U.S. Catholic Book Club: Habits of a Priestly Heart

Meghan Murphy-Gill| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare

Habits of a Priestly Heart by Father Eugene Hemrick

Any thinking Catholic should eat up this book. If tempted to pigeonhole it for priests only, think again. Hemrick's wise, grounded suggestions for a healthier and holier life include universal challenges such as how to let go of resentment. He brushes aside the "we're as busy as we can be" excuse (certainly not limited to priests) with straight talk on how investing in the life of the mind, regular contemplation, and a healthy lifestyle will improve your work as well as your faith.

Hemrick's unwaveringly honest look at the relationship between lay and ordained in today's church is refreshing.-Cathy O'Connell-Cahill, Senior Editor,  U.S. CATHOLIC

Selected discussion questions: (find more)

1. How do we "keep our purpose updated" in our job/family life? How do we envision our life's mission now in comparison to the way we conceived of it in the past? Have we given any thought to what it might be in the future?

2. How do resentment and careerism affect the lives of the laity? What are some of the most common resentments we have experienced? Careerism can be a force for both good and bad. When is it bad? What are some of the main causes for this? What does good careerism look like?

3. Did we ever have a contemplative moment in which we were "all there/totally focused/completely composed"? How did it come about? Where did it happen? What were the circumstances? How did this affect us?

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