All Saints :All Saints :
Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses
for Our Time
by Robert Ellsberg
Paperback, 600 pages
Published by Abingdon Press
Publication date: March 1998
ISBN: 0824516796
Reviews:
Jim from Connecticut , 04/29/98, Combines
the best of the traditional with the new
When you hear lives of the saints you think of the gruesome martyrdom and
hard to believe virtues of the stories of the little red book from your
youth. Ellsberg does a good job portraying in believeable terms the lives
of the traditional saints, with those of not official saints of today. The
relevance of their situations and heroism can set an example for those living
in the modern world. Since no biograghy is more than 2 pages, its a great
1 minute exercise at the start of your day when an inspiring thought can
help
Kevin Mark (kevinmark@ne.com.au) from Melbourne,
Australia , 04/14/98, Innovative, inspiring guide to saintly lives
While one could fill a bookcase with one-volume guides to the saints, this
new publication both takes a refreshing, innovative approach in its choice
of spiritual models and sets new standards of such writing. Over one or
two of the bookís large-format pages, Robert Ellsberg presents each
of his 365 insightful portraits of men and women who present inspiring and
challenging role models for todayís Christian. His selection puts
individuals traditionally celebrated as saints alongside others also recognized
today as spiritual giants, including some from non-Christian faiths.
The profiles are presented one per day, often on their official feast days, if this applies. At the end of each entry, Ellsberg provides one or two well-chosen suggestions for further reading. An index makes the book a useful reference, in addition to it being rich spiritual reading.
The merits of All Saints were well captured by Henri Nouwen when he commented on a draft version of the book prior to his death (Nouwen himself receives an entry in the finished book): ëThis book is a great treasure. Though not pious it is spiritually evocative; though untraditional, it is consistent with the larger Catholic tradition. While broadening the traditional vision of sanctity it calls us to explore our own ways of becoming a saint. I consider Robert Ellsberg to be one of the most significant spiritual writers in the United States, and this book puts him right into the center of contemporary spiritual literature.
Ellsberg is editor-in-chief of Orbis Books and has written and edited a number of award-winning books, including works on Dorothy Day and Mahatma Gandhi. In All Saints he has produced a compendium of holy lives that will truly speak to and inspire todayís women and men.
A Reader from san jose, CA , 01/06/98,
Finally, a collection of saints as inclusive as God
I have always been attracted to books of "lives of the saints"
but have always been disappointed by the author's "collection".
Often the "saint" makes the collection because they were undeniably
orthodox or their passion was plastered over to make them presentable. The
collections were eurocentric, patriarchal, & pious reflecting a narrow,
self-satisfied god. Ellsberg's "All Asaints" is happily all-inclusive,
revealing the myriad facets of God, the Lover of Creation. The sole standard
which the author seems to use is how the individual manifested his/her relationship
with God by pursuing agape between desperate communities via prayer, mysticism,
ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, social justice, political empowerment, education,
gender equity, environmentalism, healthcare, journalism, communication,
and good ol'-fashion "Speaking to the Truth". Ellsberg's "all
saints" are people of passion & compassion--flesh & blood &
spirit. The book is intelligently written, with suggestions for further
reading. I unreservedly recommend this book. Seldom has a book so resonated
with me--I read it before my evening devotions & it draws me into the
heart of prayer. Kudos!
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