Pathways of Trust: 101 Shortcuts to Holiness

Rev. Hampsch has once again written a book with such beautiful Christian truths that both Catholics and Protestants alike can read, enjoy and benefit. As a Protestant, I have developed a greater appreciation of the Catholic faith, and the commonality with Protestant faith, as a result of the writings of Rev. Hampsch. And for that, I will be forever greatful. The subtitle "101 Shortcuts" might be a bit of a misnomer because what the author is more accurately saying is that rather than actual shortcuts, there are some paths that may not seem short at all, but that nevertheless lead more directly to growing our trust in God and thereby growing in our relationship and union with God -- leading to holiness. Each of the 101 sections is barely over one page long, making this a great book to keep in a place where you want to read for just a few minutes at a time. They will be minutes well spent. I jokingly have called this a man's size spiritual book, because even the busiest man who is least likely to read a spiritual book can easily get into this one. I've personally enjoyed reading the short sections and clever anecdotes with my wife. This has opened some interesting doors for deeper conversation, communication, and understanding between us.

In the first of his 101 "shortcuts" to a trusting relationship with God, John H. Hampsch establishes the idea that love and trust are mingled, with the ultimate spiritual goal being to lead a life of holiness. Pathways of Trust offers 101 one to two page chapters, each its own unique pathway or shortcut. The reflections provided are brief, yet insightful, containing relevant scripture references for the various sentiments related in each chapter to the ultimate goal of building trust in God. In a world filled with stress, difficulties and circumstances that may cause us to question and become skeptical, Pathways to Trust serves as a helpful companion to recognizing God's ultimate goodness and love.

Hampsch peppers his 101 shortcuts with analogies, stories, and unique characterizations of God and the afterlife to encourage readers to trust, trust, trust. In Belief and Trust, he writes of God as the Divine Weaver, fashioning a tapestry of our lives that we may view only from the wrong side now, but will see in its fullness as a splendid objet d'art when we are in heaven. The section on Persistence and Trust begins with a vision of a hypochondriac's epitaph: "I told you I was sick." The reflection on Petition and Trust presents a four-year-old praying for a new baby brother so she and her mother will have something to surprise Daddy with" when he comes home from two years overseas. In a reflection on frugality, which doesn't seem a particularly apt title for the content, the author equates some humanly incomprehensible losses to God's "backclipping," a linguistic term to describe shortening words, as "math" for "mathematics." He suggests, for example, that the Lord may permit a child to be killed by a reckless driver to save that child from growing up to meet death "as a hardened unrepentant criminal." I include this last example as a caution to those who do not share Hampsch's view that God is directly involved in every aspect of their personal lives. Otherwise I can't see why anyone wouldn't be happy to have Pathways on the nightstand to pick up and open to any page for a short meditation.