The Saints' Guide to Happiness

by Robert Ellsberg

A noted spiritual writer seeks answers to life's big questions in the stories of the saints

In All Saints ---published in 1997 and already a classic of its kind---Robert Ellsberg told the stories of 365 holy people with great vividness and eloquence. In The Saints' Guide to Happiness , Ellsberg looks to the saints to answer the What is happiness, and how might we find it?

Countless books answer these questions in terms of personal growth, career success, physical fitness, and the like. The Saints' Guide to Happiness proposes instead that happiness consists in a grasp of the deepest dimension of our humanity, which characterizes holy people past and present. The book offers a series of "lessons" in the life of the the struggle to feel alive in a frenzied society; the search for meaningful work, real friendship, and enduring love; the encounter with suffering and death; and the yearning to grasp the ultimate significance of our lives. In these "lessons," our guides are the historical figures like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, and Teresa of Avila, and moderns such as Dorothy Day, Flannery O'Connor, and Henri J. Nouwen. In the course of the book the figures familiar from stained-glass windows come to seem exemplars, not just of holy piety but of "life in abundance," the quality in which happiness and holiness converge.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Christian, Christianity, Catholic, Nonfiction

248 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Avolyn Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the Lutheran church and I have only begun exploring Catholicism in the last year or so, and I would say that this book is one that borders on quite possibly being the best book I have ever read. A part of me worries that no other book will compare to this one for the rest of my life.

I've read countless other Christian books and I would prefer to not open up the can of worms that would be arguing why Catholicism is superior, because I am not even a Catholic but I have noticed the depth of Catholic text and the way in which the Catholic teachings manage to touch the deepest corners of my soul in a way that other books that I have read previously on the topic of faith, have not done.

Disclaimer: this review is about to get opinionated and I have no intentions of offending anyone....

I feel that growing up, other Christian texts tended to deny the world in order to explain God and explain faith whereas Catholic text appears to mesh the two and explain how the world is not counter to faith but how the two are woven together and we should live our lives as such. This book outlined in the most beautiful way how happiness isn't a mood or a feeling we get but rather a state of being and that even though suffering can be a part of life and is still a part of God's plan, we should not feel guilty about being happy in this life because to be unhappy just for the sake of being unhappy in this life would be to disrespect the gift of this beautiful life that was given to us. And contrary to other teachings, Heaven is not only a place in the afterlife that we can never know before death, but it is also a place here on earth. We are not happy because we avoid suffering, we are happy despite our suffering.

What I love most about the teachings of the Saints is that even if our lives are not as profound as to make ourselves famous like them, our work in the realm of the commoner is just as important and just as meaningful and that everyone should consider themselves as a Saint working toward achieving our status as a Saint.

I can't get over how thirsty my soul has been for this book and the teachings of the Catholic church. I don't mean to suggest that any form of Christianity is "inferior" but I feel like up until now, Christian teachings felt like girl scout badges I was trying to earn on my vest of faith whereas for the first time in my life, these Catholic teachings feel like the literal hand of God molding me into the person I was created to be. They aren't patches that I want to earn because I'm supposed to and I want others to see how devoted I am or that I've checked a box in the church, they're teachings that I cannot ignore because they've literally changed me after reading them.

I will be returning to this book over and over again, I stumbled upon it by accident when I was at a used book store and I have been so delighted by the depth and power within its pages.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly great book, because you don't always know how great a book is just by looking at the cover. So this book talks about how they found happiness, both here and towards the future, beyond the fence of death. Happiness found while living, while letting go (detachment), in our work, love, suffering and during the time of dying, but also then in seeing through faith and hope and life-circumstances.

The author chose a number of saints and nearly-official (in some people's minds) saints as examples here, my particular favorites being Doris Day, Flannery O'Connor and Teresa Of Avila. And I ended up also getting more book suggestions, so my shopping list gets bigger. Not a bad thing in this case :) Very well worth reading.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spiritually moving and motivating book about saints quest to attain happiness on earth. The author uses beautiful examples of saints' lives to spur one into action. Encouraged to put away the miseries and sorrows of the day, the reader finds peace in hearing of the triumphs of saints on earth - the same struggles we hold and the choices they made to be happy.

[Randi Daeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important and enlightening book I’ve ever read. So much more than what I was expecting. If you want to be fully present in life....if you want a life examined....if you want to know exactly why you have a life....this is the book for you.

[Dee Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book - one I'll probably buy because I want to read it again.

[Todd Putney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellsberg is the editor of Orbis books and a good guide to the Saints. This book's focus is on happiness and what some of the saints had to say about it. What is the relationship between happiness and holiness? Ellsberg may not have all the answers but he knows where to look.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read that gives you a lot to think about. I was hoping to learn more about different saints but Ellsberg mostly focuses on a few (better known) saints and draws lessons from their lives. I didn't find it particularly deep or challenging.

[CHEYENNE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great perspective on the way of happiness. touches on various saints & known authors.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting exploration of what motivated saints and how they found contentment and joy even in the midst of struggle and persecution.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The struggle for many saints was to invent a path to holiness beyond the options available in their time."

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

heavy read

[Annie Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially liked St. Brigid’s vision of heaven on p. 175, “a large family gathering around a lake of beer.”

[Abby Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

hopeful & profound

[Jes Pedroza · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no ten steps or twelve steps nor any number of steps that lead to happiness. There is no spiritual prescription. Happiness is a continuous journey that we go through in life. Robert Ellsberg gives us a taste of the varying conceptions of what the saints believed to be happiness. St. Brigid of Ireland envisioned true happiness as a large family gathered around a lake of beer (my kind of girl), while other saints found it while living a life of poverty and solitude. Although they all found different paths to this state, the reoccurring theme seen is their love for God, their willingness to do his work and the ability to see the everyday blessings and beauty that God presents to his people. These all seem to be clear instructions for the ultimate goal of happiness. However, in life, there is theory and then there is reality. I’m a firm believer in reality and these instructions tell me that this is not the easiest curriculum to abide by. But on the other hand, when I reflect on some of my “happiest” moments in life, it was when I was able to practice these important lessons.

I appreciate Ellsberg’s critique from a different perspective. As Christians, we believe in heaven. Other religious sectors have criticized the emphasis placed on the after life. Albert Camus, a French existentialist, charged that this preoccupation undermines the capacity for ethical engagement in the present. This was a point that never crossed my mind, but one certainly worth pondering. The critique is not only for the Christians but for all of us living in the modern day world. We drive while talking on our cell phones while listening to the radio while thinking about what we have to get done in the day. We constantly have this terrible desire to be anywhere but in the present. We think about the future and we think about the past. But if we are perpetually in these two states, Ellsberg questions whether we are ever truly alive.

The saints remind us that although we all end up in different professions, the vocation that we all share is to love. Every encounter we have with someone is an opportunity to love. We must love our friends as well as our enemies. This is how we become “refined”, for we learn forgiveness only when there is something to forgive; we learn patience only when our patience is sorely tested. Dostoevsky was a firm believer in this and the character created in The Brothers Karamazov knew that in order to find God one must practice “active love”. For we only learn to love by loving!

Overall, the path to happiness is a very holy thing. Our journeys vary but are the same in the end. With all the saints cheering us on, let us be happy!

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ran into this superb book while skimming the choices on my phone's book reader. The title intrigued me, so I paid the ridiculously small price for it and started reading. Ellsberg undertakes the philosophical/theological task of defining more closely what is happiness and, then, uses examples of saints lives to explain aspects of what happiness is. The key to the book is the definition of happiness (the culturally dominant one defined by Ellsberg as "the feeling of being happy"), of course, because the claim that the saints can lead us to happiness is, to say the least, an odd one. The saints are not necessarily easily identified with happiness as we tend to think of it. They are an assorted bunch: some happy to be sure, but many cranky or suffering terribly. So, Ellsberg's whole premise seems odd.

Ellsberg connects happiness with the holiness of the saints, not in a simplistic way, but as a reflect of the saint's connection to God: their balance, courage and love of their neighbour. The book goes through the insights that the life of the saints gives on what true happiness. Ellsberg examines most aspects of life including taking on suffering and death which, on the topic of happiness, is a hard sell. Yet, he still manages to make a compelling case for the true happiness which connection of God gives.

This book is worth exploring and I'm sure that I'll keep coming back to this text for insights. Well worth reading.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellsberg's journey to define happiness through those we admire - saints and just good people - led me to question how I live and see the events in my life. I think sometimes, one might try so hard to be happy and surge to find that sense of physical and emotional security through attachment to titles, jobs, objects, and people that never truly realize that happiness they seek. Ellsberg includes little gems about vocation - for instance, Flannery O'Connor explains that she writes because "I'm good at it." In the whole, "Eat, Pray, Love" frenzy that pervades our media (I do love Gilbert's book), sometimes it's nice to be reminded that we can be happy with ourselves, in the simpliest of ways - by doing what we are good at, by embracing the fullness of life, and all the while learning to love what we see and all we encounter.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deeply resonate with Ellsberg's selections in his saints' guide to happiness. This could have been a pious and stilted read, but Ellsberg fills each chapter with great humanity and makes these saints' spirituality utterly livable. Happiness is possible in this life. These saints show us how it is.

[Tk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. The first few chapters were quick and instructive, but my favorite was chapter 6, "learning to suffer." 6-8 were really beautiful, meaningful, and inspiring. I will reread them again and again.

[Anne Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot of good reminders and lessons. It was less a collection of stories about the saints than using the saints as examples for the lessons, which I really liked.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I want to come back to again. There were so many spots that resonated with my life right now.

[Michelle Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! It is one of my favorites. It shows what kinds of saints, as well as ordinary people what they have gone through: their sufferings and struggles and how they got through them.

[Paul Dubuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book on what it means to be truly happy. Well written, balanced, insightful.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book after reading some Thomas Merton. I was not seeking answers for happiness, which seems like an odd thing to require a guide. One is either happy or they are not and all the maps and sign post will not sway.

I read this as a means to illuminate how others have answered their call. I read searching for a way to listen to my own calling. i read this while on a monastic retreat in New Mexico. The serenity, the prayers, the silence offered a environment that connected me closely to the words and lives of those in the book.

Common threads among the saints, a renunciation of the world and its trappings. Rather than listening to a call the search for happiness leads to dependence on things, on people, and on outside reconciliation. To focus on one's call and to have faith in that call is all there seems to be to happiness. IN Merton's words, "In filling myself, I had emptied myself."

It was a glorious journey that, in the end, my have provided happiness.