Faith and Certitude: Can We Be Sure of the Things that Matter Most to Us?

by Fr. Thomas Dubay S.M.

Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. The highly regarded Dubay (Fire Within) presents a thorough and concise analysis of the critical questions and issues concerning faith and certitude in our day. Written in a very readable, inspirational and sometimes humorous style, Dubay cuts through the relativism and skepticism of our time and exposes the deepest roots of error, whether scientific or religious. He shows how anyone committed to an honest search for truth and goodness can attain a rock solid religious certitude that will not be shaken by developments in human events and academic studies. "A masterful book. Fr. Dubay is one of the best writers in the Church today. He explains with striking imagery, and uses colorful language and readily grasped examples. One of the most important books of our time." -Fr. Richard Gilsdorf, Reflections "Highly recommended for apologetic purposes. It is well-written, easy to read and full of concrete examples." -Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review "This book should be mandatory reading to help restore a valid defense of the truths of the Faith. A brilliantly conceived tool with razor-edged logic." -St. Anthony Messenger     Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M., is a well-known retreat master and expert in the spiritual life. A Marist Priest, Father holds a Ph.D. from Catholic University of America and has taught on both major seminary level for about fifteen years. He has spent the last three decades giving retreats and writing books (over twenty at last count) on various aspects of the spiritual life. He is an expert on the teachings and writings of the two mystical doctors of the Church, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. All of his books have become modern spiritual classics.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Theology

266 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Dubay writes with much kindness and perspicacity. I wish that I had read this book in my youth when I was tempted to atheism and agnosticism. I found many of the arguments both convincing and attractive. I saw myself in the past in many of the discussions of the obstacles to certitude. I highly recommend this book.

[Chemteacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still thinking about it, but I found it generally uneven. There are some superficial philosophical treatments and at least one very serious definition error early on in this one--although he can probably be forgiven for this because he's a popular writer on spirituality with a reputation for spiritual direction of a certain type, rather than a theologian or philosopher. The mis-definition, and the sloppy equivocation that follows, appears only in one short section and does not carry throughout the book. Again, it's more of a philosophical problem than a theological one.
The word "certainty" carries a specific technical meaning in Neo-Scholastic (manualist) theology and it's fairly obvious that this was the meaning being used here, although this is by all other indications, a book meant for the general population.
Toward the beginning of the book, there were some very good, very perceptive (I thought) parts about the realization of the existence of God by the honest seeker, and about practical matters involving the spiritual life. That is Fr. Dubay's usual subject matter, after all, and he's very good at that. He knows that. On the other hand, some of the other overly-mechanical and more universally-presented parts were less convincing, and became repetitive as the book went on. A lot of this book consisted of the usual justifications for the kind of moral theory that's been around for the last couple of hundred years (manualism). Before the modern era, this kind of thing might have been unrecognizable to Catholics at every level of scholarly achievement. It's not the gospel, needless to say. And not at all original or particularly insightful.
The last chapter looked like an afterthought, probably intended as an illustration of the previous chapter which was more metaphysical. That last chapter probably was somewhat unnecessary for postmodern readers, but perhaps not so much for the readers of the late 90s, when this book was new.
Overall, there are much better things to read on this topic. I was required to read this for a class and so I persisted until the end.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must read gem by dear Fr Dubay!!