’s been said that we don’t find the saints, they find us. When I went on a weekend retreat last fall, the facilitator randomly handed out saints’ cards to participants and I was given his card, which I keep it tucked in my Liturgy of the Office book. On it is printed St. Josemaría’s words: “Be happy. What you need is not an easy life, but a heart which is in love.” This book will help readers find happiness in their daily lives and in the world to come through the spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá.
Members of the media may send an email to Sophia Institute Press’ Director of Publicity, Sarah Lemieux at slemieux@SophiaInstitute.com to receive a physical or digital copy of Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá, and/or to schedule an interview.
