That Nothing May Be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion

by Paul Scalia

Fr. Paul Scalia reveals a scholar's mind and a pastor's heart in these inspiring reflections on a wide range of Catholic teachings and practices. Rooted in Scripture, these insights place the reader on a path to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. Among the topics explored are deepening one's knowledge of Jesus, partaking of the life of grace through the sacraments, and cultivating the art of prayer as a continuous conversation with God. Each section is introduced by a moving essay by a highly regarded Catholic.  Fr. Paul Check ,  Jim Towey , Scott Hahn ,  Mary Ellen Bork ,  Gloria Purvis ,  Raymond Arroyo ,  Lizz Lovett ,  Helen Alvaré , and Dan Mattson offer their personal accounts of being Catholic, which are followed by Fr. Scalia's illuminations. Archbishop Charles Chaput  contributes a thought- provoking foreword, which begins the reader's exploration of the many important aspects of the Catholic faith presented in this book.

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

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2017

About the author

Father Scalia grew up in the Diocese of Arlington and attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He then studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Since his ordination in 1996 he has served as parochial vicar at several parishes and as pastor of Saint John the Beloved in McLean. He currently serves as the Episcopal Vicar for Clergy. He has written for various publications and is a frequent speaker on matters of faith and doctrine. Father Scalia's first book, That Nothing May Be Lost, was published by Ignatius Press in 2017.

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Paul Scalia's new collection of essays, That Nothing May be Lost (Ignatius Press, 2017) has a unique structure: each chapter has an introduction written by a guest author, followed by several of Scalia's own essays. Many of these were previously published as blog posts, monthly commentaries or bulletin columns. The detailed table of contents allows the reader to skip around as desired, choosing just the essay that invites itself to be read at that particular moment. The chapter introductions, by guest authors including Scott Hahn, Raymond Arroyo, Helen Alvaré and several others, may be read on their own as well.

These essays provide not only important information, but an invitation to delve deeper into our faith through study, prayer and sacrament. I love that throughout this book, Father Scalia and his guest authors unfailingly express their own deep faith in God and affection for the Church and its traditions, welcoming the reader to ever more deeply participate in the life of faith.

[Bonnie Engstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of homilies and essays. For me it was best read in bits instead of straight through.

[Katherine Bogner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can count on one hand the number of books that have impacted my faith from cover to cover, pushing me to prayer, or tears, or frantic note taking alternately, and this book from Fr. Scalia is one of them. Titled "That Nothing May Be Lost" from the end of the story of the feeding of the 5000 when Jesus asks the Apostles to gather up the fragments at the end of the meal, the author explains that the writings in the book are just that- fragments left over- articles, bulletin commentary, and blog posts. But organized together into themes, the book shares about 80 such essays that pack in truth in a profound way. His style of writing, rooted in Scripture and full of allegory, reminds me of how Fulton Sheen often wrote. Each essay made me think but also gave me attainable takeaways. The book is organized into nine sections and contains introductions that are essays themselves from other Catholics such as Scott Hahn, Lizz Lovett, Raymond Arroyo, and Archbishop Charles Chaput. Another beautiful aspect of the book is that the essays are short and really could be read in any order, making this the perfect book to keep at your beside or on your desk just to read a little bit at a time. I really couldn't recommend it more highly!

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each essay offers a concise, but thoughtful reflection that can be read quickly, but pondered for a long while. Fr. Scalia’s breadth of knowledge and education underpin his writing, that often includes humor and pithy observations. Fr. Scalia, and the other contributors to this book, exemplify the vibrancy and joy of the Catholic faith.

[Ellie Dills · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenally written and truly went into beautiful depth and distinction of things that we ‘gloss over’ in scripture and tradition in our Church! lots of beautiful points were made that drew me closer to the Lord in contemplation!

[TJ Jakubowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book. Father Scalia is a gifted homilist. He communicates doctrine with apt examples.

[Kathleen Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and scholarly reflections but pastoral as well- reads like a retreat.

[Andy Madajski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very nice collection of essays on a variety of Catholic and theological topics. They are loosely organized into chapters based on common ideas: The Lord, The Church, Paradoxes of Faith, The Sacraments, The Virgin Mary, The Saints, Prayer, The Life of Grace, and Feasts.

What I especially liked about this collection was the length of each essay - no more than a page or two. The brevity of each essay, however, does not mean the writing is superficial or light. Many of these essays gave me food for thought for several days. What made the length nice for me was that I was able to incorporate them into my nightly prayers. A short essay a night right before bed gave my mind something to ponder as I drifted off to sleep.

[Rex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and engaging book by Fr. Scalia. The title comes from the feeding of the five thousand where Jesus tells the disciples to gather the leftover, so that nothing may be lost. Scalia holds this fragment of the verse to be important because God is not only a Big God, but a God of small things as well. That then sets the theme, a collection of short discussions about various aspects of life and religion. Much of it is centered around Roman Catholic doctrine, but the greatest portion is applicable to Christianity in general.

[Barton Pritzl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that gathers reflections on a variety of topics in Catholic doctrine and devotions. Rev. Scalia writes in a way that is easily understandable and relates well to common day concerns. This book will help those of you in the Catholic faith to take a deeper look at it and will help those not of the Catholic faith to better understand it.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very interesting to see how others relate to scripture. This book is well written and grounded in scripture as well. I found some material heavy, and challenging to read. It's thought provoking. I appreciate the contribution the author made.

[Thomas G. Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good composite of doctrine

This is an excellent summary of the many Catholic beliefs.
It is clearly presented and supported with many background references that support the presented material.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of homilies by Rev. Scalia, organized around thematic topics and each topic introduced by another Catholic thinker. Had a lot of good tidbits, but the format prevented it from feeling like a unified whole.

[V Forr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply profound devotions. Easily accessible. Scholarly reflections. Short, sweet, and to the point essays and columns. A must read.

[Kathy Spaargaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book filled with nurturing language and heavenly wisdom. I feel built up and encouraged after reading it...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these little essays delving into particular aspects of the faith from Rev Scalia. Bite-size nuggets of wisdom!

[Vernetta]

Excellent