Running to Paradise

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: A very honest account of a man challenged both spiritually and physically by his life as Catholic priest/NYC marathon runner. Too often laypeople have the image of clergy as distinctly separate from the rest of us. Father Frank shows readers that the life he has chosen with God in no way exempts him from the daily conflicts--even struggles--known to his parishioners. Rather than eschewing these challenges, Frances Bremer's protagonist runs (literally) right up to them and overcomes. . . with a little help from his Coach. A much better read than Chicken Soup for the Soul. Made me want to go for a run and go to church. . .both good things. . .

Rating:
Summary: More than a metaphor
Review: God isn't finished with Frank yet and He uses the New York City Marathon to teach him a thing or two. This true story chronicles a year in the life of a young priest in Boston as he struggles to answer Christ's call to follow Him as he attends to his parish and trains for the marathon. As a priest, following Christ means bringing the people of the parish along to learn the love of God for them and the demands of a loving response. And some people, vividly portrayed, don't make it easy.

The analogy of life as a race is at least as old as the Greeks. St. Paul used it to describe his life: I have run the race, I have kept the faith. The race demands training, self-discipline, suffering, and an iron determination to finish. It never goes according to plan and the reward at the finish might not be what was expected.

_Running for Paradise_ is an affecting account that recognizes the rituals and devotions of Catholicism as doors for the human heart to enter the Heart of Christ. Fr. Frank and his flock, in the sometimes gritty circumstances of life, are faced with the reality of the hardness and selfishness of their hearts and invited to open themselves to the life of God's Heart. It is a modern tale of the timeless truths.

Rating:
Summary: Run and buy this book
Review: This book is a fascinating story within a story. Frank, a runner in his 30s, is training for the New York Marathon.

Frank comes across as very human; he could be the boy-next-door with his interest in playing poker, football, drinking beer and hanging out with his friends. But what makes him interesting and complex and gives the story its resonance and depth, is that he is a Catholic Priest.

A very thought provoking book.

Rating:
Summary: No Place for Cynicism
Review: This is not a book for cynics - or maybe it is. A sweet and simple story about ordinary people, it runs a bridge over the chasm between rationality, our need for hard proof, and the consoling power of prayer and simple faith. Those of us needing something more than the materiality of modern life may find comfort here. Others, too smart and too busy for religion in their lives, will not bother. They should.

Rating:
Summary: No Place for Cynicism
Review: What a treat to find an interesting well written book that helps explain the Catholic outlook and its rituals to mistified Protestants. Father Frank is a very appealing young priest with his all too human failings, goals and yearnings. We see his family, parish and view of life through his eyes as he goes through a year in the church calendar in training for the NYC marathon. Along the way, we see his growth and that of his church, and we grow in our knowledge of the different celebrations of the church year and their meaning. Frances Bremer has given us a city Catholic priest, reminescent of the Episcopal Father Tim in Jan Karon's Mitford series. She leaves us wanting more.

Rating:
Summary: What a treat!
Review: What a treat to find an interesting well written book that helps explain the Catholic outlook and its rituals to mistified Protestants. Father Frank is a very appealing young priest with his all too human failings, goals and yearnings. We see his family, parish and view of life through his eyes as he goes through a year in the church calendar in training for the NYC marathon. Along the way, we see his growth and that of his church, and we grow in our knowledge of the different celebrations of the church year and their meaning. Frances Bremer has given us a city Catholic priest, reminescent of the Episcopal Father Tim in Jan Karon's Mitford series. She leaves us wanting more.