Why God Hides: And Where to Find Him

by John C. Portavella, John Portavella

Why does God hide day-in and day-out from those of us who yearn to hear His voice? When we do good, there's no heavenly applause. When we do evil, no divine rebuke. And when great horrors visit us, He rarely intervenes. In good times and bad, there's just silence . . . the awful silence of God. Now comes Why God Hides , this magnum opus of Fr. John Portavella, written after many decades of listening to God's silence in his own life and in that of thousands of his parishioners. Those years of listening, reading, thinking, and praying have made ever more clear to him and with the help of this book, will make clear to you that, in fact . . . God is not silent nor is He hidden,
if only you know how to listen
and learn where to look . Time and again in the events of salvation history and in the trials and joys of our daily lives, Fr. Portavella here unveils the Face of God and lets us hear His voice, speaking in every instance words of sweet love. Why God Hides is a remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime book that scatters the darkness of our minds, giving us myriad glimpses of our supposedly hidden God, bringing with each of those glimpses the consolation and joys we have yearned for so long.

Genres: Catholic, Faith

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Improved noticeably from chapter to chapter, or perhaps the author just began to address aspects of the faith more subtle and of greater interest to me. Excellent quotes. If I had this on Kindle I would have posted many.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quite profound but accessible read. Published this year by Sophia, the author is a long-serving Opus Dei priest. I was intrigued by the title and not disappointed by the results.

This paragraph in the introduction sums up the book and is fleshed out in the book:

"Life is a test for which God endowed man with free will. To ensure the enjoyment of freedom and responsibility, the Almighty refrains from making His presence obvious or too forcefully felt. He wants children not slaves."

God's presence can be found in many people, things, and places. If only we have eyes to see and ears to hear (cf. 1 Cor 2:9).

Like so many of Sophia's offerings, this book can be read and re-read again and again with profit. Short sections allow one to spend as much or as little time as available each day.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book title intrigued me, as in my life I have wondered why God seems to hide, and as I hoped the author's thoughts on reasons for His hiddenness and on where one might find Him could help. And they do. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring. This book came at the right time in my life and has been absolutely essential to me re-establishing my faith with Catholicism.