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The Gift Of Faith
The Gift of Faith (known also as Inquiring Faith ) looks at faith in an unconventional way, yet is rooted in a sound theology of the spiritual life. In this book, "the genius of a theologian of faith as well as the charisma of a spiritual director are clearly visible" (cf. The Lexicon of Fundamental Theology , prepared by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin Kraków 2002, p.299-300). It is the fruit of many years of teaching and over thirty years of experience as a spiritual director with a great number of people. This book is a response to the desire of many seeking deep interior spirituality. With simplicity and clarity, the author engages the reader's attention and awakens their yearning to experience God and to follow a specific path of sanctification.
Father Wilfrid Stinissen O.C.D. wrote about Fr. Dajczer's The Gift of Faith : "I strongly recommend this book. If one learns a lesson from what he reads here, he will be guided inevitably on the way of sanctity."
The Gift of Faith has become a bestseller in the field of Christian spirituality throughout the world. It promotes the essentials of the new evangelization to build God s Kingdom through an ardent faith as proclaimed by Pope Paul VI and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI continues to support a reawakening of the faith, and in 2010 established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. In his Apostolic Letter, Ubicumque et Semper , issued " moto proprio ," Pope Benedict affirms, "at the root of all evangelization lies not a human plan of expansion, but rather the desire to share the inestimable gift that God has wished to give us, making us sharers in his own life." The Gift of Faith can enkindle a yearning for this desire.
Father Wilfrid Stinissen O.C.D. wrote about Fr. Dajczer's The Gift of Faith : "I strongly recommend this book. If one learns a lesson from what he reads here, he will be guided inevitably on the way of sanctity."
The Gift of Faith has become a bestseller in the field of Christian spirituality throughout the world. It promotes the essentials of the new evangelization to build God s Kingdom through an ardent faith as proclaimed by Pope Paul VI and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI continues to support a reawakening of the faith, and in 2010 established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. In his Apostolic Letter, Ubicumque et Semper , issued " moto proprio ," Pope Benedict affirms, "at the root of all evangelization lies not a human plan of expansion, but rather the desire to share the inestimable gift that God has wished to give us, making us sharers in his own life." The Gift of Faith can enkindle a yearning for this desire.
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 8, 2021
Faith is relying on nothing apart from God. We cannot rely on any of his gifts, but only on Him alone - on His infinite power and infinite love.
God’s will is the only one reality that we may attach ourselves to without claiming it for ourselves. Everything else besides God’s will is a gift and a means to reach the goal, but is not the goal.
God burns with a jealous love for you. It means that he wants to be your only Lord, your only love.
I wish I could quote at least ½ of this book in this review. There are sayings like that on almost every page. I did not rush through this book, nor did I miss a single page. Throughout the book, there are bold statements which when you read them, you know why they are in bold. As a highlighter queen, they are also things I would have highlighted. So, I am torn, do I add my pink, yellow, blue color to the page or is the bold enough?
This book has been on my shelf for a number of years. I ‘discovered’ this author when his writings on the Holy Eucharist moved me so much. This book has done the same. It is a wonderful book to bring to prayer time. I would even say that it will have something to say to almost everyone, whether a neophyte or someone who has traversed every road and feels like there is nothing more to be said about the spiritual journey.
Whenever it is difficult for you and He remains silent, remember this silence is just another form of His word, and His absence is just another form of His permanent overwhelming Presence. … When you feel very alone, when it is hard for you, when you are experiencing some kind of nakedness, He is closest to you. However, He does not give signs because He wants you to trust in Him even more. This kind of silence and seeming absence is a great risk for Him. Some people then leave.
I don’t believe it is possible to read this book and not be changed by it.
May 8, 2021: I discovered this wonderful priest years ago through his writings on the Eucharist which are wonderful beyond words. The first book of his which I read, The Mystery of Faith: Meditations on the Eucharist, and took to Adoration. It was back then I bought this book and have been meaning to read this ever since. A recent conversation with my sister prompted me to refer to it.
God’s will is the only one reality that we may attach ourselves to without claiming it for ourselves. Everything else besides God’s will is a gift and a means to reach the goal, but is not the goal.
God burns with a jealous love for you. It means that he wants to be your only Lord, your only love.
I wish I could quote at least ½ of this book in this review. There are sayings like that on almost every page. I did not rush through this book, nor did I miss a single page. Throughout the book, there are bold statements which when you read them, you know why they are in bold. As a highlighter queen, they are also things I would have highlighted. So, I am torn, do I add my pink, yellow, blue color to the page or is the bold enough?
This book has been on my shelf for a number of years. I ‘discovered’ this author when his writings on the Holy Eucharist moved me so much. This book has done the same. It is a wonderful book to bring to prayer time. I would even say that it will have something to say to almost everyone, whether a neophyte or someone who has traversed every road and feels like there is nothing more to be said about the spiritual journey.
Whenever it is difficult for you and He remains silent, remember this silence is just another form of His word, and His absence is just another form of His permanent overwhelming Presence. … When you feel very alone, when it is hard for you, when you are experiencing some kind of nakedness, He is closest to you. However, He does not give signs because He wants you to trust in Him even more. This kind of silence and seeming absence is a great risk for Him. Some people then leave.
I don’t believe it is possible to read this book and not be changed by it.
May 8, 2021: I discovered this wonderful priest years ago through his writings on the Eucharist which are wonderful beyond words. The first book of his which I read, The Mystery of Faith: Meditations on the Eucharist, and took to Adoration. It was back then I bought this book and have been meaning to read this ever since. A recent conversation with my sister prompted me to refer to it.
February 23, 2013
"There's gold in them thar hills," but getting to it takes some work.
Father Dajczer's refreshing take on the gift of faith in Jesus is that it eventually lets us see *everything* else in life as a gift, also. His vocabulary is simple, but his syntax and thought often loop back on themselves. As a result, this profound little book is disconcertingly dense even in translation from the original Polish.
I don't know of any other book that has taken me as long to read, and yet the effort was a fruitful one, because in the leafy canopy of sections about "The Dynamism of Faith" and "The Actualisation of Faith" can be found gemlike insights like "Faith does not remove darkness; it does just the opposite, it requires it."
Three pages are devoted to Guy de Laurigaudie (d. 1940), apparently a cheerful traveler and prayerful icon of the Scouting movement in France. After that, an end-of-the-book discussion of love seems cursory in comparison to the long discourse on faith that preceded it. Yet in fairness to Fr. Dajczer, his contrast of "agape" and "eros" is not nearly as reductive as it at first sounds to those of us who remember that C.S. Lewis wrote vividly about four loves rather than just two.
While emphasizing the importance of the Church and the sacraments, Father Dajczer also reminds us that "Failures are priceless treasures given to you in your life," and "If you feel you are sinful and weak, you have a special right to Jesus' arms because he is the Good Shepherd."
The message of this work sparked an association I had not expected to make: What Fr. Dajczer writes here accords with the lyrics of the hymn "How Blest We Are" from the Broadway musical "Big River," in that both this book and that hymn each affirm the truth of Saint Paul's dictum about how "All things work together for good for those who love God."
Father Dajczer's refreshing take on the gift of faith in Jesus is that it eventually lets us see *everything* else in life as a gift, also. His vocabulary is simple, but his syntax and thought often loop back on themselves. As a result, this profound little book is disconcertingly dense even in translation from the original Polish.
I don't know of any other book that has taken me as long to read, and yet the effort was a fruitful one, because in the leafy canopy of sections about "The Dynamism of Faith" and "The Actualisation of Faith" can be found gemlike insights like "Faith does not remove darkness; it does just the opposite, it requires it."
Three pages are devoted to Guy de Laurigaudie (d. 1940), apparently a cheerful traveler and prayerful icon of the Scouting movement in France. After that, an end-of-the-book discussion of love seems cursory in comparison to the long discourse on faith that preceded it. Yet in fairness to Fr. Dajczer, his contrast of "agape" and "eros" is not nearly as reductive as it at first sounds to those of us who remember that C.S. Lewis wrote vividly about four loves rather than just two.
While emphasizing the importance of the Church and the sacraments, Father Dajczer also reminds us that "Failures are priceless treasures given to you in your life," and "If you feel you are sinful and weak, you have a special right to Jesus' arms because he is the Good Shepherd."
The message of this work sparked an association I had not expected to make: What Fr. Dajczer writes here accords with the lyrics of the hymn "How Blest We Are" from the Broadway musical "Big River," in that both this book and that hymn each affirm the truth of Saint Paul's dictum about how "All things work together for good for those who love God."
November 2, 2007
I had thought faith meant I knew there was a God.
And turning to Him.
This book has opened my eyes to the many ways faith plays a crucial role in our lives. It leads me to trust God like a little child trusts a parent. Or helps me see how I am not doing it...
It is very intense and I am reading it only a few pages at a time and discussing it in a group, making resolutions to shift over to trusting Him more.
Knowing He has given me everything and that I am a miser with my time to Him is quite a shock to my ego. I was thinking I was a "good person."
Now I am opening up to how I am loving profoundly by Him even when I turn away from Him and think I am controlling and running my life so well.
Faith in Him serves me better.
And turning to Him.
This book has opened my eyes to the many ways faith plays a crucial role in our lives. It leads me to trust God like a little child trusts a parent. Or helps me see how I am not doing it...
It is very intense and I am reading it only a few pages at a time and discussing it in a group, making resolutions to shift over to trusting Him more.
Knowing He has given me everything and that I am a miser with my time to Him is quite a shock to my ego. I was thinking I was a "good person."
Now I am opening up to how I am loving profoundly by Him even when I turn away from Him and think I am controlling and running my life so well.
Faith in Him serves me better.
August 31, 2011
Loved this book. LOVED it. It explains so clearly how everything is a gift -- even the things we think of as awful. Written by a devout Polish priest who started an enormous apostolate for families in Poland.
September 25, 2018
This book has three sections: The Virtue of Faith, The Dynamism of Faith, The Actualization of Faith. Author Tadeusz Dajczer, a Polish priest who died in 2009, writes in a deeply informed and thoughtful style, using reflections, stories, instruction, and reminders. The book is inspiring and encouraging, and would definitely bear re-reading.
October 29, 2016
Tadeusz Dajczer was a Catholic priest who lived in Poland, where he died in 2009. In this book, one of several he wrote, he writes about faith as a virtue that is enlivened and actualized through prayer, the problems of everyday life, Scripture and the sacraments. The writing style is clear and thoughtful.
He must have been immersed in the writings of the Carmelite saints, as he draws heavily on Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux.
The book is easy to read but challenging to live out, as the author encourages readers to adopt a radical faith in God and His goodness, especially during difficult times. I thought parts of the book were truly profound, and while I went through it at a fast clip, I hope to reread it at a slower pace because it seems to be a work where rereading could be fruitful.
He must have been immersed in the writings of the Carmelite saints, as he draws heavily on Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux.
The book is easy to read but challenging to live out, as the author encourages readers to adopt a radical faith in God and His goodness, especially during difficult times. I thought parts of the book were truly profound, and while I went through it at a fast clip, I hope to reread it at a slower pace because it seems to be a work where rereading could be fruitful.
January 24, 2015
This book is one of the most helpful, inspiring and coherent writings on "faith and the spiritual life" that I have ever read...and I've read PLENTY. The best edition is the third edition I believe (not the one in the picture...the one I'm referring to has clouds on it)...a person from any faith background will find this tremendously insightful and will walk away from it with a clearer focus and uplifted spirit. I can't possibly say enough good about it.
June 4, 2010
It's really one of the best books I have ever read. Everything about Catholic faith and our wonderful Lord is told simply so that everybody could understand. You read this book and it seems that this is written for you. It's beatiful. Tadeusz Dajczer is unrepeatabe writer, he is really endowed by God and that's great. Great that he splits his thoughts with us. :) Very beutiful book..!
January 24, 2015
I can see why so many people find this book life-changing. It offers a fresh take on seeing life through faith.
March 8, 2024
I finally read this book after reading excerpts from it in various Catholic publications. It is a spiritually/theologically dense but only in the sense that a dessert is very rich; best enjoyed in small quantities as it is quality. I found reading this book during hours of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament was most fruitful for me. I've never had a spiritual director, but I think one would closely resemble the sections/approach in this book.
May 25, 2017
Of the many many books I've read on Prayer this is easily one of the five best. Incredibly accessible, filled with commonsense advice, and very unique and lovely descriptions of our potential relationship with God. A great book but also a book that I will carry with me always as a gateway to prayer. Absolutely wonderful!
January 21, 2024
more please!
I loved the focus on Christ! Did not want the book to end but a bitter sorrow that it was the end of the book!
I loved the focus on Christ! Did not want the book to end but a bitter sorrow that it was the end of the book!
February 13, 2015
I love this book. I need to read it again... Maybe during lent.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews