Saint The Books

The godliness of living a Gospel life when it comes to The Rule of St. Benedict, the nature of the author's intentions and set of mind, the understandings of The Rule itself, are a few of the rewards one gets from Terrence G. Kardong's, "Benedict's Rule: A Translation and Commentary." One thesis of Father Kardong's is, "...the Rule teaches a dynamic spirituality." A book for those interested in living a Gospel life, some areas touched upon by this book include, "progress and growth" in the religious and spiritual life, what's referred to as ongoing conversion in the life of faith, and humility.

The book suggests looking towards continued reading of "...the teaching of the Bible and Fathers." This last a recommendation of the Rule, and the book "Benedict's Rule" an endorsement and recommendation of St. Benedict's little book for beginners.

A reader interested in St. Benedict's Rule will find this 600 plus page work, published by The Liturgical Press a scholarly work. It can be used as a text for reading, as in study, or as a reference work (so I think). The book speaks of St. Benedict's sense of moderation, and his humility, an earmark of the book about the Rule itself, and a hallmark of the author who is a monk and priest.

Father Kardong writes at the very beginning of the book in a dedication that the work is, "To my brothers of Assumption Abbey who taught me how to be a monk and who freed me for the work of writing this commentary on the Rule of Benedict." This is a book for monks in the monastery, and also for lay people and Oblates of St. Benedict. This is a book for church goers. This is a book for people who practice the work of God, the daily office.

One needs to have patience and perseverance to read it. One needs to take this book as it comes, not hurry it along, and in many places reread both the Rule as translated by Father Kardong, and his commentary. A retired Episcopal priest, who used to give retreats for the laity introducing The Rule of St. Benedict, suggested that I read the book without a sense of time or looking towards the end of it. He thought the work a book to be savored.

Father Kardong has many good thoughts and suggestions; certainly his commentary is beneficial for the interested reader. That is not a statement too obvious to be made, for this is a worthy book by a wise and educated monk.

I will find a good quote from Terrence G. Kardong's writings, but first this description of the book from the preface by Father Kardong says he has produced "...a double-deck commentary with detailed philological material in notes and discursive material in the overviews." This is his interpretation of the Rule. He notes that much is experiential. For me, this added merit to the book. His commentary is part of his life experience and work. An attribute that adds to the authenticity and authority of, "The Rule: A Translation and Commentary."

The famous words of the Rule begin, "Listen, O my son, to the teachings of your master, and turn to them with the ear of your heart." After all, the Rule is a religious book, and religion is for the heart. These words for the heart have been around 1,500 years. What is meant by these few words of the Rule is made commentary in another quotation: "Let us open our eyes...is a possible allusion to the Transfiguration, where the drowsy disciples are startled by the shining forth of Christ, and instructed by the voice from heaven (Luke 9:32)."

At a preached retreat in Big Sur, California USA, at Immaculate Heart Hermitage, Brother Bede explained that the Rule is a holy book, an illuminated work that keeps on giving, like the Bible. I remembered his instruction when approaching "Benedict's Rule" and considered that the writer Father Kardong also approached it as such. This itself is an important point, for the work presented is exemplary.

In his commentary on the last part of the Rule, he writes, "...that observance of the Rule [Biblical theme of the Rule] itself is not enough; the Rule, like the Law, is to be `fulfilled.'" Though many believe the Rule is a way to perfection, and asks for that perfection, a serious consideration is that the Rule is also a book of love. Kardong believes it is mainly a book about love.

A major theme of the last chapter, love is described in the commentary: "...for the love that is preached in the penultimate chapter is essentially communal and public...selfless love for the other is a better way to end the Rule than the theme of `perfection.'"

It is the love in community; love for and of one another, the love that God offers and gives, that is central to living the Rule of St. Benedict. This alone is worth the price of admission. For as the monastery is a school for living, so the Rule offers a school for living the Gospel in ongoing conversion in one's life. "The Rule of St. Benedict" is a book inspired by the Gospel and written by a great holy man, Benedict of Nursia (St. Benedict).

--Peter Menkin, Easter 2007

The Rule of St. Benedict itself is a fairly short book - it can be done as a pocket-sized edition. It is a good example of the statement, 'good things come in small packages'. The rule is a guide of life, but not 'a rigid, brutal structure imposed legalistically'. Benedict was fully aware of human frailty, as true 1500 years ago as it is today. This frailty requires much to be done to give the person strength, and so Benedict's Rule is designed for an ever-increasing self-discipline which is supported by community worship and practice.

Benedict's Rule for life includes worship, work, study, prayer, and relaxation. Benedict's Rule requires community -- even for those who become hermits or solitaries, there is a link to the community through worship and through the Rule. No one is alone. This is an important part of the relationship of God to the world, so it is an integral part of the Rule.

Benedict's Rule was set out first in a world that was torn with warfare, economic and political upheaval, and a generally harsh physical environment. This Rule was set out to bring order to a general chaos in which people lived. This is still true today, and men and women all over the world use Benedict's 'little rule for beginners' as a basic structure for their lives.

The first word of the rule is Listen. This is perhaps the best advice for anyone looking for any guidance or rule of life. While Benedict's Rule is decidedly Christocentric and hierarchical (though not as hierarchical as much popular ideas about monastic practice would have one think), it nonetheless can give value to any reader who is looking to construct a practice for oneself.

Benedict's establishment of a monastery was in fact the establishment of a school for spirituality. In his prologue to the Rule, Benedict even states this as his intention. 'In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.' He sets forth in this brief rule a guide to individual life within community that will bring one ever closer to the divine.

Benedict explores the issues of charity, personality, integrity, and spirituality in all of his rules. From the clothing to the prayer cycle to the reception of guests, all have a purpose that fits into a larger whole, and all have positive charges and negative warnings. Benedict is especially mindful of the sin of pride, be it pride of possession, pride of person, pride of place -- he strives for equality in the community (as a recognition that all are equal before God).

Hundreds of thousands of pages have been written over the last millenium and a half on the Rule of St. Benedict, but it all comes down to this brief collection, which can be read easily in an hour, yet takes a lifetime (or perhaps more!) to master.

Open it for yourself to see what riches it may hold for you.

This particular version by Kardong includes the original Latin text (with minor editing and updating) as well as extensive translation notes and commentary. The Rule itself is very short, and can be (and has been) printed in 80 small pages; the fact that this volume is over 600 pages should give an good indication of the richness of the commentary. Good things do come in small packages, but the notes and additional material here is not to be missed, not to mention the interesting aspect of reading the text in the original language.

Over the past 16 years, I've become personally involved with Benedictine spirituality through regular retreats to the monastic cloister. Kardong's book has given me the historical perspective and linguistic insight into that deep well, "The Rule of St. Benedict", the life source of Benedictine monasticism. Through his scholarly exegesis of "The Rule", I've gained understanding of this way of life, and thus have better lived my own life and faith. I have referred again and again to "Benedict's Rule: A Translation and Commentary" in the writing of my own commentary on "The Rule" for parents, "The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home". I am currently working on a companion volume, "The Family Cloister Workbook: 52 Benedictine Activities for the Home", and have continually opened the pages of Kardong's book to better understand certain chapters and phrases in "The Rule". Besides the monks themselves who daily live the Rule, Kardong's commentary is one of the most complete expositions of Benedict's Rule I've found.

One of my two-year-old's top 5 picks--he sits through the whole thing, then says "Again!" I'm happy to acquiesce, since the story's spiritual beauty is multi-layered and just as soothing to my own soul.

This book is a wonderful combination of eloquent prose and beautiful art. Schroedel's interpretation of Saint Kevin is both inspring and well adapted for children. Our child loves it and loves identifying things in the pictures. Definitely an attention grabber for children, yet meaningful for adults too.

The Blackbird's Nest by Jenny Schroedel is a children's picturebook that brings to life the story of one of Ireland's most beloved saints. Set around the time of A.D. 618, it follows the experiences of a young man who loves animals and even seems to understand their secret language. But other children bring out the worst in Kevin, and he is prone to bullying. One day though, Kevin learns a tranforming lesson from a most unlikely teacher: a blackbird. Captivatingly illustrated by Doug Montross in full color and with strong overtones of realism and facial expression, The Blackbird's Nest is very highly recommended reading.

i would be pleased to write a review of this excellent book, but i must pause, for i am greatly troubled that amazon has not responded clearly to the growing criticism concerning its use of this very review space for what are clearly, to me, editorial remarks; i am referring specifically to amazon's use, as a "reader's review," of goldberg's new york times review of jimmy carter's new book, a review that has been widely criticised for its hidden (pro-israeli) agenda; one can not but think that amazon's refusal to openly deal with this criticism represents a willingness, in bad faith, at best, to quietly manipulate that which otherwise appears to be a valuable reader-to-reader service; obviously, until i discover how amazon intends to use this "reader's space," i must refuse my few thoughts on this fascinating book on the phenomenology of edith stein.
michael mann

Body, Text and Science establishes Marianne Sawicki as the contemporary authority on the phenomenology of Edith Stein in the English language. It builds on the foundations laid by Mary Catherine Baseheart (e.g. Person in the World, Kluwer, 1997), but limits itself to the philosophy of the young Edith Stein (On the Problem of Empathy (1916) and Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities (1922)). Its major achievement is to define the kind of contribution Stein made to Husserl's Ideen II. This unfinished work is often invoked to document Husserl's positions on empathy, constitution, the body and intersubjectivity. But Sawicki establishes that the work in fact was co-authored by Stein and that both authors attempted to expose their own doctrine in it. Stein thought that Husserl should rethink the problem of constitution in relation to empathy, but she also complained he never did. In contrast, Stein's doctrine of intersubjectivity relies on an understanding of constitution that integrates empathy.

So, the title of the book, at first sight quite long-winded, is justified. It is about the 'literacy of investigative practices and the phenomenology of Edith Stein', but more significantly it is about 'body, text and science'. These three keywords symbolize both what brings Stein and Husserl together and what separates them. Stein affirms that individualization takes place in relation to the body, whereas Husserl affirms that it takes place before experience. These contradictory affirmations occur in the same text, Ideen II. In it, moreover, Stein insists that intersubjectivity is the foundation of science, whereas Husserl holds on to the transcendental ego as what founds it. This oscillation between Stein's and Husserl's identification with and differentiation from each other's textual productions is portrayed throughout the six chapters of Body, Text and Science.

In Chapter One: 'The Genesis of Phenomenology' Sawicki traces the sources of On the Problem of Empathy. The result is spectacular. She documents the roots of phenomenology in hermeneutics, the cultivation of this germ in the Munich Circle, and its transmission from there to Göttingen. The themes of personality, motivation and science are compared in the investigation of the philosophies of Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Lipps, Pfänder, Conrad-Martius, Scheler and Reinach. This, however, is only the build-up towards an investigation of the problem of empathy in Chapter Two: 'Husserl's Early Treatments of Intersubjectivity'. Husserl inherited his interest in intersubjectivity from Lipps, through his Munich-students. Lipps had (a fact somewhat overlooked by Sawicki) understood empathy to be a co-constituting (mit-konstituirender) factor in the object, providing it with independence (Selbständigkeit). He thus presented Husserl with the two terms that were to determine his later thought: constitution and empathy. These fundamental concepts are, however, traced by Sawicki through the Logical Investigations and Ideen to Ideen II. She discerns in this last text what she terms 'two alternative solutions' to the problem of intersubjectivity: the 'priority of bodily life' and the 'priority of transcendental constitution'. The first solution, which is Stein's, takes identification of the self and of the other to take place within experience, whereas the second solution, which is Husserl's, affirms the unity of the transcendental I as the unity of experience. Sawicki argues that Husserl did not publish the work himself because he considered it to be incoherent. Perhaps he also viewed Stein's Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities as the answer to the problems he grappled with in Ideen II, and saw no need to publish his own attempts. In any case Sawicki's analysis means that Husserl's doctrine of intersubjectivity no longer can be read without recourse to Stein's Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities, as this latter work constitutes not only the first commentary on Ideen II, but also the finished form of one version of it.

Chapter Three: 'Edith Stein's Hermeneutic Theory' is a fairly literal commentary facilitating, but not dispensing with, the reading of Stein's On the Problem of Empathy, which in turn is necessary for the understanding of Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities. The commentary is critical to the point of being irritating, because Sawicki is annoyed by what she sees as flaws in Stein's analysis. The accusative method, addressing Stein directly as 'you', most efficiently avoids complacency, but does not entirely steer clear of being unreasonable.

The remaining three chapters of Body, Text and Science concern science. Chapter Four: 'Edith Stein's Hermeneutic Practices' criticizes Stein's scientific contributions, including her 'ventriloquism' in and 'chiseling' at other philosophers' publications, as well as her self-interpretation/presentation in her autobiography. Chapter Five: 'Interpretations of Edith Stein' categorizes and assesses various ways of understanding Stein according to their ideological drift. It distinguishes three ways of reading: 'docility', 'echoing' and 'adaptive reception', whereof the author prefers the last, because it preserves a relative equality of reader and writer and airs the aggression which is subdued in the other two types. Chapter Six: 'Science as Literacy' attempts such an 'adaptive reception' of Stein's theory of science in (what has since been translated by Sawicki as) Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities. It confronts this theory with psychoanalysis and feminism, which share with phenomenology the ambition of founding science. Despite the rather insufficient analysis of Philosophy of Psychology and the Humanities, this chapter makes the book more than a study of the philosophy of Edith Stein, because it envisages a kind of application for it in a general theory of what happens when minds meet. An Auseinandersetzung with the hermeneutical theories of Heidegger and Gadamer may be indispensable to bring this theory to completion.

I have read Dr. Sawicki's book in it's dissertation form. She presents the philosophy of a great thinker overlooked by history due to gender and ethnicity. Stein's epistemology was a unique divirgence from Husserl's positivistic viewpoint.

Academic nursing has used the phenomenology paradigm for over a decade to study the "lived experiences" of health care consumers. Given the fact that Dr. Edith Stein served as a nurse in WWI, one would think her phenomenology would have attracted the attention of nurse scholars. Disregarding her nursing service, one would think Stein's feminist epistemology would compel nurses in academic hierarchy to study her work rather than her contempories who opportunistically eclipsed her.

Dr. Sawicki has written a work of painstaking detail without sinking into obfuscation. Her wit emerges in unexpected places. Her portrayal of Edith Stein is not a pencil sketch, it is a fully fleshed portrait. This is a significant work which surely places Dr. Sawicki among the foremost living authorities on Dr. Edith Stein.

As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social and demographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, for all you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of people in their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social and demographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, for all you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of people in their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

I read this book in the summer of 1996, and found it to be an excellent tool. It takes a very organized approach to presenting the history of demographics and applying demographics to trends that we have observed over the past. It is highly relevant to life in rural Ontario which is where i was living at the time. Issues like the future importance of hospital closings, school development, and social programs should all be viewed in the context of demographics.

After reading this I went on to read Faith Popcorn's books, and found them to be rather flat predictions that demographics could easily fortell. Boom Bust & Echo is a useful toolkit for business people with lots of examples to draw from. My wife and I had our own company at the time, and I had to make her read the book so we could re-assess our strategy in light of this under-used tool, and it allowed us to reposition our company without straying from our original mission.

Walcott's poetry sweeps you along on a series of vivid and memorable images that leave you breathless.

Walcott's photograph on the back of the 1st edition sums up the feeling of Bounty- Sorrow, the grief of the death of friends and loved ones, faith in God seen "as through a glass darkly", the exhaustion of a sensitive man aware of his own mortality. Yet, through it all is the great sense of gratitude for the folk culture of the country that has nurtured him. And if he will not make great declarations of religious faith, he is thankful for the sun on the leaves, the ocean outside his door, the songs of Sessenne the folk singer of St. Lucia. Like Crusoe and Odysseus, this fortunate traveller has returned to his bench on the edge of the sea under the breadfruit leaves, "where stars and fireflies breed." This poet is past posturing. "The only art left is the preparation of grace", and even now, ever the bright eyed poet (behind the tears of the aging sage), he is "going down to the shallow edge to begin again." Walcott's only vocation has been poetry, his universe that of letters. In this he has never lost his faith.

READING THIS IS LIKE PAINTING A PORTRAIT . IT GLIMMER LIKE THE JEWEL OF THE CARRIBEANBLUE TONE IS A DEEP PATHOSOF PERSONAL EMOTION THAT COME ONLY COME FROM THE PEN OF ONE WHO LOVES HIS HOMELAMD AND WRITE ABOUT IT

My niece Beti read the enchanted well. She wondered what was the tune playing within, not knowing what it was, she composed her own tune so taken was she by the story. Her description of the piece she composed to go with the story tells all anyone will ever need to know about this book.

She called her tune "Longing for union"... obeying the metaphor which states that every union we long to establish on the 'human' love plane..in the horizontal dimension, is really a desire for divine love...in the vertical dimension it is the only love which one can fade into when enfolded in its mutual embrace. And disappear refers to one's entire mind vanishing into an experience wherein, at last, all suffering ends and complete contentment nests in your heart.....to love humanly is an exercise in learning to love the divine...reality in fact...and to cease from all suffering!

Seanachie or storyteller in Gaelic is the one person who would captivate from the youngest of listeners all the way to the oldest person before them. The author has his Seanachie set before you gathered the grandest of stories and prose sure to delight you whether you're a girly-girl or the rough and tumble. Their journeys, their quests for love and fulfillment, their views of the world, are woven together to create an irresistible web. From the Welcome to my Valley you are hooked and you will find it difficult to set down!

A perfect day, a lovely pint, a comfortable chair, and "The Breagagh Saga". Let the author transport you through his life, his mind, his country, throw in a few leprechauns, a few legends and you will never have a better day.
Mesmerizing, enchanting, one of a kind book.

This is the 13th collection of writings of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) author Hugh Nibley. All of his collected writings are worth reading, although some can be fairly esoteric (such as his writings on the Pearl of Great Price and Joseph Smith Papyri). I consider this his second best collection (just behind his masterful "Approaching Zion"). And I would never use the word "intellectual" to describe Nibley because so much he wrote condemned so-called intellectuals caught up in their love of academic robes, titles and disdain for the rest of inferior humanity.

The author was a scholar of the first rank - fluent in over 20 modern and ancient languages. He wrote many academic and popular articles published in both scholarly and religious periodicals. He spent most of his life as a Professor of Religion at Brigham Young University where he received just about every possible teaching honor. He influenced countless current scholars in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is an excellent biography written by Boyd Petersen (see my review). He was fairly controversial at times with his prescient pro-environment and anti-war opinions. One of his many children recently stirred up some muck by retrieving absurdly false memories of abuse that have been proven as false as any such charges can be by everyone involved.

This collection includes writings over the entire span of Nibley's writings. Some portions of the included articles are redundant as Nibley often used the same quotes and portions of previous writings in his articles. Nevertheless, these articles are excellent compilations of the teachings of the LDS church's second prophet, Brigham Young. These articles are divided into 4 sections: Environment, Politics, Education, and Leadership. In all of these, Nibley chastises complacency and points out needed improvements.

The unifying theme of all these writings is that Nibley transmits the ideas and quotations of Brigham Young. Although Brigham Young only went to school 11 days, his wisdom is nearly unmatched and Nibley uses Young's writings to good effect. By the end of the book, I had identified some 2 pages of quotes that I found memorable - about evenly split between those by Brigham Young and those by Nibley. Highly recommended.

Of the multi-volume series of Hugh Nibley compilations (all pretty good, actually), this is the most consistently accessible...probably because, like Brigham himself, these articles tend to focus on real-world, less academic issues than his highly technical theologial writings. Of particular interest are the articles concerning the environment, which (perhaps inadvertently) make a compelling argument that both Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were early exemplars of what we today call environmentalism. I believe that these writings can and will contribute to new phenomenon in the Mormon world: The gradual evolution of a new LDS environmental ethic.

Nibley's work on Brigham Young proves to be thought-provoking in a day when a lot of the books paraded before us are simply kitsch. Nibley does an excellent job in bringing out classic words from Brigham Young that have too long collected dust. The sections on education, patriotism, the environment, and the media deserve reading and re-reading. Nibley has that rare strength of being able to take material that is hundreds and even thousands of years old and making it relative to our own time and our own situation. This book is no exception and is money well spent.

As a professor of Art History, I am intrigued with connecting art and popular culture. Brother Tom writes in a style I associate with the Franciscans, down to earth, yet extremely meaningful and inspiring. When teaching Medieval Art, I now incorporate some of the stories from Calling All Saints which really enliven my lectures, proving that sacred subjects can be fun and enlightening. I can't wait for the next book and would love to see some illustrations included.

An excellent and easy to read book about our Saints. Costa does an great job of putting the saints lives in everyday terms.

I found Calling All Saints easy to read and very entertaining. It really brings the Saints back down to earth and helps us to remember that they were actual people. Even my 10 year old enjoys it.

Care for Creation addresses "the ecological devastation of our time" in terms of environmental science, Franciscan spirituality, and reflective action. Though environmental problems seem overwhelming, the authors write, personal and cultural transformation are possible through knowledge, prayer, and faith formation. The knowledge component is presented by Warner, a lecturer and researcher in environmental studies. His chapters are filled with definitions, explanations, and examples that help even novices grasp the current situation and implications for the future. The prayer and spirituality component is provided by Delio, a professor of spirituality studies and author of several books on Franciscan spirituality. Her chapters in Care for Creation deal with ecological topics in view of Franciscan theology, drawing on the life of Francis, the writings of Clare, and the theology of Bonaventure. Reflective action chapters are the work of Wood, an art therapist, spiritual director, and retreat leader. She offers guided meditations, prayers, and practical steps for individuals, small groups, and organizations. Two appendixes contain guidelines for engaging in reflective action and preparing for guided prayer experiences. Another gives the formula for calculating individual carbon emissions. Chapter notes, a resource list, and an index are included.

This is a solid, comprehensive work of immense value to individuals, faith-sharing groups, and institutions wishing to better understand today's ecological issues and work toward a "right relationship" with Creation.

An excellent example of our connectedness on this finite planet and ways we can learn to appreciate and care for what we have. There are too many of us, including myself until recently, that take our planet for granted. "It's" now objecting to our mistreatment and we must awaken!

This book is an excellent introduction to the field of ecologocial theology. And timely, in view of our seemingly unstoppable drive to destroy this planet we have been so blessed to share with all creation. A book to be read and prayed

This is a set that belongs in every Catholic spiritual library. Easy to read, the volumes contain timeless wisdom that is valid and priceless in any age. I would recommend this set without hesitation to anyone wanting to know how to live the Christian life in the world today.

Absolutely the best spiritual reading and contemplative works you can buy. If you like Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, John Paul II, Pope Benedict, the documents of the early Church and the great writings of all ages and you appreciate well referenced spiritual direction (Scripture, Fathers and Doctors of the Church, Papal documents, etc.) based in love, this is a set you should not be without.

Over the last few years I have been hearing more and more about Opus Dei. Especially the bad light that Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has shed on this organization. A number of years ago at Queen's University I knew some people who were involved with the organization and I had nothing but respect and trust for this couple.

So in light of the recent proliferation of material both for and against Opus Dei, I have decided to do my own research. There are books against and for Opus Dei, and websites galore on both sides.

I decided that my research should return to the beginning. So I have been working my way through the complete works of Josemaria Escriva the founder of Opus Dei. (The Centennial Edition collects together St. Josemaría Escrivá's complete published works in honor of his canonization and the one hundredth anniversary of his birth. This set is essential for libraries and perfect for individuals seeking trustworthy guidance on how to follow Christ in every detail of their daily lives.

The Centennial Edition contains the complete texts of St. Josemaría's much-beloved books of aphoristic wisdom: The Way, Furrow, and The Forge. Also included are his three books of homilies: Christ is Passing By, Friends of God, and In Love with the Church. Lovers of St. Josemaría's writings will particularly cherish his two devotional guides, The Way of the Cross and Holy Rosary, and the hard-to-find collection of the saint's illuminating interviews about the nature and purpose of Opus Dei, Conversations with Josemaría Escrivá.)