Arriving at Amen

When popular atheist blogger Leah Libresco announced that she was becoming a Catholic, it caused a sensation. In her new book she looks at seven prayers and practices of the Catholic Church showing us how they affect her and us and how these prayers have helped her both before her conversion and after.

She begins with individual prayers and progresses through prayers and practices requiring more commitment until her last chapter covers the Mass itself.

Libresco is a deft writer bringing strands from her wide-reading and her understanding of philosophy into her illumination of these prayers. And while this is not her concersion story per se, you will learn lots about her past and her conversion.

I really liked that she looks at these prayers differently than I or most Catholics do. I found real insights into confession, the daily office, and the Rosary that cause me to look at them in a new light.

With a study guide at the end, it's great for small group study too.

There are seven chapters in this book, each chapter dealing with a different type of prayer. As I was writing this review, I realized that it became a review and reflection all in one. I hope you all don’t mind. :-)

Chapter 1 is “Petition.” Leah Libresco begins this chapter noting that “petition may be the most common type of prayer.” In prayers of petition we ask God for the things we need. Prayers of petition help us to pray for others which in turn brings our attention to God Himself.

On the topic of petitionary prayer, Leah brings up something that I think we all think of at some point. “Even if I conceded the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent being, that second ‘omni’ seemed enough to guarantee that the whole project was futile.” In other words, if God knows everything, He would know what we need and want before we even ask. The thing is that God does know what we need and want. By offering petitionary prayer, we are letting God know what is bothering us and at the same time it reminds us that God is with us through everything.

The second chapter is called “Confession.” Confession is the beautiful sacrament where we tell Jesus (in the person of the priest) our sins and ask for His forgiveness. God is always ready to forgive us if only we ask. Leah shares her own thoughts on Confession saying, “Soon after my conversion, once Confession became something I did not just something I theorized about, I was surprised to find that it was my favorite sacrament.” Confession is one of those hard things to talk about. It is a very private sacrament happening between an individual and a priest acting in persona Chrisit. For me, the sacrament really helps me to be honest about my faults and helps give me a means to change.

Chapter 3 is entitled “Examen” wherein Leah talks about the five part Ignatian Examen. “The first step of the Examen is reviewing the past day, looking for moments of joy and expressing gratitude to God.” This part can be a bit difficult if we are not attuned to remembering the specifics of our day. “Next comes praying to God for light and clear vision to aid in reflection and judgment.” We ask God to help us see clearly the events of our day. “Only then does the Examen get to the review of errors and sins that looks more like a standard examination of conscience.” This practice helps us see a pattern in our faults and failings that are not always present when doing an examination of conscience before Confession. “The fourth step is asking for forgiveness, and the final step is asking for guidance and help in doing better the next day.” The whole point of the Examen as I see it is to cultivate a spirit of attentiveness to our actions as we try to do better every day.

The fourth chapter is titled “Rosary.” The Rosary is one of my favorite prayers ever. Leah says, “The Rosary is a storytelling prayer. It moves along the arc of Jesus and Mary’s experience and offers many points of access into their lives.” I think that may be why I like the Rosary so much. I feel it helps me grow closer to Jesus and Mary each time I meditate upon their lives.

Chapter 5 is “Divine Office.” The Divine Office is also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. “The Liturgy of the Hours, which predates many of the splits and schisms in the Body of Christ, is a cycle of psalms and prayers,” Leah explains. I love the Liturgy of the Hours for it speaks to me everyday. The psalms cover so much of human experience and the Liturgy of the Hours imitates that through the use of the psalms and prayers inspired by them.

The sixth chapter is “Lectio Divina.” Lectio divina is the prayerful reading of the Scriptures. “Classically, the four stages of lectio divina are lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio (read, meditate, pray, and contemplate).” My lectio divina typically involves my journal as I find my focus is better when I write.

Chapter 7 is “Mass.” I rather like Leah’s short description of the Mass: “The readings from the Old and New Testaments shows us how to to live, and the crowning moment of the Mass, the Eucharist, is our lesson in why we want to live in union with God.”

Overall, I loved this book. It was a great reminder why I love being Catholic. I think this book could be for anyone, Catholics looking to grow in their faith and for those interesting in Catholicism.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title or the content of this review.

God help me see through your eyes – Rhythms of ritual

Leah Libresco, author of Arriving at Amen – Seven Catholic Prayers that Even I Can Offer, grew up as an atheist until she discovered that she was wrong about religion, especially Catholicism.

Libresco became Catholic in the winter of 2012 and blogs daily on religion and philosophy for Patheos at Unequally Yoked: A Geeky Convert Picks Fights in Good Faith.

I find Libresco's perception of the mass refreshing as she reminds Catholics that, “The whole point of the Mass is not Bible study, but direct contact with the Risen Christ, fully present in the Eucharist.”

Rhythms of ritual is what Libresco also provides in great detail on the practice of Examen, a prayerful reflection on daily events to detect God’s presence and understand His direction for us.

Some of Libresco’s practices include things like bracketing the day with prayer and reserving time for morning and evening reflection. She also provides study guide questions at the end of the book.

There's a practice shared in Arriving at Amen that I particularly liked. Take a person’s picture and place it where you are sure to see it while thinking about a particular positive virtue that person holds (humility, charity, non-judgement, patience) and then imitate that virtue in yourself.

In closing, Libresco reminded me of a Thomas Merton prayer that says it all:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

As you read Arriving at Amen, genuinely reflect on asking God to help you see through His eyes.

FTC Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received the book from Ave Maria Press for review purposes. Moment to Moment, Inc. is a professional review site that receives commission from the companies whose products we review only if the product is purchased. We review each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

I have always found conversion stories to be fascinating, but an atheist converting to Catholicism is the most interesting story of them all. I am especially attracted to the intellectual thought process laid out by Libresco in Arriving at Amen. Libresco takes the reader from Javert in Les Miserables to Peter, the rock on which the church is built. The author starts with treating faith and proof of God like a mathematical proof and ends with the beauty of the Eucharist.
Arriving at Amen is organized by different types of prayer such as petition, confession, examen, rosary, divine office, lectio divina, and mass. For all the readers who have wondered how to start praying and am I doing it right, this book is a refreshing comfortable reinforcement of faith and your growing relationship with God. Libresco has a fresh approach to learning about praying with the perspective of a new Catholic. The use of humor makes the book very conversational and easily approachable and digestible.
My favorite quote is “For me, this is the resolution to the ancient paradox of Theseus: the grace present in the Eucharist alters me, but it does so by making me more myself. Like a mellified man, I find that I am changed by what I consume, but the holy food distributed at mass brings me healing and eternal life, not just sweetness in death.” This gives you a flavor for the book and is a beautiful sentiment of what the Eucharist can mean to you.
I would definitely recommend this book to you. I thoroughly enjoyed the format and the voice of the author. Arriving at Amen is a different kind of prayer book that gave me many new ideas of how to begin different types of prayer that I was previously not familiar. Libresco’s conversion story is overarching throughout the story but the reader can also feel confident in the author’s knowledge and leadership with strong Catholic prayer details.

"Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer," is a quirky and brainy mix of popular culture, literature, philosophy, and Church doctrine, that’s both enjoyable to read and a challenge to live out one’s Catholic faith more fully and intentionally.

Leah Libresco's brain is a delight to see in action, as she spins a dazzling web of faith out of math, musicals, computer programming, and ASL, all of it coalescing in robust practical advice for your prayer life.

Arriving at Amen is the spiritual memoir for the nerdy, smart Catholic person in your life. As the subtitle says, she discusses 7 modes of Catholic prayer. She gives some background to them and some tips, but more importantly, the describes their importance in her life. Throughout the whole book, you are given a front row seat into her faith journey from atheism to Catholicism. You get to know this very popular Catholic blogger.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, this book reeks of analogies and explanations that were at times very hard to understand. She is clearly a fan of nerdy pop culture icons (Les Miserables, LOTR, Buffy…) and very knowledgeable in mathematics and philosophy. Luckily, I like some of the same entertainment she does and I do have knowledge in both disciplines, so I understood her references most of the time. But if you have no background in any of these things, it can be a major detriment to you reading this book.

I say there can be some fortune in this, however. This book is readable to an often neglected group of Catholics, those who who have degrees in Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, who don’t know Church Fathers (and don’t particularly care) but love everything Japanese and can name off all of the Doctors in Doctor Who in order. Those who struggle with God’s very existence, let alone the efficacy of the Sacraments, who see the world in numbers and rules and natural beauty.

Leah Libresco is brutally honest and open. Many will be able to relate to her struggles in faith and in this book she gives a practical guide to some of our most cherished prayers. You may not understand many of the analogies she makes, but you could surely relate to her faith. Please share this with a struggling Catholic nerd in your life today.

Thank you Ave Maria for this opportunity. I was able to review this book through my membership in Netgalley. Arriving at Amen is available in your local bookstore now.