Ordinary Suffering of Extraordinary Saints

This is a remarkably fine book. I began reading it with some hesitation. The hesitation was based on at least two considerations. First, the book dealt with about 100 different lives likely limiting treatment of each individual to a too brief and shallow page or two. Second, my experience in reading many abbreviated saints' lives had been that the treatment proved to be replete with the author's pious observations rather than be historical and meaningful. My fears proved unfounded. Father Vincent O'Malley has done a highly professional job of researching some extraordinary individual's lives and depicting painful historical events and situations that challenged them and showing how they handled those challenges. And he has done so without pious editorial comment. In detailing when and how each saint handled suffering (suffering ranging widely from death, mugging, abandonment, stroke, spousal abuse and a surprising variety of other situations) O'Malley clearly sets down the dates of birth and death of each individual so you can get an historical context for the life and then deftly, in many cases in a paragraph or two, surveys the course of the saint's entire life carrying the reader beyond the highlighted painful situation. I personally garnered much insight from these well researched and well written vignettes. O'Malley also has an introduction and epilog that, in his trenchant style, are well done and add serious food for reflection.

It may often be the temptation to think of saints as rareified, barely human beings, and of sanctity as well beyond our grasp. However this book helps us to recall that exactly the opposite is true. Saints are normal human beings who lived a wide array of lives as best they could, some of their stories involve great conversions, but for all of them sanctity was found in followign Christ in everything they did whether it be being a heroic warrior, a monk, a housewife, or a college student. The stories in this book thus all serve as mirrors for our lives, to help us see where we are making excuses to keep from living better and giving more fully of ourselves.

When most people think of saints, they think of perfect people. This book shows you the human side of holy people and the different ways in which they suffered. It's inspirational, but it's also a great reference book. The profiles of the saints are concise with great quotes from original sources. Saints are categorized according to different types of trials that they faces, i.e. sickness, family problems, problems in dealing with other people. It's a good book for your own use or to give to someone who is going through a difficult time.